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You are here: Home / Sports / If You Didn’t Know Any Better

If You Didn’t Know Any Better

by John Cole|  April 10, 20069:12 am| 47 Comments

This post is in: Sports

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You would think the only think the world cares about is the fact that Katie Couric is moving to CBS. Every time I turned on the television this weekend (except, of course, to watch Phil Mickelson win the Masters), it seemed like someone was prattling on about Katie Couric. Is this really that big of a deal?

Quick disclosure- I loathe Katie Couric, almost as much as I dislike Bob Costas. If Bob Costas is doing a major sporting event, I almost don’t want to watch it.

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47Comments

  1. 1.

    Jim Allen

    April 10, 2006 at 9:45 am

    The only way this could possibly be worse would be if Katie Couric was involved with Tom Cruise.

  2. 2.

    Tim F.

    April 10, 2006 at 9:46 am

    The only way this could possibly be worse would be if Katie Couric was involved with Tom Cruise.

    And then disappeared.

  3. 3.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 9:50 am

    Quick disclosure- I loathe Katie Couric

    One is compelled to ask: Why?

    (Just curious, I have no particular opinion about her one way or the other).

  4. 4.

    Krista

    April 10, 2006 at 10:05 am

    I have no particular beef with Katie Couric, but she just doesn’t strike me as being the first choice to anchor at a major network. I hope to god she can tone down the perky schtick, anyway.

  5. 5.

    DougJ

    April 10, 2006 at 10:20 am

    I hate Costas too. At times he sounds almost like the love child of Brent Musberger and John Updike.

    I’m all about the Albert family when it comes to sportscasting.

  6. 6.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 10:40 am

    I think Rush Limbaugh was the best sportscaster we ever had.

  7. 7.

    VidaLoca

    April 10, 2006 at 10:58 am

    Quick disclosure- I loathe Katie Couric

    Geez — John, tell us how she rates on the “Sheehan scale” :)

    Glad to see you’re back blogging, guy…

  8. 8.

    Slide

    April 10, 2006 at 11:05 am

    Is this really that big of a deal?

    No. Its just the media’s preoccupation with their number one topic – themselves.

  9. 9.

    Emma Zahn

    April 10, 2006 at 11:07 am

    You would think the only think the world cares about is the fact that Katie Couric is moving to CBS.

    Well, isn’t it really all about them? Those in the media that is.

  10. 10.

    Mike in SLO

    April 10, 2006 at 11:18 am

    One is compelled to ask: Why?

    You have to be a morning person not to loathe the phony, hyper-perky Couric! Those of us that are not morning people find her eternal cheerfulness irritating and void of anything remotely human. The only thing worse than her feigned happiness is Matt Lauer’s smug exterior. They are the poster children for self-indulgent, ignorant, condescending, superficial Ugly Americans everywhere. And now to think we can have promos for CBS News like “Tonight on the CBS Evening News–We go live and direct inside Katie’s colon!”

  11. 11.

    DougJ

    April 10, 2006 at 11:30 am

    Mean but true, Mike.

  12. 12.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 11:47 am

    You have to be a morning person not to loathe the phony, hyper-perky Couric!

    Uh huh. Only if you have descended into the abyss of personality and celebrity. I’m not particularly a morning person, but I don’t “loathe” people who are perky in the morning. Nor would I expect them to “loathe” me because I am somewhat grumpy and taciturn until about lunchtime.

    Why would anyone waste their energy “loathing” somebody on tv? Change the fucking channel, or turn it off, if you aren’t enjoying the material.

    Honestly, this line of thought strikes me as something between juvenile, and just weird.

    “Loathe?” Loathing is a term I’d reserve for people who set fire to pets, or do other really evil things.

    I “loathe” the cult of personality and “communications” which seems to hold that things like “messages” and “appearance” are the most important things in the world.

    So, this is apparently just another Beavis thread.

    Heh. Heh. Heh. Perky. Heh. Heh.

    Yeah, I get it.

  13. 13.

    db

    April 10, 2006 at 12:05 pm

    I agree with your Couric assessment.

