interesting strategy gundy

[K-State Spur]

nice presser (http://www.kjrh.com/mediacenter/[email protected]&navCatId=645)

wow...

[Whisky Dog]

Who was that article about? Damn was he pissed about that one

[MajorMike]

September 22, 2007

By Jenni Carlson
The Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Bobby Reid stood near the team charters last
Friday night, using his cell phone, eating his boxed meal

It would've been normal post-game activity but for one
thing.

His mother was feeding him chicken.

Which brings us to the quarterback switch-a-roo at Oklahoma
State.

Don't see the connection?

Let me explain. Cowboy coaches have gone full-speed ahead
with the Zac Attack, opting to start Robinson over Reid a
week ago, then sticking with him against Texas Tech today
even after an embarrassing loss at Troy. Weren't we being
told just last week that Reid was still the guy? All the
weight with which Cowboy coaches were backing Reid has
totally shifted to Robinson.

The change seems sudden.

Thing is, it may not be as abrupt as it looks. If you
believe the rumors and the rumblings, Reid has been
pushing coaches that way for quite some time.

Tile up the back stories told on the sly over the past few
years, and you see a pattern that hasn't always been
pretty.

Word is that Reid has considered transferring a couple
different times, the first as early as 2005. Reid, then a
redshirt freshman, was facing competition from returner
Donovan Woods, and apparently, Reid considered leaving OSU
just because he had to compete for the spot.

Reid's nerves have also been an issue. Earlier this year,
he told our Andrea Cohen about his game-day emotions.

"I get sweaty palms. I get the butterflies in my stomach. I
sweat lot,” he said then. "I've been playing this game for
15 years. And I can honestly say every game I've played
in, I've been nervous. It's not so much me being scared; I
just get to a point where I start worrying about a lot of
things I can't control.”

A lot of guys get nervous, some even puke before games. How
you handle the nerves is important, though, and Reid
hasn't always managed them well. He has gotten off to some
extremely slow starts, putting the Cowboys in some holes.
Some, they dug out of, with Reid often wielding the
biggest shovel, and some, they couldn't.

Then, there have been the injuries. No doubt some of Reid's
ailments have been severe, including an injured shoulder
that required surgery and forced him to redshirt. Other
times, though, Reid has been nicked in games and sat it
out instead of gutting it out.

Injuries are tricky, of course. You don't want a guy to put
himself in harm's way if he's really hurt, and yet,
football is one of those sports in which everyone plays
hurt. Aches and pains, bumps and bruises are part of the
gig.

Reid's injury against Florida Atlantic — whatever it was —
appeared minor but just might have been the thing that
pushed Cowboy coaches over the edge. Even though Mike
Gundy said last week that Robinson got the nod because he
had the better week of practice, insiders say that the
coaches decided to bench Reid early in the week. The
bottom line: The switch is less about Robinson's play and
more about Reid's attitude.

"The coaches made a decision,” Reid told our Mike Baldwin
after the Troy game. "I just have to go with it, get
better and get back on the field.”

There's something to be said for not being a malcontent,
but you can almost see Reid shrugging his shoulders as he
says those words. Does he have the fire in his belly?

Or does he want to be coddled, babied, perhaps even fed
chicken?

That scene in the parking lot last week had no bearing on
the Cowboys changing quarterbacks, and yet, it said so
much about Reid. A 21-year-old letting his mother feed him
in public? Most college kids, much less college football
players, would just as soon be seen running naked across
campus.

And what of the scene television cameras captured earlier
that evening of Reid on the sidelines laughing with
assistant strength coach Trumain Carroll? The same cameras
showed him throwing his cap in disgust after a missed play
earlier, but to be laughing in the final minutes of an
embarrassing loss is bad form.


Reid is the most talented quarterback in Payne County, but
he hasn't proven that he's the toughest. If you listen to
the rumblings and the rumors, Cowboy coaches simply grew
weary of it.

