By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

• Tough to say whether the Boston Globe Sports Division should be applauded or laughed at for its Thursday, A1 enterprise piece (into a full two-page package from Bob Hohler in Sports).

On the one hand, the Globe did tackle a currently relevant issue within college football – the lack of diversity among head coaches. Hohler did a commendable job on the main feature and his two and a half sidebars (although some more input from area Athletic Directors – the ones DOING the hiring – might have helped in explaining why the game finds itself in this position.)

But the dirty little secret of the whole package is that the Globies are throwing their stones from the glass house of Joe Sullivan’s sports department. Christopher Gasper (recently promoted to the main sports desk), who is technically “bi-racial,” is the lone Globe sports writer who approaches African-American on the staff. (Gasper, like assistant sports editor, Greg Lee, are both NABJ members).

When Hohler, before the A1 jump used phrases such as. . .:

“. . . overcome one of the starkest racial inequalities in American sports. . .”

“. . . a domain ruled and overwhelmingly populated by white men.

“The statistics are staggering, both nationally and in New England. . .”

“. . . The landscape is even grimmer in New England. . .”

. . .it was difficult to know if Hohler was doing an internal review of the Globe’s sports office or an overall look at collegiate football.

As we remember from this important study the nation’s sports desks are as lily white as the collegiate football teams Hohler and the Globe are pointing out.

According to that study, as of June 16th 2006:

“White men and women comprised 88 percent of the total staffs of all APSE member newspapers; African-Americans held 6.2 percent, Latinos 3.6 percent, Asians 1.3 percent, and “other” people of color less than 1 percent.

“94.7 percent of APSE sports editors were white while 90.0 percent were white males; African-Americans held only 1.6 percent; Latinos 2.8 percent and “others” less than 1 percent. There were no Asian sports editors.”

If sports editors are the head coaches of their “teams,” than Hohler’s own industry is doing worse than the one he reported on – Division I-A football had 4.2 percent of its bosses who were African American (according to the Globe’s own chart); APSE member papers (like the Globe had only 1.6 percent African-American sports desk head).

Maybe you’d be more comfortable calling the sports editor an equivalent of an Athletic Director? There, the D I-A percentage is 8.2 for minority ADs; newspapers had 5.3 percent of their ranks filled by minority sports editors.

The point is, that while the Globe helps shed light on some inequities in coaches’ hirings, it does so from a very similar position as the athletic departments it is seemingly condemning. The package pointed out the discrepancy, gave some historical perspective and was able to include some nifty charts like this one (We’d guess the Globe Sports desk most resembles BC in size and scope, if these graphics were used for newspapers of the region)

The result was a serviceable piece that borderline deserved the “play” it got (A1 and a splash across Sports’s E1), but ultimately left the reader asking: “Yeah, and. . . what about it?”

Once again, it feels like the Globe is in the right church but the wrong pew on a trend piece that could have been a whole lot bigger, better and broader.

We constantly think, WWNYTSDD: What Would the New York Times Sports Desk Do with this kind of basis for a story? In this instance they would have sic’ed Pete Thamel on some of the institutes of higher learning and let him shake the trees for a bit, just to see what fell to the ground.

. . . Although Hohler’s work was clearly timed to coincide with the start of football season, it would have been interesting – for comparison’s sake - to see the breakdowns in college hoops, where the perception (and likely the numbers) show that black coaches have had more success making in-roads into to positions of leadership.

. . . Shots actually shared Boyden Building time (and some Rafters hours as well) with Robert Talley the BU alum who was used by Hohler as the example of a broken system.

Talley, even back when we were young punks, was always engaging and vibrant. He had (and probably still has) the qualities you’d want in a head coach.

But the system is broken and Talley is one of many who suffer because of it.

. . . USA Today, and its always-on-top-of-things college writer, Steve Weiberg looked at the so-called “Rooney Rule,” in a prominently placed piece on September 6.

. . . A mislabeled Athletics Director chart on E9 of the Globe’s package should have had the subject headings of “COLLEGE” and “MINORITY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR”; instead it had the cut and paste from the four prior minority coaching charts of “COLLEGE” and “MINORITY COACH.”