    But why the Costas loathing? I actually like the guy. He’s intelligent and knowledgeable about the events he is covering. And he does great interviews. Are you one of those Bill Walton fans?

  14. 14.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 12:13 pm

    What time does the farting contest start?

  15. 15.

    DougJ

    April 10, 2006 at 12:14 pm

    He’s intelligent and knowledgeable about the events he is covering.

    And he’s still terrible. That’s why I can’t stand him. All these weird fixations: “He’s been in the league three years, and that’s his third three points of the game. Fans of numerology must be having a field day with this one.” Why does he say things like that?

    Walton — don’t get me started.

  16. 16.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 12:41 pm

    Why does he say things like that?

    He has a weird sense of humor. One can easily understand why a trait like that would be despised around here.

  17. 17.

    The Other Steve

    April 10, 2006 at 12:49 pm

    I’ve watched Costas when he was subbing for Larry King. The guy is a pretty good interviewer.

    I don’t understand this loathing thing. I mean I could care less about Couric hosting NBC or whereever she is going, and I register my carelessnesses by not really paying attention.

    The only news anchors I find loathsome are pretty much uniformly all on Fox cable. I mean, they’re really bad. Couric is just mildly annoying, not utterly incompetent like Fox.

  18. 18.

    Krista

    April 10, 2006 at 1:00 pm

    because I am somewhat grumpy and taciturn until about lunchtime.

    When you then become grumpy and verbiose? :)

  19. 19.

    Mr Furious

    April 10, 2006 at 1:11 pm

    I’m all about the Albert family when it comes to sportscasting

    Ugh. [shudder]

    The single best thing about moving out of NYC is no longer having to hear any Albert, Michael Kay, John Sterling or Al Trautwig. And Suzyn Waldman. Oh, and Steve Sommers. Oh, and that cheesy-ass Russ guy.

    Sweet Jesus, Mike and the Mad Dog were immensely enjoyable, and everyone else was simply unbearable.

  20. 20.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 1:12 pm

    When you then become grumpy and verbiose?

    Moi?

  21. 21.

    p.lukasiak

    April 10, 2006 at 2:31 pm

    “Tonight on the CBS Evening News—We go live and direct inside Katie’s colon!”

    hey, at least it will be a change of scenery, since Schieffer has been so far up Bush’s butt for the last year….

  22. 22.

    BIRDZILLA

    April 10, 2006 at 2:53 pm

    Its no different you cant trust these rotten journalists and the lying eye of the cBS news

  23. 23.

    The Other Steve

    April 10, 2006 at 3:29 pm

    Sweet Jesus, Mike and the Mad Dog were immensely enjoyable, and everyone else was simply unbearable.

    I wonder if Mad Dog is the guy I listened to when I was in Chicago back in ’96?

    I believe he was the same guy who got shitcanned out of California for blocking traffic for 4 hours by pulling a haircut stunt on some freeway.

    And they wonder why I listen to NPR these days instead of morning shows…

  24. 24.

    ET

    April 10, 2006 at 3:55 pm

    I thought that was last weeks news. I noted it at the time and though “oh look… an anchorette” with the predictable thoughts on her impact at CBS and then went on to important things like the color of nail polish I would paint my toes this weekend……

  25. 25.

    Cob Bostas

    April 10, 2006 at 3:56 pm

    If Bob Costas is doing a major sporting event, I almost don’t want to watch it.

    Really? Somehow, I thought if John Cole was a sportscaster, he would sound a lot like Bob Costas.

  26. 26.

    Quarterback

    April 10, 2006 at 4:43 pm

    I figure Phil Mickelson’s either the luckiest guy in the world, or some strange alien lifeform who body-snatched the real Phil in order to play golf, presumably because martians (as we all know) have no athleticism or physical skill.

  27. 27.

    RSA

    April 10, 2006 at 4:44 pm

    Those of us that are not morning people find her. . .void of anything remotely human.

    I don’t think I’ve ever watched Katie Couric on TV, but I’ve seen pictures of her here and there on the Web, often catching her in a big smile. Good God! She looks like she can unhinge her jaw and swallow house pets whole! Otherwise, when not smiling, she looks very human.

