Death threats and such ...

Wrote this after my last death threat. Let's discuss



I'm a man, I'm not a kid, call me
The worst person in Williamson County Sports may be you

Have you ever felt like you've been punched in the gut, hit by a train and left in the streets to die? Well that's how I've been feeling all week. I suppose it's my fault. No I'm not a Yankees fan. In fact the reason for my malaise isn't sports related at all. Still, when you're feeling down I suppose it's part of the human condition to take comfort out of knowing there are people out there who have it worse than you. And it really helps if they're jerks. So with apologies to Keith Olbermann, I present the worst person in Williamson County sports: The fan.

Yes, I'm talking to you Mr. and Mrs. "I could have made that catch," even though you rode the pine on your peewee league team and had a hard time catching a cold in winter during high school.

You're the type of person that cheers when a kid on an opposing team goes down with an injury on the field and boos a guy who consistently puts in 60 to 80-hour workweeks when he can't mold little Johnny into a champion.

I'm not talking about the majority, just the sick 10 percent - in the past I would have topped it off at one but the trend has only seemed to worsen in the new millennium -that takes the pleasure out of the game for everyone else.

Case in point: A month or so ago I got a death threat phoned into me over a football game. Now, there is some question of the lucidity of the person that made the call seeing as it was well past midnight and the person slurred his words, but the important part is he took the time to call me up and say them.

Now, this isn't the first threat upon my physical person - all you kids out there considering a career in journalism might want to watch some vintage Mike Tyson fights and pretend you're the other guy if you want to know what a typical day can be like - I received on my person as a sportswriter, nor, I'm sure, will it be the last. And that's sad, not because I was in fear for my life (simmer down now HR), but rather because of how it reflects on you, the people I bust my chops for every day to serve to the best of my ability.

I'm not perfect. I will make mistakes, but I'm held accountable for my actions by my bosses as well as our readership.

You got a problem with a story, coverage or me, call, e-mail or even swing by the office for a visit. And as many of you have learned over the past couple of months, I might not be able to rhyme a verse as deftly as Mike Jones, but my cell phone number is as easy to obtain as the Houston rapper's once was. Just punch in 626-8179 (that's area code 512 for you out-of-staters that read the Web site) on the old touchtone and unless I'm sleeping, watching Point Break or conserving minutes before 9 p.m. (my carrier is Verizon if you want to donate to the reader-response fund) you've got my ear at your disposal.

Unfortunately, so-called fans face no such scrutiny. We, the public, must rely on them to police themselves - a tall order in the age of Youtube and UFC, where everyone is looking for their 15-minutes of fame and one of the country's most popular 'sports' is a lion short of being as brutal as the ancient bouts between Roman slaves in the arena.

For those who find this kind of behavior reprehensible, stay strong, we need more of you out there, not just on Tuesday and Friday nights but every day of the week and sometimes on Saturday. You can do your part by simply showing those who indulge in such poor etiquette what it means to be a true fan. And for those of you who find your head pounding and veins pulsing as I conclude this article - Next time you want to share your opinion of a school, coach, ref or somebody else's kid with the general public: Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 31! I'm not a kid! We'll talk it (your problem) out more thoroughly than they did on the very special episode of the Cosby Show when Clair discovered a joint in one of Theo's schoolbooks.

 

Discuss what?

 

Guh.

 

WTF?

 

Shouldn't this be on the writing board?

 

Lyndon Baines Sports Editor?

 

We'll talk it (your problem) out more thoroughly than they did on the very special episode of the Cosby Show when Clair discovered a joint in one of Theo's schoolbooks

Keeper.

 

Maybe you shouldn't be writing for Al-Jazeera.

 

LBSE, most readers probably won't care you got a death threat. More would probably partake if they had more sack. However, I do say this as a guy who's never received a death threat, even while working the cops beat.

 

I'm a man. Call me!

 

solid.

 

I mainly wrote it too amuse myself. I'm at four death threats. No action yet. I did, however, once witness a group of little league officials burning gloves on another sportswriters' apt. "lawn" once because he wrote about them misusing funds. It was classic. And the one time I ran into one guy who threatened to kill me after we talked on the phone -- he quickly realized I wasn't the obese hack he (and I aspire to one day be) thought I was. Man almost had a heart attack when he shook my hand. Asked if there was anything I could do for him and said he had been drinking when he threatened me. I love Texas.