Athletes who did not speak to the media

This is one thing that remains in Barry Bonds' eternal favor -- he talked after losses, or at least losses he believed he played a role in. And always in elimination games, I think.

On the other hand, the Giants once had a reliever who held a season-long media boycott, a fact that only revealed itself when someone tried to talk to him in late August. Can't remember the guy's name.

 

Saban's a piece of work. He won't let local media talk to assistants but then allows ESPN all access for "A day with the program" feature. Rinaldi asked them some tough questions about listening to Michael Jackson.

 

For some reason, it seems that the athletes in that sport feel free to blow off the media after losses more than any other sport I've been around. It's almost like it's the culture of the sport at this point. I've always found it ironic, because most of the participants put up a huge tough-guy facade - but to me, a tough guy stands up and is accountable after a loss.

 

and Carlton were the best. Hendrick was but a good buddy of mine Ken Picking got him to open up for a good interview session eons ago.
However, there were some guys who should've been on that list because they gave one-word answers such as Rick "Big Daddy Reuschel, the worst interview of all time.
I recall getting blown away by Ellis Valentine who was a big ass hole. I'll never forget someone telling me that I was broken in by one of the best.

 

North Carolina basketball freshman before the first game.

 

As a kid, I remember Steve Carlton had a commercial poking fun at his famous dissing of the media.
The hordes were assembled around his locker, the narrator said "Shhhh ... Steve Carlton is about to speak!" and then he spit out the quick pitch line. Kind of funny.

Wasn't Randy Johnson notorious for not speaking to the media, too? At least on certain days?

 

Diane K. Shah made Best American Sports Writing of the Century for her tongue-in-cheek column about interviewing Carlton.

 

I'm not sure why he didn't speak to the media. I think he just didn't think it think it was his responsibility. I want to say he once compared his job to that of blue collar workers, and didn't see why he needed to do an interview about his performance at work any more than the guy working the third shift at the factory did.

The fans always loved him. I don't think he was surly or rude to reporters either. Just wouldn't do interviews. And, he was always seen as a regular guy around town.

Friends of our went to the same Church he did, and always said he was a good guy.

Maybe being a little older and further removed from the game has changed his mind.

 

He's become a lot more socialible since he's retired, doing interviews now and then. When he played for the Giants, the joke among fans and the media was that it would be a shocker to catch him even smiling, much less talk to the media. And it wasn't even him being a jerk. He had an image of a very quiet, serious person. The media didn't even get on him at all about it. They accepted him for who he was.

 

He was remarkably candid when I talked to him. He is definitely a serious and intelligent guy with some honest thoughts. I can almost see where he would have found the postgame gang bang way too tedious to participate in.

 

Al Groh's assistant coaches at Virginia. Oh, wait a minute ....

 

A couple of excerpts from the Times on Bavaro:

I wonder if the media didn't resent him for it, because his policy wasn't a result of "being treated unfairly by the media" or the result of a poor season. It just wasn't in his nature (at the time).