  28. 28.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 5:50 pm

    Those of us that are not morning people find her.

    When a person has their “morning” depends largely on what time they went to bed, and then got up. It’s just a different schedule. It has little to do with one’s status or value as a human being, d’ya think?

  29. 29.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 6:01 pm

    Well over 100k march in Phoenix today and rally as I write.

    I drove through the edges of this throng on the way to an appointment a couple hours ago …. past throngs of cheerful, flag-waving demonstrators. It was quite the experience, and I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderfully American thing is is that these people are doing. What a great country.

    John, you are full of crap. Demonstrating is the most American thing we can do. When people are massing in the streets, people are caring about the world they live and trying to do something to make it better. Feeling full of themselves, like they own the country. Which they do.

  30. 30.

    Sine.Qua.Non

    April 10, 2006 at 6:27 pm

    John….
    I’ve got to agree all around…..Costa is just a snot and Couric….well the giggle bugs me, and I’m not sure how indepth her depth is. Except when you are talking about a colonoscopy. Why all the fanfare? Just get in there and do it for crying out loud.

  31. 31.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 6:51 pm

    well the giggle bugs me

    Jesus. Can this thread sink any lower?

    Sine, your haircut irritates me. I haven’t even seen it, but I can imagine it, and it sucks, and therefore I think you suck.

    No offense, though! In the world of personality-paloooza, nothing is personal!

  32. 32.

    Bob In Pacifica

    April 10, 2006 at 8:09 pm

    The best sports announcer of all time, Bill King, passed away last fall.

  33. 33.

    Bob In Pacifica

    April 10, 2006 at 8:14 pm

    Could we move on to something besides Katie Couric? I don’t think I could pick her out of a line-up. I don’t watch network news or the morning shows.

    How about the Duke lacrosse rape case? What about using nuclear bumper buskers against Iran? I hear that there’s something new on the Natalee Holloway disappearance. There’s a stretch of sand on the north end of Aruba.

  34. 34.

    Bob In Pacifica

    April 10, 2006 at 8:16 pm

    And speaking of the Masters, does anyone here remember Leonard Cohen’s “The Master Song”?

  35. 35.

    ppGaz

    April 10, 2006 at 8:53 pm

    The best sports announcer of all time, Bill King

    Isn’t he the guy I listened to back in the 60’s calling the play by play for the Oakland Athletics and calling those “taters” hit by young Reggie Jackson?

  36. 36.

    Rusty Shackleford

    April 10, 2006 at 11:05 pm

    Why are they replacing her with Meridith Vieira? Why not just promote Ann Curry? Too Asian?

  37. 37.

    DougJ

    April 10, 2006 at 11:37 pm

    You guys ever listen to Vin Scully on the radio? I hesitate to use the words “genius” and “sportscaster” in the same sentence, but truly listening to Costas after listening to Scully is like putting on a David Sanborn CD after listening to Sonny Rollins.

  38. 38.

    ppGaz

    April 11, 2006 at 12:18 am

    You guys ever listen to Vin Scully on the radio?

    Oh sure. I grew up listening to him, my dad was a Dodger fan.

    I like a little more variety in my play by play. Scully is as good as they get, but Russ Hodges (“The Giants Win The Pennant! The Giants Win The Pennant!”) alongside Lon Simmons, the Giants’ radio pair when the team moved to SF, was a great change of pace from Scully. Hodges was old school, and Simmons was new and funny …

    Costas is not good at baseball play by play. But that is a very very narrow skillset. And it really isn’t fair to compare him to Scully. Not many compare well to Scully.

    However …. Scully came from the pre-color-man school of play by play, and if I had to choose, and get only one style to live with for eternity, it would be a good play by play guy with a good color guy, and not the solo style of Scully and the old timers. Scully became famous working with Jerry Dogget, and Doggett basically never spoke during Scully’s innings. Or vice versa.