. . . Good effort here by the dot-commers in trying to jazz up the 11-up package from Mike Reiss. However, wouldn’t actual video of the two plays discussed (Denver and the Jets) have further enhanced the package on-line? There’s got to be a deal in place where Boston.com can use NESN video, right? Or is this one of those NFL regulations on use of game film?

If so, still photography in the slideshow format would have sufficed. Surely between Jim Davis (Globe photog at the Jets last Sunday) and the AP, there were enough sack shots to fill a dozen slides.

. . . One last Globe observation from the week: The Duquesne basketball tragedy was a national story with some very obvious (and other, more subtle) Boston ties. Start with Ron Everhart, the coach who is just a few months removed from our own landscape and go down his coaching staff to Sharon-native Daryn Freedman (and fellow Umie). There’s also a true Lil Rickie connection, Richard Pitino.

The Shawn James angle also would have worked nicely.

I guess our question is this: With such a love of college athletics – as we’re told Juggling Joe Sullivan possesses – wouldn’t it have been worth sending your college writer to Pittsburgh for a couple of days? Maybe take the pulse on a national story and add in a little local flavor? Maybe, you know, put your mark on a story?

• I can’t confirm it, but methinks Basketball Bob Ryan has had more international datelines this year than Fenway postings. All of which is fine for us, because we get one of our own in the International waters, relaying feel and ambience. But he does miss out on some awfully fun Beantown shenanigans while he’s world-travelling.

Yes, that’s jealousy in our parched, Guiness-less, throat that you’re hearing.

• Alex Beam’s NPR lambasting, on Wednesday was just the kind of calling-out we can subscribe to.

It’s not often an old media type plays the age card and the technology card in one fell swoop, and we’re glad Beam breaks that mold.

However, there is also the other side to the story that Beam neglected to even mention: Satellite radio vis-à-vis terrestrial. Nor did Beam have to go there to make his point. We just happen to believe that the Chicago Experiment of which Beam mentioned might be a suitable model for SatRadio 2.0 – whenever that earnestly kicks off.

• This is all bullcrap, plain and simple. What a tangled web Bonds did weave.

Oh, and don’t forget to read the two statements from the reporters.

BTW, has this movie been cast yet? It makes for better movie-telling than “Moneyball” for Pete’s sake.

• Can’t wait for the “5th Quarter” apology segment where Steve DeOssie admits that he completely misidentified the Pats employee who was seen blocking CBS cameras from the Corey Dillon-on-the-bench shot at the end of last week’s win over the Jets.

DeAwful did it, in fact, at least twice, compounding the error on “Sports Final” with babbling Bob Lobel. We covered all this earlier this week, if you’re interested.

But we did receive confirmation from the Patriots that the Dillon Defender is Matt Caracciolo.

DeAwful can be tolerable when he sticks to football and stays on-point (something that happens with less and less frequency the more he teams up with frothing Fred Smerlas). But reckless dissemination of misinformation is a serious infraction in TV “news” and information delivery.

Now, I’ll agree, DeAwful is nothing remotely close to a news person, but the premise remains: have your facts straight before you open your yap or risk losing credibility (and gigs) forever more.

. . . Not too concerned about a lack of gigs is newly mullettted Tim Fox, who last week made the rounds at NESN, NECN and NBC7. A bit of the overexposure thing starts to work against Foxy, but he is almost always insightful and to-the-point.

Whenever Fox appears we can’t help but think of our Globe mole who pines for the future days of a Sean McDonough/Fox pairing in the Rock Radio Network’s booth. The Mo. Blovd. Mole won’t be the one to start a “Gil & Gino Must Go” campaign, but Shots would contemplate drafting up a charter for such an organization if pressed by the populus.

. . . That same mole is also infuriated by the extended delay that virtually prohibits radio/TV syncing and/or radio/in-stadium syncing with ‘BCN’s broadcast.

A five second delay would be acceptable. Anything beyond that is bush league.

And again, we don’t give a damn about HD, Satellite and over-the-air problems. Is it live or is it Memorex? You know what I’m sayin’, Krafty and ‘BCN?

• For the ladies in our audience – and we know you’re out there – you can check out a different kind of Pats-Broncos preview.

The porn mustache clinches things for Denver, I’d guess.

• Random media discovery of the week: Ex-Rent-a-Pat Steve Israel is working for ESPNU doing college football analysis in the studio. He was paired with Dream Jobber Mike Hall in the halftime we caught and Israel was more than solid. He should be at the mother ship in two years, tops.