Who knows? There might come a day when they grow tired of
something Robinson does, but for now, they appear willing
to sacrifice a bit of talent for a lot of grit.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

This article was given to me by a mother... of children. :lol

(As if the article could be given to him by a mother of kittens.)

[Whisky Dog]

That was in pretty poor taste dogging the kid about his mother giving him chicken for dinner. That has nothing to do with what the kid does on the field, but I'm still kind of surprised Gundy blew up quite that big about the issue. It's common knowledge that most press people don't know jack or shit about the sports and write just to make a splash with readers, and IMO that really seems prevalent with the female writers. Jen Engle here in Dallas does that type of shit all the time and it's really comical. Best just to ignore it.

[K-State Spur]

I do agree with his premise that amateur athletes should not be subject to the same kind of scrutiny as professionals. However, blow-ups like that aren't likely to deflect attention away from the situation.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I do agree with his premise that amateur athletes should not be subject to the same kind of scrutiny as professionals. However, blow-ups like that aren't likely to deflect attention away from the situation.

I've been reading a thread about this incident over at SportsJournalists and somebody brought up an interesting point.

While the players aren't directly being paid, they're also not paying for that education, room and board, etc. They're getting indirectly paid.

Granted, I'm in the camp that the pressure level increases as you march through the ranks. Things you'd write about a college kid's play you wouldn't write about for a preps athlete.

Also, you don't go play football at a Big 12 school and not expect a media presence.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

And as far as the press not knowing about what they're writing about, I suppose the only people that do know about the sports they watch are fans?

[K-State Spur]

I've been reading a thread about this incident over at SportsJournalists and somebody brought up an interesting point.

While the players aren't directly being paid, they're also not paying for that education, room and board, etc. They're getting indirectly paid.

Granted, I'm in the camp that the pressure level increases as you march through the ranks. Things you'd write about a college kid's play you wouldn't write about for a preps athlete.

Also, you don't go play football at a Big 12 school and not expect a media presence.

I'm not naive - obviously these kids are going to subject to some criticism, but that doesn't necessarily make it right. Especially when you're attacking their character and not necessarily something that happens directly on the field.

As for the scholarships - once you take into account the amount of work that goes into being a college athlete - it's less than minimum wage (and I am NOT advocating paying players on top of their scholarships).

[FromWayDowntown]

It's telling to me that at least some of the media (or someone else) in that room gave Gundy applause as he left the podium.

As for Gundy -- I think he's in the right here. He's responsible for protecting the young men who play for him and part of that, to me, entails defending them against unwarranted attacks by the media. It's one thing for a writer to question Reid's ability or even his desire; it's something else altogether, IMO, to report ridicule a collegiate athlete for something that happens in a private moment that may or may not have had some additional context.

I know nothing about the incident other than what I've read and seen in the Gundy presser, but I just think that there are (or at least should be) limits on reporting things like that.

The piece on Reid went beyond being evaluative -- it's borderline personal in the choice to make a big deal about something completely innocent (or even potentially embarassing) that happened off the field. Reporters must have independence, but I also think they should have some discretion -- and I don't see this as a particularly judicious exercise of discretion.

I think Gundy did the right thing to defend his player.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

True, but a lot of college students work extra-curricular activities that bring them below minimum wage work.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'm not saying he's not right or even duty-bound to defend his players and the piece wasn't even that strong in the first place, but it's just telling when his actions come out like that.

And word is, those cheering were OKST staff.

[FromWayDowntown]

True, but a lot of college students work extra-curricular activities that bring them below minimum wage work.

Those kids' peccadilloes aren't subjected to media scrutiny.

I'm not sure what difference a scholarship makes in this question, frankly. What if the player in question had been a non-scholarship player? (for instance, Ricky Williams wasn't on scholarship at UT in his last year there, IIRC, because of his baseball contract -- and even if I'm wrong, it's not unprecedented for a non-scholarship player to have a high enough profile to get media attention). Should the writer have a different notion of editorial discretion depending on the financial aid status of the player?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Should the writer have a different notion of editorial discretion depending on the financial aid status of the player?

