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I recently had a well-publicized dustup with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger on the set of Costas NOW. Bissinger, a wonderful writer, decided to use me, as “well-known” as any blogger could possibly be (which is to say, “not very”), as a vessel to vent his invective against, well, the Internet, apparently.
But I found a better example of what life as a blogger is like backstage, in the greenroom. All sorts of sporting bigwigs were there, from Joe Buck to Mitch Albom to John McEnroe to that guy from New York who’s always screaming on the radio. Somehow, I ended up being introduced to Cris Carter, formerly from HBO Sports (and the Minnesota Vikings) and now on ESPN. I shook his hand.
“Hello, I’m Will.”
Cris frowned, and even sneaked in a scowl. “Are you the blog guy?”
I smiled. The best way, I’ve learned, to deal with the hostility is just to smile. They’re not expecting that. I suspect they all think we look like the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons or, more sinister, like a member of the thrash metal group GWAR. “Yes, sir, I do write a blog.”
Cris’ scowl was no longer sneaky. “You know, I got a problem with you,” the Ohio State grad said, through gritted teeth. “Some Michigan blog said I was an a--hole. Better nobody say that to my face.”
Smiling, trying to look calm, I said, “Well, sir, you know, I didn’t write that.”
Cris took a step closer to me. “You damn well better not of, ’cause if you had, I’d take you out right here.”
I smiled, again, shook his hand, and went on my way.
What’s life as a professional sports blogger like? Amazingly, really freaking fun. As long as I don’t leave the house.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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You should have asked him if he was a football player. When he confirmed that he was, you could have told him that a football player once stole your girlfriend.
by UntouchableMonkey on May 20, 2008 10:34 PM EDT reply actions
That’s kind of like the time I went off on KC Johnson because of something Peter Vecsey wrote.
by PeteJayhawk on May 21, 2008 12:17 AM EDT reply actions
Will should have said, “I’m amazed that anyone would ever assume that you were an asshole” and walked away.
by Freddy F on May 23, 2008 12:27 PM EDT reply actions
Wow… a guy named Buzz is too old to get the Internet. Motherf*cker prolly still resents his microwave.
Costas, you’ll remember, spent a decade with his lips wrapped firmly around Air Jordan’s goodness. It puts money in his pocket if athletes can be held up and revered. Tiger Woods could kill in front of him, and he’d spin it somehow.
Unchecked, this hero worship gets you horsesh*t like that Be Like Mike commercial.
Of course, they don’t show Mike blowing $300K at a casino, or cheating on his wife with some pole dancing slut. The sponsors would rather you didn’t know that kind of stuff.
Bob Costas can suck ass all week, but give me Deadspin’s reality any day. In a stranmge way, we owe it to our children to show Matt Leinart in a hiot tub with some prime jailbait. He’s human, too.
I don’t see anyone suing Deadspin for libel or anything, so I guess he isn’t breqaking any laws. Buzz should f*ck himself.
by L'etat, c'est moi on Jun 8, 2008 4:57 PM EDT reply actions
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