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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 6, 2008
/ 7 Tishrei 5769
For 20 years, it's been the best seat on television
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
We never took off the ties.
The athletes got flashier. The analysts got louder. It would have shocked no one if the host and the three panelists undid their Windsor knots, unbuttoned their collars, and got down and dirty with the rest of the sports business.
But we didn't. For whatever reason. Maybe it was the reverence of Sunday morning. Maybe it was just habit. But if you check the tape of the first "Sports Reporters" show on ESPN, you'll see men wearing jackets and ties (and a female panelist in a dress). And if you watch the show today, not much has changed.
Yesterday marked 20 years of Sunday mornings for this half-hour program, one I joined a few years after it started. Back then we filmed in the old HBO studios off 23rd Street in Manhattan. You hopped a cab, got out at a stage door, rang a bell and hoped someone would answer, otherwise, you be stuck in the rain or snow for a while.
Today the show is filmed in the ESPN Zone restaurant in Times Square. There's a lobby store with ESPN merchandise. Hanging near the set is a blown-up cover of ESPN The Magazine. None of these things existed when we got started.
But we are still here.
TALKING WITHOUT POLITICIANS
The premise of "The Sports Reporters" was novel and cliched. Sunday morning TV traditionally had been occupied by panel shows such as "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press."
"The Sports Reporters" was essentially a sports version. But with one caveat. The panelists were sportswriters. No athletes. No coaches. And no guests. It was a conversation for 30 minutes, wrapped with minute-long "parting shots" at the end. Simple. Straightforward.
And it worked.
It worked largely because of the host, Dick Schaap, one of most-beloved sportswriters of our time. Dick, who penned heralded books and columns before joining ABC News, was a white-haired wizard of words, as thick with insight as he was devoid of ego. He let younger panelists such as Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan, Tony Kornheiser, Bill Conlin, Mike Wilbon and myself argue back and forth, cutting across his airspace with our sentences. Then, just before a commercial break, he'd button it up with something smarter and wittier than any of us had said.
Dick hosted the show from 1988 until his death in 2001. His last appearance was the Sunday after Sept. 11, one of the program's finest hours. There were many who felt "The Sports Reporters" minus Schaap wouldn't be the same.
It wasn't. But it was still the show. John Saunders ably stepped in, and while he didn't expect it to be long-term, he has been there ever since. "The Sports Reporters" has that effect on certain people. It offers them a seat, and next thing you know, they're kind of living there.
TALES FROM THE STUDIO
Over the years there have been plenty of hairy moments. Taped shows from West Coast Super Bowls when it's still dark outside. Outdoor winter programs where chattering teeth affect your speech. Two weeks in Albertville, France, fighting snow and foreign language. Microphones that go out. A janitorial crew that turns on the vacuums just as the cameras roll.
Oh, and my total inability to read a teleprompter unless it is three feet from my face, which has prompted frequent screams from Lupica of "GET CONTACTS!"
The thing I tell fans of the show, which now airs at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN, is that we would all do the same thing, cameras or not. Ever since the old days, there has been a bag of bagels and hot coffee when we arrive. And for 20 minutes, we chew and sip and argue the sports issues of the day until sometimes the executive producer, Joe Valerio, yells, "Save it for the program!"
There is no script. No rehearsed lines. The cast rotates. And you have no idea going in if the show will hold up at all. But then it does. It is the magic of sports conversation and the karma of people enjoying what they do.
Sports has gotten loud, mean and at times repellent. But I am proud of the show for maintaining a sense of grace. We don't shout each other off. We don't pounce. We keep our ties on.
As one of the original "guys talking sports" programs long before "Best Damn Sports Show Period," "Pardon the Interruption" or "Around the Horn" "The Sports Reporters" may be considered by some to be old school. But you can learn new things in an old school. And 90 percent of life, someone once said, is just showing up.
We're still here.
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