No, it should be the same editorial discretion all-around.

It's not a column I'd put in my portfolio because she tried really hard to make a connection that wasn't there. In my work, the saying goes, "If you have to explain the metaphor, don't use it."

That one needs a lot of explanation.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm not saying he's not right or even duty-bound to defend his players and the piece wasn't even that strong in the first place, but it's just telling when his actions come out like that.

And word is, those cheering were OKST staff.

He's angry because one of his players was embarrassed in the media in a piece that went further than it had to in order to make the writer's point. Holding a press pass doesn't insulate your choices from criticism by others. Gundy obviously felt that his player had been wronged -- perhaps even maliciously so -- and defended him by subjecting the writer to an attack. I don't see what's telling about that, other than that he will protect his players from what he deems unfair reporting. If he doesn't do that in a public setting like that, his message is never communicated.

I'm almost disappointed if only the coaching staff were applauding Gundy.

[FromWayDowntown]

No, it should be the same editorial discretion all-around.

It's not a column I'd put in my portfolio because she tried really hard to make a connection that wasn't there. In my work, the saying goes, "If you have to explain the metaphor, don't use it."

That one needs a lot of explanation.

So, doesn't the reference then become more of a gratuitous shot at the player? Shouldn't that subject the writer to some form of public ridicule?

And if the discretion is the same all the way around, then what difference does it make that the player may or may not be on scholarship? You've just said that it doesn't matter -- so, the point about him being quasi-paid for his efforts is really irrelevant, I think.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

He's angry because one of his players was embarrassed in the media in a piece that went further than it had to in order to make the writer's point. Holding a press pass doesn't insulate your choices from criticism by others. Gundy obviously felt that his player had been wronged -- perhaps even maliciously so -- and defended him by subjecting the writer to an attack. I don't see what's telling about that, other than that he will protect his players from what he deems unfair reporting. If he doesn't do that in a public setting like that, his message is never communicated.

I'm almost disappointed if only the coaching staff were applauding Gundy.

He was also angry because he said the facts were wrong, but he failed to mention which ones and why. What's telling about it is the reaction would have had a lot stronger point to it had he reacted better and held himself to a higher standard the columnist did.

Nobody's saying we should be insulated. I don't know a lot of journos who think that way, either. I'd rather a coach tell me I got something wrong and why. I've been subjected to public outbursts from people I've covered (not in sports, though... one was political, the other was from two different sides of a police brutality issue). Sometimes they've had points that I was willing to talk things out with them after and get settled and others have simply looked foolish by not addressing the facts they perceived were wrong, but they refused to refute what others had claimed and confirmed.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

So, doesn't the reference then become more of a gratuitous shot at the player? Shouldn't that subject the writer to some form of public ridicule?

And if the discretion is the same all the way around, then what difference does it make that the player may or may not be on scholarship? You've just said that it doesn't matter -- so, the point about him being quasi-paid for his efforts is really irrelevant, I think.

I'm not willing to call it a gratuitous shot without knowing what was in her mind. Can it be perceived that way? Sure. Is it necessarily true? Maybe not.

And while I said it was an interesting point brought up, I've said my thoughts are that it's the same all the way around and that the level of coverage increases as the level of play does.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

You've just said that it doesn't matter -- so, the point about him being quasi-paid for his efforts is really irrelevant, I think.

Take my thought about it for what it was -- a random thought process being mentioned.

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,47359.0.html

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

You're going to see a lot of differing opinions at that thread, but most seem to be in the corner or "Poor column, poor reaction..."

[FromWayDowntown]

What's telling about it is the reaction would have had a lot stronger point to it had he reacted better and held himself to a higher standard the columnist did.

I'll agree that parts of what Gundy said were unfortunate. I also think, though, that he has to draw a line with the media somewhere and he has to do that in at least a somewhat public way in order to make that point known.

