By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

So what was your favorite part of the over-the-top celebration of the Red Sox first AL East title since 1995?

Was it when the family-friendly and conscious Sox organization allowed its grown men to act like frat boys- on-Ft. Lauderdale-holiday for all the adults and KIDs in the Nation to see?

I mean, what’s a more heartwarming and uplifting message to the littl’uns than Kevin Youkilis and Mike Timlin swigging booze on the green grass of Fenway while cancer-survivor Mike Lowell puffs a stogie? All that was missing was Cowboy Idiot Kevin Millar and his Jack Daniels flask.

Or was it when the fawning local TV sports media overplayed the event to the point where we had to check if it was October 28th or September 28th? If this team wins the World Series again, Bob Lobel will be dry-humping Terry Francona on second base. From Chris Collins (NECN) to Joe Amorosino (NBC7) to Babbling Bob Lobel (CBS4) the majority of the local reporters were not so much covering the event as they were partaking in it.

Which, of course is to be expected to some extent, but also shows the inherent difference between the professionals at the network level and the homers at the local level. And don’t even get us started on the “news people” who are brought in for big sports stories and inevitably embarrass themselves, their viewers and their employers.

The overwhelming exception was the freshest face of the bunch, NESN’s Kathryn Tappen, who handled her on-field interviews with just the right amount of detachedness - even after getting “trashed” (drenched) by some of the boys, according to Coco Crisp. Even the dripping, drenched Tappen was able to ask pertinent questions and bring out genuine emotion from her subjects. Her co-hort, Tina Cervasio worked a respectable clubhouse, but never should have left home without goggles.

Meanwhile Channel 7’s coverage during the top of the 11 p.m. news was plagued by audio difficulties that resulted in the embarrassing top-of-dugout interview Dave Briggs tried to conduct with a couple of fans. Problem was, Briggs was doing his best Marcel Marceau tribute as his microphone was as dead as the Mets. Even after tossing to the shouting Joe Amorosino, Briggs was seen in the background still conducting his interview, despite having been cut away from a good 30 seconds earlier. He may still be there for all we know. Ah, the vagaries of live TV.

It wasn’t until 11:28 p.m. after a wild dance and beer dousing on-field that NESN’s Dennis Eckersley summed up the celebration: “This is when it gets stupid and if you kept the cameras for another hour, it would be even more stupid.”

NESN had the good sense to wrap things up 13 minutes later to lead into Hazel Mae and Sports Desk but the lasting image of cheerleading broadcasters and poor role models will not soon fade.

. . . All that bitterness aside, NESN gets an A-Plus for its plausibly-live coverage of the Yankees-Orioles finish and Tom Caron once again showed why he has national-level chops with his smooth, self-effacing handling of the ridiculous drama that was playing out on the faces of the estimated 4,000 fans who stuck around for the clinching squeeze play by the O’s.

. . . Why was Alan Dershowitz in the champagne-and-beer-ravaged clubhouse and who were the two camera-mugging babes with him? And why would I care?

. . . NESN (and the Sox) wasted no time in promoting a limited run of 5,000 $125 Louisville Slugger commemorative bats.

. . . Where was J.D. Drew during the festivities? I missed him all together. And Manny, too, of course. And Pesky.

. . . Jonathan Papelbon spent a portion of his on-field time with an empty Bud Light case on his head as the Unknown Drunk. You stay classy, Boston.

. . . No word that we’ve heard yet on when the “embarrassing” Sox Nation Presidential Debate will now be shown, but we’re guessing NESN can fit it in somewhere between now and the start of the ALDS. It was scheduled for after Friday night’s game on NESN. I gotta imagine it’s the first time EVER that Tim Russert has been bumped. He’s usually the one doing the bumping.

. . . A Red Sox Rally has been announced for Monday with The Dropkicks and the Standells performing. We’re not putting it past Dr. Charles to reunite the living Beatles as a tribute to the ‘67 team. Can’t wait for NESN’s wall-to-wall coverage of that non-event.

• Meanwhile, on ESPN2 with Sean McDonough on the call, South Florida knocked off No. 5 West Virginia in a story that will not get an ounce of attention in this city.

• Shame on both the Globe’s and the Herald’s baseball blogs for shutting down before the celebration. That’s inexcusable in an environment where the local TVs are going at it like it’s celebration Armageddon. People clearly want information and a couple of post-game updates from the park would have been well worth the extra effort.

• Get ready for an unbearable five days of run-up to the playoff kickoff.

• We forgot to mention in our regular Friday post that Glenn Ordway came home empty-handed from the 2007 Marconi Awards as he fell to Cleveland’s Chuck Collier in the Large Market Personality of the Year category. Also falling to Collier was Matt Siegel from WXKS FM. there were no other Massachusetts nominees in any category.

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