Len Pasquarelli Seems Like A Nice Fellow
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Deadspin linked to a story from Portfolio Magazine which hilariously recounts a writer's interview with ESPN's Len Pasquarelli regarding ageism. The author wanted to talk to the elder statesman at ESPN about a column he penned about Joe Gibbs being too old to Coach in the NFL, and the ESPN reporter gladly agreed.
Just kidding, he lectured the writer about Journalism bringing his own writing and age into question.....
But it wasn't until after I told him I'm a blogger that things really started to go downhill.And people complain about Beano Cook being too old, sheesh. I think I echo Will Leitch's sentiment that you should never mention the word "blog" to someone who works at ESPN and furthermore anyone over 50 for that matter (my dad still calls it a Blogue for some reason).
At that point, Pasquarelli demanded to know how long I've been working as a journalist. Eight years, I told him. He said our conversation was off the record, and asked, "Do you know what 'off the record' means?" Trying to avoid being baited by his condescension, I repeated that I was sorry for not stating at the very beginning of my call that I wanted to interview him. "I asked you a question," he interrupted. "Do you or don't you know what 'off the record' means?"
That's when I said I didn't think there was any point in continuing our conversation. He said if that was how I felt, that was fine with him. Then he proceeded to lecture me for a while longer on how he feels that reporters ought to identify themselves honestly, but obviously I don't share his opinion about that, etc.
In conclusion, I would have to say that, at age 57 (or possibly 53; Nexis lists two different birth dates), Len Pasquarelli is, sadly, too old to be covering sports.
Is Len Pasquarelli Too Old To Cover Sports? (Portfolio)
Len Pasquarelli Has Some Words For Anyone Else Who Dares "Report" (Deadspin)
16 Comments:
Really? That's the ONE thing that bothers you on this site??? That's rather impressive.
Sorry, it does it that way for me. I don't even want to think about how to add one on the other end.
I apologize for the nuisance.
Gotta love that combover.
Don't ask him about "Stinkston or Trash" either.
BTW - should ask him about stealing Jay Glazer's (Fox)work without attribution
What a tool
i don't know that the quote is really a 'start quote' (thus requiring an 'end quote'), but rather an explanation as to why that paragraph is set-in a half inch. you don't actually "quote" block-quotes, so I don't know that you would want to add another graphic.
Gotta laugh out of his combover, as well. When will smelly old people realize that bald looks better than that monstrosity.
Nah, he sounds mild compared to what the anonymous sportswriters at sportsjournalists.com unleash at the word blog or blogger!
@Awful...the quotation marks thing on these blogger templates drive me batty. I prefer the sidebar graphic (see this for example), but it is not as clear that it is quoted material.
What an old has-been that Len is.
Well, he did win a Don Vito Lookalike Contest. So he's got that going for him. I just hope he doesn't grope minors.
Len Pasquarelli is a great writer. So because he had it out with the guy his conclusion is he is too old to cover sports? Redonkulous. Maybe Len was a jerk but it doesn't make him any less of a writer.
I'm 55(as of this past October); does that make me too old to read sports blogs?
The guy didn't make it clear that the conversation was an interview, he doesn't answer Len's question about off the record and he writes about the interview.
I'm not sure why anyone would think Len is the bad guy in this case. What the writer did is why bloggers have a bad name in some circles.
"Zoner" = Len's great-grandson.
I swear the are digitally enhancing his hair on the show. When he moves it seems to stay still. That is the worst hair ever!
Zoner must also be an old crotchy fart.
Len stopped being relevant years ago. There are hundreds of bloggers who are better than him.
Who's dreaming of a steel cage, Stephen A, Old Man Len, Schrutebag, and a lion? I know i am.
I'm 36. But I guess if you disagree you must fall into a certain, undesirable category.
"Len stopped being relevant years ago. There are hundreds of bloggers who are better than him."
No there aren't.
It has been bothering me for sometime now and I know it is trivial, but is it possible for you to also put quotation marks at the end of the quotation and not just at the beginning.