I suspect that had the piece merely suggested that Reid lacked the fortitude to play QB at a big-time school, that's not beyond the pale. By trying to make the point by reference to a scene with no context, the writer went beyond making that point by insinuating that Reid is, at the very least, a momma's boy and at worst, a baby. That's well beyond saying he shouldn't play QB.

Gundy is also talking to more than one constituency here. He's supporting his players and he's making his point to the media as well. But he's also talking to the kids he'll recruit later on and their parents, and he's telling them that the Oklahoma State staff will have the backs of its players and won't stand for unfair attacks on their character.


Nobody's saying we should be insulated. I don't know a lot of journos who think that way, either. I'd rather a coach tell me I got something wrong and why. I've been subjected to public outbursts from people I've covered (not in sports, though... one was political, the other was from two different sides of a police brutality issue). Sometimes they've had points that I was willing to talk things out with them after and get settled and others have simply looked foolish by not addressing the facts they perceived were wrong, but they refused to refute what others had claimed and confirmed.

I don't think this is just an "I'm angry, so I'll allege that you got the facts wrong" situation. Gundy did specifically mention the anecode about the Donovan Woods situation and said expressly that what had been reported was incorrect. Now, I'll admit that I don't know one damned thing about any of this beyond what I've read this afternoon, but identifying a specific inaccuracy in the story and saying that the facts were wrong is substantially different than a random allegation that the facts are incorrect.

[FromWayDowntown]

Take my thought about it for what it was -- a random thought process being mentioned.

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,47359.0.html

And, for the record, I wasn't suggesting that it was your argument -- I was merely wondering aloud why his scholarship status would have any bearing on the propriety of the story. I would have a quarrel with anyone who would argue that it does, but then again, I don't think the fact that he's on scholarship should subject a player to this sort of ridicule.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'll admit, I missed the Donovan Woods reference the first time I saw the video.

It's going to be interesting to see if somebody goes on-the-record now about what they whispered in Carlson's ear regarding the threat to transfer and the other things reported.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

One last thing since I just finished the video again, I can't imagine any other media members doing that clapping... if so, there's going to be a personal war.

[FromWayDowntown]

One last thing since I just finished the video again, I can't imagine any other media members doing that clapping... if so, there's going to be a personal war.

From Gundy's perspective, it wouldn't be the end of the world if the media starting fighting with each other. It also wouldn't be terrible if one writer went after him while others went after that writer. In the end, it seems to me that Gundy stands a pretty good chance to come out a winner.

His team just won its conference opener against one of the better teams in the league (which doesn't say much for the conference, admittedly). They showed some cohesiveness that was probably enhanced by the fact that Gundy was so adamant in defending his guys -- it's a legitimate circle the wagons moment for a football team and tehy got it at a point when they could really use it.

And I'd hope that if the other members of the media thought that the piece in question was unwarranted, they'd appreciate the defense of a player, even if it meant dissing one of their own. It's like a little internal policing -- a media Code Red.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

From Gundy's perspective, it wouldn't be the end of the world if the media starting fighting with each other. It also wouldn't be terrible if one writer went after him while others went after that writer. In the end, it seems to me that Gundy stands a pretty good chance to come out a winner.

His team just won its conference opener against one of the better teams in the league (which doesn't say much for the conference, admittedly). They showed some cohesiveness that was probably enhanced by the fact that Gundy was so adamant in defending his guys -- it's a legitimate circle the wagons moment for a football team and tehy got it at a point when they could really use it.

And I'd hope that if the other members of the media thought that the piece in question was unwarranted, they'd appreciate the defense of a player, even if it meant dissing one of their own. It's like a little internal policing -- a media Code Red.

Yeah, OSU can turn this weekend into a big positive.

Oh, it'll be internal. I think the lack of competition nowadays between media has hurt the industry. You'd better have a dedicated core of people if you're going to have strong sections without competition.