• One more time people: don’t just put a blog up on the site to say you have a blog. it makes you look desperate. Or worse.

• Shots has only dabbled in true, product-driven marketing and positioning, so we are willing to cut ESPN Radio Boston and its PR team (from Aigner Associates) a bit of slack.

Still, we have a hard time believing that a re-branding campaign should ever be referred to, in public, as such. (As was the case in an email with the Subject head: “890 ESPN Boston re-brands itself as BOSTON’S FOOTBALL STATION”)

The rest of the details are cut and pasted, below – the Herald (Mike Felger’s other employer, remember) had the announcement on Thursday – the spoils of having a multi-media king on your team.

. . . (BTW, the FSNNE Tweeter weekly Four Downs Infomercial with Felger isn’t a bad take. He could use a pretty (female) face for a lifestyle element that might even highlight some Tweeter equipment in-use by Patriots players. But the format has potential even now.

It does remind us that FSNNE as a whole, is a bit guy-heavy, when you think about it. They could use a Tappen, Behnke or Cervasio of their own.

. . . Anyway, the gist of the announcement (and ERB’s slightly beefed up PR approach) is this: The signal strength is still an issue and they know that, but if you are able to tune in to any portion of the Jessamy Tang/Len Weiner operation, you might just like what you hear.

Further simplified: No Fred grunting, Pete groaning or DeOssie gurgling. It’s not quite WEEI Lite, but ERB 890/1400 AM is, at the very least, making in-roads and giving us more reasons to take in some of the programming they’re conceiving. You can’t really ask for more than that in this radio market at this particular time.

. . . (Now, about that ERB website. . . When you’re making WEEI’s webjoke look advanced, you know you’ve got yourself some problems.

I tell everyone in every sector: Don’t Skimp on the Web.

But not everyone listens.)

. . . One other thing we’d like to see is more ERB use of – on all platforms, including the website – the “Unpredictable Josh Miller.” If that guy isn’t a walking blog or podcast, than no one is. Throw him some more coin and he use him to his potential.

890 ESPN BOSTON
ANNOUNCES ITS NEW BRAND:
“BOSTON’S FOOTBALL STATION”

890 ESPN Boston Tackles Hard-hitting Football Programming

Boston, MA — This football season, 890 ESPN Boston – the home of “Patriots Friday” – is dedicated to bringing NFL and college football fans the hottest in weekly programming. “We’re working hard to become ‘Boston’s Football Station’,” says program director Len Weiner who has created a lineup of football, football and more football. “The combination of ‘Patriots Friday’, NFL programming, major college football, and all of the ESPN football experts – including Chris Mortensen, John Clayton and Sean Salisbury – is making 890 ESPN Boston the #1 place on the dial for Boston’s football programming.”

Friday
“Patriots Friday” – the station’s football cornerstone – airs every Friday, beginning at 6 a.m. with “Mike and Mike in the Morning” and wrapping up with the Mike Felger broadcasting live from Gillette Stadium starting at 4pm as he welcomes Patriots players and executives, opposing players, beat writers and others to preview the Patriots upcoming game. Patriots President Jonathan Kraft has already made an appearance on “Patriots Friday,” and fans can expect to catch Matt Light, Troy Brown and Rosevelt Colvin as regulars on the show at Gillette.

Saturday
Nothing kicks off a football-filled weekend like the “Major College Football Game of the Week,” featuring the nation’s top teams every Saturday throughout the season. Northeastern football fans can also tune in on Saturdays, as every Huskies game will be carried live on 890 ESPN Boston.

Sunday
890 ESPN’s Kevin Winter and former Patriots tight end Russ Francis kick off the NFL action with “Countdown” – an in-depth preview of the upcoming Pats’ game and the rest of the games around the league – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Countdown” will be followed by the NFL on 890 ESPN Radio, which includes up-to-the-minute scores, news and notes from the day’s action, as well as the NFL “Game of the Week.”

Monday
NFL fans can expect – what else – Monday Night Football, as Winter and Tim Fox broadcast “Monday Night Countdown” live from The Charlie Horse in West Bridgewater, MA. Winter and Fox will recap all of Sunday’s NFL action, as well as preview the Monday night game. Fans can also catch the Boston Globe’s Ron Borges every Monday at 5:20 p.m on “The Mike Felger Show.”