  39. 39.

    the friendly grizzly

    April 11, 2006 at 5:51 am

    I was made subject to morning television yesterday when I went to the doctor. If Couric is from one of the morning shows (I really don’t know much about her), she should be given the fashion and makeup report assignment and let it go at that.

    From what I have seen of morning television (not just yesterday but on other occasions) I can think of few things that are more vacuous, lacking in substance, and just plain a waste of perfectly good electricity than GMA, the Today Show, and other such prattle.

  40. 40.

    the friendly grizzly

    April 11, 2006 at 5:54 am

    I was made subject to morning television yesterday when I went to the doctor. If Couric is from one of the morning shows (I really don’t know much about her), she should be given the fashion and makeup report assignment and let it go at that.

    From what I have seen of morning television (not just yesterday but on other occasions) I can think of few things that are more vacuous, lacking in substance, and just plain a waste of perfectly good electricity than GMA, the Today Show, and other such prattle.

    On the subject of sportscasters: Vin Scully is probably the finest announcer ever to cover a sportscast. The man is/was AMAZING. I don’t even much care for sports, but even for me, Scully always made it interesting. His co-announcer was a fellow called Jerry Doggett (sp?) years ago; another fine announcer.

  41. 41.

    Jim Allen

    April 11, 2006 at 7:11 am

    Best sportscasters ever:

    Curt Gowdy (1919 – 2006)

    [list ends]

  42. 42.

    Skip

    April 11, 2006 at 9:17 am

    Couric and Costas are a month in the country compared to Tony Kornheiser, who is about to afflict us on Monday Night Football. Get used to whining and self-promotion as an art form–from a guy who knows jackshit about football.

  43. 43.

    ppGaz

    April 11, 2006 at 9:25 am

    Get used to whining and self-promotion as an art form—from a guy who knows jackshit about football.

    MNF football was built on that foundation.

    How-wad Co-Sell.

  44. 44.

    Bob In Pacifica

    April 11, 2006 at 9:35 am

    ppGaz, Bill King came out to the SF Bay Area in the early sixties, I believe, and has broadcast just about every pro sports team in the area (aside from the Sharks). He’s done both the A’s and Giants, did the 49ers in the sixties, was a great radio broadcaster of the Warriors and was there when they won it all back in 1975 (I believe it was). I can remember the outrage in his voice when he shouted, “He’s hanging on Barry like a cheap suit!!” He’s best known for his connection with the Raiders, though, through their glory years. Even though he was local, his radio broadcasts are often hooked in with NFL film clips for things like the “immaculate reception” and that one where the Raiders sort of kicked the ball around until they recovered it in the end zone.

    King had a long, curly mustache, like Simon LeGree (sic) and a pointy goatee, which was too devilish for television censors, so for the first part of his career when he did Warrior telecasts the camera wouldn’t show him.

    He only bought used cars because he never wanted to waste money on new ones, and for much of his life lived on a houseboat in Sausalito without a telephone.

    I don’t know if he used “taters,” but he often said “Holy Toledo!” when something remarkable was happening. He was a big opera fan, read lots and never dumbed down his broadcasts.

  45. 45.

    DougJ

    April 11, 2006 at 1:26 pm

    I agree, ppgaz — I like it when they have a color man as well as sportscaster.

    But do I think that baseball play-by-play is the highest form of sportscasting and I suspect Costas agrees with me. Nothing else is quite as challenging, because no other sport is quite as boring. And I say that as a big baseball fan.

  46. 46.

    DougJ

    April 11, 2006 at 1:27 pm

    I like Tony Kornheiser. That show he has with Mike Wilbon cracks me up. I’m sure you guys all hate it. Wilbon is better than Kornheiser, though.

  47. 47.

    Vlad

    April 12, 2006 at 11:04 am

    I’ll take Bob Costas for a month over Joe Morgan for an hour. Morgan’s tolerable (and even sometimes interesting) when he talks about technique, but everything else he says makes my brain try to crawl out of my ear and escape.

    Katie’s a lousy choice as a legitimate journalist, because she doesn’t have the guts to ask the tough questions. At least, I’ve never seen her ask one.

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