I thought one of the things that made working at The Star so great is that we had to compete (albeit not that hard) against the San Marcos Daily Record.

I was livid when we got scooped during the summer on a volleyball player's hit-and-run and when Coach Nutt resigned.

[1369]

From what I've read in the past few years, Jenni Carlson is one of the most despised "journalists" working for the Oklahoman.

[K-State Spur]

One last thing since I just finished the video again, I can't imagine any other media members doing that clapping... if so, there's going to be a personal war.

You don't think members of the media have personal problems with each other? That's a cutthroat league - especially with members to different outlets in the same town.

[1369]

I read another comment online that it was the OSU staff doing the applause.

Reckon Jenni gets her press pass yanked?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

You don't think members of the media have personal problems with each other? That's a cutthroat league - especially with members to different outlets in the same town.

I know they have personal problems... it's if they were cheering openly against their counterpart that I don't think would happen.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm amazed to have made it through this thread without once referring to Gundy as Van Gundy.

[K-State Spur]

I know they have personal problems... it's if they were cheering openly against their counterpart that I don't think would happen.

In KC, the two sports talk radio stations, the KC Star, and the Topeka Capital Journal often attack each other's reporting - and not just the reports, often the reporters themselves.

Bill Simmons and Colin Cowherd called each other out a few weeks back - and they work for the same employer.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

In KC, the two sports talk radio stations, the KC Star, and the Topeka Capital Journal often attack each other's reporting - and not just the reports, often the reporters themselves.

Bill Simmons and Colin Cowherd called each other out a few weeks back - and they work for the same employer.

Well, I guess we need more fired-up competition all-around then. Sure couldn't hurt.

[MajorMike]

Actually, it seems most of the media and fans nationwide are very supportive of what Gundy did. There was a subsequent article written by Dodd (a friend of Jenni's) on cbssportline about why Gundy should be fired. The comments left by persons across the nation, to include uo fans, are completely in support of Gundy.

Even more interesting, the 'OU Daily', a University of Oklahoma web media, wrote an entire article spoofing Jenni.

A little further in depth (there is much more to this entire story), one of the funnier things is that Jenni has been called out before for calling golf and softball poor sports because they support 'lesibian associations', when she is supposedly a closet lesbo herself. That is one of the reasons the article below makes reference to her as 'the guy' and why Gundy spoofed her with the comment 'I hope she is able to have children.'

OU Daily (http://hub.ou.edu/articles/article.php?item_id=593115054&section_id=57469591)


OKLAHOMA CITY – Jenni Carlson stood near her car Sunday night, crying, using her cell phone, eating some chocolate cake.

It would’ve been a normal post-writing activity for the Professional Sports Journalist, had it not been for one thing.

Her mother was feeding her cake.

Which brings us to s****y journalism in Oklahoma.

Don’t see the connection?

Let me explain. The Oklahoman’s owners and editors have gone full-speed ahead with “The Tom Bomb,” opting to let freshman writer Tom Edwards sit at the editor’s desk in the office a week ago, and then continuing to let him sit there this week, even after an embarrassing headline-bust where Edwards confused Iranians with Jews.

Weren’t we being told just last week that Carlson was still “the guy” (but most likely “the woman”?) But all the weight with which The Oklahoman editors were backing Carlson has totally shifted to Edwards.

The change seems sudden.

Thing is, it may not be as abrupt as it looks. If you believe the rumors and the rumblings, Carlson has been pushing owners and editors that way for quite some time.

Tile up the back stories told on the sly over the past few years, and you see a pattern of horrifically written sports articles and bad attitude.

“She drank the entire pot of coffee, then didn’t make another,” said one co-worker. “And she has a specific coffee mug for each day of the week. Are you kidding me?”

Other employees also went on the attack.

“Tell me where my burger went that was in the fridge?” said an anonymous writer. “I’ll tell you where, into Carlson’s stupid face, that’s where. Can she even read? My name was clearly written on the Styrofoam box.”

