Is It Just Me, Or...: How We Cover Sports Tirades

Is it just me, or...

...didn't we all see the Milton Bradley meltdown coming from a mile away?

How could the Padres not know that this guy is a habitual knucklehead?

It doesn't matter whether the umpire provoked him—Bradley shouldn't have taken the bait. The ump may be wrong, but Bradley's history means he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.

He wore out his welcome in Cleveland, Oakland, and Los Angeles—and the truth is Bradley's never even been that good.

We're not talking about Manny Ramirez here. His best years have been lackluster at best—a.321 batting average in 2003 (in just 101 games); 19 homers and 67 RBI in 2004.

Not exactly worth the headaches. Good luck in the Independent League when your wheel heals up, Milton.

 

...do Reggie Bush and LaDainian Tomlinson get a free pass from the media?

Both guys get into sideline shouting matches with their QBs...and no one says a word.

Imagine if it were T.O. or Randy Moss—the media would have a field day. Every radio show, every newspaper, ever .com (including this one) would tear them up.

Not Reggie and L.T., though—they seem to be untouchable.

These weren't the first incidents, either. Remember L.T. whining when the Patriots did the lights-out dance? Probably not, because the story got buried. What about Reggie and the scandal he left behind at USC? Haven't heard much about that lately.

I guess we're all waiting to pounce on Moss and Owens. I for one hope neither of them gives us the chance.

 

...was Mike Gundy's true point lost in his tirade?

The coach made a great point, amidst the yelling and screaming:

The media shouldn't take cheap shots at a college kid—especially not by saying things about his mother "feeding him chicken."

That was way out of line.  

The media needs to be checked, just like the players and coaches. Gundy handled the situation the wrong way, but that doesn't make his thinking any less valid.

I've heard it said if you don't want the heat, don't become a high-profile athlete. Well, the same goes for writers. Speaking of which...

 

...can the media dish it out but not take it?

Personally, I love it when a coach or player fires back at the press.

There's only so much a person can take, after all.

Unfortunately, every tirade is met by intense media blowback—look at the people firing away at Gundy. It happens every time.

Hey media members (myself included)—if you dish it out, you'd better be ready to take it.

I love Jim Rome, but was there any cooler sight than Jim Everett knocking him out of that chair?

That's it for now—see you next time.