Press Box Fight!
Monday, May 12, 2008
I always wondered if reporters on the beat of different teams had gotten into it before, and I guess this finally answers that question. Two reporters, one from Detroit and one from Orlando, got into it over the weekend. Actually "got into it" might be an overstatement because it seems to be very one sided. In this corner "hulking" Detroit News Reporter Chris McCosky and the other corner "undersized" Orlando sports radio host Jerry O’Neill your referee is Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi. Via the OS.....
The Pistons have the killer instinct of a pack of pitbulls; the Magic have the killer instinct of poodle puppies playing on linoleum.Well then. It's always good when people of the same ilk stick up for you. Let's go to the "Hulk" for the rest of the story. Via DetNews.com....
Arf. Arf. Arf.
Yip. Yip. Yip.
That was the sound of the Magic pups trying to fight off the Pistons pitbulls and protect their home turf Saturday. But when the Magic pups had the Pistons down by 15, they didn’t go for the jugular; they went for the pants leg.
Many of us in the press room before the game could see this coming.
That’s when a hulking Pistons beat writer for the Detroit News nearly beat up undersized Orlando sports radio host Jerry O’Neill before the game. Even the Magic media came up small.
Well, after I was off the air, this clown ripped on me for a good 15 minutes, I was told. I guess he went on and on about how I talked down to him and how all the Detroit people have this arrogant attitude, or some such garbage.Fight Fight! Laptop fight!!! Sounds like a good time if you ask me.
So, I see him skulking around the press room before the game and I confront him. That's sort of what I do. Not real good at letting things slide off me. I am working on it.
Anyway, I walk up to him and I said, "You always rip on your guests once they are off the air and can't respond?" He said something about how it was his show and for me not to tell him how to run his show. I questioned his courage and some other things and we went back and forth. I was holding my laptop, so it wasn't like I was about to strike him. But I was up in his face, and I suppose I might have cursed a bit. Again, sort of what I do. I remember him saying that I talked down to him, and I said something like, I only talk down to stupid people. I suppose that wasn't very nice.
One of the worst days in Orlando history (Orlando Sentinel)
Here's what happened (DetNews.com)
(P.S.- I figured you'd rather see to attractive females pillow fighting than two "hulking" males going at it. You're welcome.)
7 Comments:
Dear terrorists,
Please target Detroit.
Sincerely,
America
Could the terrorists just target Chris McCosky & Kwame Kilpatrick and call it even?
dear dalke,
fuck you.
signed,
everyone else.
Sounds like the 'tough guy' detroit reporter acted like an idiot. He's trying to let things roll off him? Sounds like he needs to try harder.
I hope this gets posted.
My name is Jerry O'Neill. I am the 13 year Orlando sports talk host that "Fat Boy McCoskey"...ah, shall we call it "approached" last Saturday.
Honestly I don't go looking for this type of "pub"...but although it is a week old...I thought I'd finally go on record. I sent the following letter to Callof the Game dot com...
This is what happend when the "Human Sea Cow" walked into "my world".
*******************************
My name is Jerry O'Neill...I am a 13-year sports talk show host in Orlando. A week ago today (May 10) "The Blob" that is Detroit News columnist Chris McCoskey tried his best to both physicsally intimidate and verbally assault me in the media room, just prior to the Orlando Magic-Detroit Piston game 4.
I work for ESPN Radio which is simulcast on both 1080 AM in Orlando and on 1060 AM (entire "Space Coast" of Florida).
My partner, Brady Ackerman and I do a 3-hour weekday afternoon show (3-6 p.m.) We called The Detroit News on Thursday afternoon (May 8) to see if we could a beat-writer on to give us a "Detrioit" perspective on the Pistons/Magic series. I was given 'The Blob's" number...called him, set up the interview for 3:30...and we did 10 minutes with him.
"The Blob" preceeds to talk down to us as though he is a left-wing prof....and we are wearing John McCain badges...it sounds like we are 1st day students in a "Basketball 101" class.
We let him go on and on...but both Brady and I laughed during the commercial break at how "The Blob" handled his side of the discussion. We siad as much during the next 5 minute segment. We played quick cuts of his statements...and the tone was obvious...that Detroit is God...and Orlando is a wannabee.
Like I said...I have been on the air here for 13 years...and I have always been a bit of a comic as well...so though our comments were not directed toward "The Blob"...we weren't exactly rolling out the red carpet toward Detroit...a wannabee during the Shaq days.
Fast forward to Saturday May 10. I'm standing in the media room 20 minutes before game 4 is scheduled to tip(there may be 40-50 media types in the room). All of a sudden there is this "blob" of a man all but standing on my feet..."f-bomb this, f-bomb that"...It didn't take me more than a minute to realize that it is the "Detroit News Clown". We had never met...just talked on the phone 2 days earlier.
I am not one to take "you're invading my space" lightly. In the next minutes "The Blob" realized that I too knew creative ways to use the F-bomb. I'm not proud of the 2-3 minutes of verbal warfare. In his blog last Sunday "The Blob" admits this type of behavior is something of a pattern for him...and that he used a few curse words. "The Blob", using a few curse words is like saying the U.S. Air Force dropped a few bombs in "Shock & Awe". By the way this is my 1st response to the events of last Saturday.
The only thing I got out of this encounter is the knowledge that "The Blob" could use some mouthwash!
Jerry O'Neill ESPN Radio / Orlando
"A bit of a comic," eh?
Repeatedly using the same, unfunny, derogatory name for a guy (aka 'the blob') doesn't register even a blip on the funny meter. You might rethink that one.
Also, the tone of the letter again implies that you're a lot bigger when your opponent is not in your physical presence. I think we can all assume you didn't have the cojones to call the offending journalist "blob" or "sea cow" to his face.
That's a problem, especially in the sports world. If you aren't man enough to handle your business face-to-face...well...you deserve what you get.
Finally, the idea that somehow Detroit was ever a 'wannabe' in the NBA realm, especially where Orlando is concerned, gives more credence to the idea that maybe Orlando does belong in a lower tier of NBA franchise class strata. It's hard to really address a radio guy, as it's not really your job to actually know anything about that of which you speak, but the Pistons had a nice streak of prominence before the Magic ever came into being, including a pair of titles. Rest assured that the people at the Palace were never put into a position where they envied an absence of history, a quick rise to success on the back of one mega-star player and then a failure to capture a title and then a rapid descent back to mediocrity when that player flees town. The fact that you'd even reference that time in Orlando's history shows what an incredible lack of depth your knowledge has in the NBA game. No wonder he talked down to you.
Well, amateur hour can and should continue down there in Orlando sports-talk radio. I'm sure you can find something sports-related to discuss between now and October. Best of luck with that.
I prefer to believe that actually is a photo of how the reporter spat went down...