Word is that Carlson has considered transferring to other papers a couple of times, the first as early as 2005. Carlson, then a less terrible writer, was facing competition from a returning sports writer who was actually good at his job, and, apparently, Carlson considered leaving The Oklahoman just because she had to make an effort with writing.

Carlson’s nerves have also been an issue. Earlier this year, she told a fellow writer about her emotions while writing articles.

“I get sweaty palms. I get the butterflies in my stomach. I get really gassy and bloated,” she told her bosses and the office physician. “I’ve been writing for nearly 20 years, and I can honestly say every article I’ve written, I’ve been really gassy and farty and hungry. It’s not so much that I am nervous about writing; I just get to a point where I can’t control my bowels. Most articles I’ve written have been from a toilet.”

A lot of writers get nervous, some even start over when they’re done. How you handle your nerves is important, though, and Carlson hasn’t always managed them well (as in lots of skid marks.) She has chosen some extremely poor sports topics, putting the paper in some holes. Some, they dug out of, with Carlson never wielding the biggest shovel, and some, they couldn’t.

Then, there have been the extremely terrible topics. No doubt some of Carlson’s ailments have been severe, including a lack of knowledge on how to write something well, or the her lack of general gumption. But, she keeps producing content, hoping to get better, which is cute at most.

Even though the editor of The Oklahoman said last week that Edwards got the big desk because he had a better week of articles, insiders say that the editors decided to move Carlson back early in the week. The bottom line: The switch is less about Edwards’ OK week and more about Carlson’s poor excuse for journalism.

“The editors made a decision,” Carlson said. “I just have to go with it, work on my basic English and get back in that desk.”

There’s something to be said for not being malcontent, but you can almost see Carlson shrugging her shoulders, as she says those words. Does she have the fire in her belly?

Or does she literally want to go to the pound, adopt a dog, train it to piss on typing paper and turn it in as news?

Or perhaps she’s just likes to be fed cake.

[MajorMike]

Stoops says he understands Gundy's criticism

By Guerin Emig, World
9/24/2007 10:51 AM
Last Modified: 9/24/2007 10:55 AM


NORMAN -- Count Bob Stoops among those in Mike Gundy’s corner in the aftermath of Gundy’s postgame tirade over a newspaper column questioning the attitude of Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid.

Speaking Monday morning on the weekly Big 12 coaches teleconference, Stoops said: “I just think there’s more sarcasm and belittling or who can be funnier and embarrassing or putting someone down. I find it hard to read the sarcasm in those kinds of articles. I think Mike’s point is we do have to figure out... The problem with us is these are, regardless of what anyone wants to say, student athletes. They’re not professional players.

“Sometimes I think the ridicule, the way some people are writing articles or the way they talk about these kids... They don’t realize some of them are 18, 19 or 20 years old. They’re young kids. Most of them, 98 or 99 perent of them, aren’t going to play in the NFL. They’re just playing for their school, trying to do a good job. Sometimes I think the sarcasm and the belittling isn’t called for.”

Stoops drew from his own frustrations with media this season, presumably over reporters calling the father of true freshman quarterback Keith Nichol to gauge Nichol’s reaction to the early success of redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford.

“I think sometimes, too, what frustrates us is people that create news,.” he said. “I had someone call one of my (players’ parents). I had a parent call me two weeks ago asking, ´How come they’re calling me about my son transferring, when he never said anything about that?´

“They’re calling wanting to create an article. I could see if the (player in question) mentioned it, but he didn’t mention it. No one said anything about that, but they’re creating news. That’s what we have a hard time with.”

[Findog]

I'm A Man! I'm 40!

[Melmart1]

And as far as the press not knowing about what they're writing about, I suppose the only people that do know about the sports they watch are fans?
And apparently, only MALE fans :rolleyes

[Whisky Dog]

And apparently, only MALE fans :rolleyes
:lol I basically said that whole thing just to egg on the journalist.

I have to admit I don't know very many female sports reporters, but of the ones I do know only one isn't a complete sports idiot.