Tuesday
Mike Felger wraps up the NFL action from the previous week as he welcomes the unpredictable Patriots punter Josh Miller to “The Mike Felger Show” every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m.

Thursday
How about a little more college football? “Thursday Night Primetime College Football” hits the airwaves with the Thursday night game of the week, featuring more of the nation’s best college football. Listeners can also catch ESPN football guru Chris Mortensen every Thursday at 5:05 p.m. on “The Mike Felger Show.”

The station will continue its college football coverage right through the playoffs, carrying an extensive bowl schedule, including the Bowl Championship Series, and culminating with the National Championship game on January 8. For an update on programming information, fans can visit 890 ESPN Boston’s website at www.890espn.com.

• Here’s the paragraph we were looking for two Sundays ago when we went on our annual rant against the admission procedures at Bob Kraft’s Supposed Gem, Gillette. Read it, and then find a friend who used the West Gate on Opening Day. He’ll be the one laughing hysterically at the thought the “efficiency” was “improve(d).”

More likely, the inefficiency was multiplied tenfold:

From the “Patriots 2006 Fan Guide,” Page 4, under ‘West Gate Improvements’:

“To improve the efficiency of stadium entry on the west side of the stadium, we have nearly doubled the number of entry points at the West gate (diagram below in guide). To avoid last minute queuing, we encourage our patrons to provide plenty of time for entry. Lines are often the shortest approximately 60-90 minutes before each game.”

There’s got to be a better way. Why on earth would I want to stare at the concrete and steel for an extra 90 minutes? I’m already guaranteed 180 minutes of sitting, standing, cheering and watching drunkards scream loudly.

• I know exactly who I’ve become in this date, the start of my 36th year: Fight Back with David Horowitz.

I couldn’t be prouder of myself, by the way. I used to crave that show as a young Shots shooter.

Looking out for you! That’s what I do, too!

• Some restructuring with Coach Cal’s staff in the wake of Tony Barbee’s departure for UTEP.

Just thought you should know we’re in full college hoops mode as of Oct. 1, and these teases are just glimpses into that on-coming obsession.

• Finally saw “Munich” this week. Compelling film for sure. Well worth shoving in the Netflix queue.

• NBCsports.com’s Tom Curran birthed a new blog and we didn’t even get to cut the umbilical chord. Hater.

He’s a little wackier than we ever knew.

Which is nice.

• Shameless plug for the Boss’s weekly Roundtable. Personally, I go straight to “Mediot of the Week,” but the rest never disappoints either.

• Shots sends out condolences and sympathies to the family of Peabody’s Arthur L. Collins, Jr.. Arthur’s son, Chris Collins, is NECN 8-year veteran on the sports side.

Stay strong, CC. Soon, better times will resume. Tanner pride!

• It’s also with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of My Buddy Paulie Brookline’s mom, Davida. The genuine, caring and fun-loving man that is MBPB - the guy who often spurs and encourages these pages’ words to be proffered - gained his finest qualities from the kind and gentle, Davida.

In a nice bit of symmetry, however, it comforting to think Bishkie will be sharing his first solo Rosh Hashanah with a familiar face and a kind soul. Make sure he goes easy on the chopped liver, will ya Davida?

• And lastly, while we’re on the subject of my dad, we’d like to ask that you kindly checkout the back page column of this Sunday’s Boston Globe Magazine.

The byline may shock you – and the podcsat (to be posted on Sunday) will floor you. (Or make your ears bleed, one of the two.)

That’s right, friends, Daddy Globe is cutting a check to Shots in the greatest career-related irony of our natural-born life.

For one day, I’m on the same team as Basketball Bob, Shaughnasty, Sully, Amalie, Gordo (can I call you “Gordo” for the day?), Nicky, Ronnie B, Pieces and the whole roster of fellow Globe check-cashers. Any chance I could fill on over at the “Sports Media” column while I’m here, Sully? Wanna have a quick office outing and gossip about all the beancounters? Guys? Team? You out there?

Serendipity, I call it. Sweet serendipity.

. . . L’Shana Tova, to the Sabras and non-, alike.

Sweet apples and honey for all.

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. And can be reached at shotsATbostonsportsmedDOTcom

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