[j-6]

:lol I basically said that whole thing just to egg on the journalist.

I have to admit I don't know very many female sports reporters, but of the ones I do know only one isn't a complete sports idiot.


Due to my old lady's line of work, I know a couple. Of the two, one is a freakin' stone cold genius when it comes to football and is very knowledgeable regarding other sports. The other one, who unbelievably is more popular up here, is an idiot mouthpiece with a radio show that's married to a better sportswriter.

[Whisky Dog]

Due to my old lady's line of work, I know a couple. Of the two, one is a freakin' stone cold genius when it comes to football and is very knowledgeable regarding other sports. The other one, who unbelievably is more popular up here, is an idiot mouthpiece with a radio show that's married to a better sportswriter.

Jen Engel be thy name? That's definitely one of the idiot ones. I like Jackie McMullan's insight on most topics.

[MajorMike]

Or, as Rush says, the 'Chickification'


BEGIN TRANSCRIPT


RUSH: You gotta hear these next two sound bites, ladies and gentlemen. This is in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It's last Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, and the Oklahoma State Head Football Coach Mike Gundy is just livid with a column written by a female Drive-By journalist in the local paper. He's just fit to be tied. Listen.

GUNDY: If you want to go after an athlete, one of my athletes, you go after one that doesn't do the right things. You don't downgrade him because he does everything right and then not play as well on Saturday -- and you let us make that decision. That's why I don't read the newspaper, because it's garbage, and the editor that let it come out is garbage. Come after me. I'm a man. I'm 40. I'm not a kid. Write something about me, or our coaches. Don't write about a kid that does everything right, that's heart's broken, and then say that the coaches said he was scared. That's not true! So get your facts straight. And I hope someday you have a child and somebody downgrades them and belittles them and you have to look them in the eye and say, "You know what? It's okay." That's all I got to say. Makes me want to puke.

RUSH: Oklahoma State Head Football Coach Mike Gundy speaking for millions of Americans and their opinion of the Drive-By Media. Well, here's the reaction. The Drive-By reporterette, who no doubt will make her career on this -- modern American journalism is based on just this kind of thing, destroying people's lives with no accountability for it, i.e., the Duke rape case -- her name is Jenni Carlson, and this is a montage of her reaction.

CARLSON: I -- I firmly believe that my reporting is solid, uh, that my sources are solid, my observations are solid. So I stand firmly on the facts of -- of the column. It was unbelievable that, uh, that this was happening. I just was really not suspecting that there was going to be this sort of outrage.

RUSH: Well, doesn't that kind of get to the nub of it? They go out there and they write these things that in many cases try to destroy people, and are shocked that there would be blow-back, that there would be outrage to it? I tell you, it's amazing how insulated from reality they are. How out of touch can you be?

RUSH: This is a great illustration here of two things: the chickification of the news, and Drive-By-ism. This is a great illustration of it. But people are cheering this coach, and you ought to see the video. He is leaving the podium. He almost walks into the audience into the press area where they're sitting, in the press conference area. He walks away from the podium, and he is pointing his finger, and he is jabbing and he is livid. He's defending a kid who can't speak for himself. That's honor, and that is loyalty, and it's integrity, and he kicked this reporter's rear end. You gotta understand: a lot of people have that desire, this visceral reaction to things in the media. Of course, the media destroys people all the time. They try to. That's one of the objectives, is to take down the powerful. That's what the coach was saying here. Come after me. This kid doesn't have any power. This kid didn't do anything. This kid doesn't do anything wrong. This kid's not a reprobate. He just didn't play well on Saturday. Apparently she reported that somebody told her that the kid was scared during the game and so forth, and now he's heartbroken because that got out and he didn't play well. But he's a model citizen, and he still gets assaulted and attacked like this. So he's saying: Leave this kid alone; come after me. This kid can't defend himself. He's a college student.

So Mr. Gundy has developed, I'm sure, quite a strong and loyal following in defense of his players... (interruption) What was the question, Mr. Snerdley? Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm. Well, I don't think people who have never played football know the first thing about it -- especially when you get to the college level and the pro level. You can't possibly from watching it on television or even in the stands, understand the intricacy, the brutality of the game. You only see it when some kid is paralyzed from a hit, a spinal cord injury. That's the reminder. One of the most profound things is to watch a football game from the sideline and to see an offensive running play. The collision on the offensive line on a running play is the equivalent of being in a head-on crash at ten or 15 miles per hour, and it happens countless times during a game. Now, I say "running play," because a pass play the offensive linemen pull back and they're pass blocking. But everybody is surging forward. You have no idea what goes in those pileups when there's a fumble. People don't understand the in... I love meeting women who tell me they love football. By the way, I love women that love football. Don't misunderstand.

I say, "Tell me what the slot-right-60-prevent-hook-and-go."

"Well, I have no idea."

"Okay, how to explain it to you. Do you know who 'Mike' linebacker is? Can you tell me, as you're watching, who the Mike linebacker is?"

"Uhhhh, no."

I'm not surprised. They haven't played the game. There's no reason to know what the Mike linebacker is, or what the play is, slot-right-60-prevent-hook-and-go.

By the way, slot-right-60-prevent-hook-and-go, Stallworth from Bradshaw, Super Bowl XIV, Rose Bowl, 72 yards for a touchdown. Game over. Slot-right-60-prevent-hook-and-go. Now, anybody that knows football knows exactly what everybody's responsibility on the offense is with that play call, but... (sigh) Offensive and defensive play calling and the playbook, it really is far more complicated and difficult to learn, memorize huge playbook, and know what every play is with these coded ways that they're described. So I don't think most people understand it. Mr. Snerdley, you're absolutely right. But that's okay. It is what it is. But you would think somebody in the Drive-By journalism community would have a little bit of understanding here about the fact that she's going after this kid who's apparently a model citizen, who just had a bad day on the field, writing that he was scared. Apparently, the coach said it wasn't true.


BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Jackie in Champaign, Illinois, welcome to the program.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. I love your show.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: I listen to you after work every day. Listen, I'm just calling, I'm a coach's wife and I have to tell you that that coach from Oklahoma State is my hero. I (unintelligible) to be able to say that, at the campus where my husband's a coach. I get so tired of the media beating up on the coaches and the ADs and most especially the kids -- and this young lady who did what she did went too far, and she owes that young man an apology.

RUSH: That ain't going to happen.

CALLER: I know.

RUSH: She's standing by her sources like the media did in the Duke rape case.

CALLER: Well, you know what? Even if what she said is true, doesn't common decency tell you not to go after some young kid in that manner? Even if everything was true, which I don't think it is, doesn't common decency tell you not to do something like that to an individual?

RUSH: Jackie?

CALLER: I know. I live in la-la land. But that's just the way I was brought up.

RUSH: That's the way most of us were brought up and that's why we're so outraged by it. That's why so many of us love what the coach did. We'd all love to be able to do that to the Drive-Bys.

CALLER: I sure would. I sure would love to do it.

RUSH: Did you actually just ask me if I thought somebody in the media would exhibit decency?

CALLER: Yeah. I know I'm expecting too much, but, man! I just don't want to give up on people, but my goodness! It's just a shame.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: And what he said to her that someday he hopes she has a kid, blah, blah, blah? It will happen. That will happen to her.

RUSH: Not so fast, not so fast. That's a generalization that we can no longer make about women.


END TRANSCRIPT

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

You're going to see a lot of differing opinions at that thread, but most seem to be in the corner or "Poor column, poor reaction..."



Most of the people in there come across as complete assholes.

From reading her poorly written article, it seems as if she has an axe to grind with the player and that most of her "rumors and grumblings" are nothing more than internet fodder.

BTW, I stopped reading that forum after one of them said Carlson was attractive.