Have you ever wanted to punch your competition?

The PR guy I don't even take seriously anymore, never have. I think he has a dad who knows somebody and got him the job. I think he just graduated high school, so he knows jack squat to begin with. He's annoying, but my expectations of him are basically to not be too big of a pest, and usually he stays out of my hair.

 

Don't see it that often out West, but they're usually at smaller papers, as in Beef's case. Last year a guy wearing a school shirt and visor came into the press box before a football game, saying he was with the Podunk Press, and my first thought was "no, not one of these," but this guy was not a Clappy. When people have gotten too loud, I ask them nicely to keep it down and that usually does it.

What I find just as annoying are people who should know better. Last year, for example: I'm at a football playoff game and I'm getting some writing out of the way at halftime. Guy one booth over who was doing stats for the visitors came over and, seeing I have a computer and my credentials, asks me if I can look up some other scores for him. Tell him politely, no, I can't, I'm working. So 10 minutes later, I'm still getting some work out of the way and wondering if I have enough time for a restroom run, and the guy who was sitting with him comes over and asks the same thing ... and starts laughing. Sorry, but my work is a little more important than your interest in Springfield-Shelbyville.

 

I've had to deal with several "Clappies" in my career. Most recently I had a SE at a competing paper who always used "us" and "we" when referring to local prep teams. I called him out on it when we were covering a soccer game between two local teams and he said something along the lines of "We should have the edge up front." I asked him who he was talking about since both teams were local and he cut down on the "we" crap quite a bit after that.
The worst I had to deal with was during my TV days when one of our news guys began showing up at the local JUCO basketball games. He had no connection to the school and was not there for any professional reason, but would always be there standing on the baseline, often next to me when I was shooting, screaming his head off at every call. At the end of one close game he even left the gym, muttering "oh I can't watch." He represented my organization so I couldn't trash him to the AD and he had the ear of a news director who hated me as it was so I couldn't call him out privately. Sometimes the best thing to do is just grit your teeth and live with it.

 

I do too.

My underling said his favorite person in the world was the clock operator in this awful prep basketball blowout who'd milk precious seconds off the clock any chance he got. His work of turning a 100-point blowout from two hours of horror to an hour and 15 minutes might be worth a Nobel Prize.

 

I guess that's one way of looking at it.

Another way is for him to know or remember what his job is. His job is not to piss off reporters who cover the team with dumb questions and otherwise arrange access for a team that surely wants/needs the consistent exposure. His job is not to root the team onto victory or indulge in middling asshats who do.

As far as homer reporters, meh, we've all dealt with them. Usually they're from small papers, like to go to the events more than anything else, and generally don't fool the coaches or the players. Coaches and players have egos like anyone else, and they know they're impressing ol fanboi over there just by breathing. That's not very gratifying.

 

I have never punched a competitor but...

Ten years ago, a new sports anchor came to a competing station. He was an arrogant jackass on first meeting. Obnoxious in the press conference. Borderline rude as we first chatted.
I see him two days later at a basketball game. Just a rude but he mentioned he was freaking out because he was anchoring on Saturday with no one to help him.

I told this to my other sports anchor. We agreed to give him the treatment.

Pay phone.

Fictional scores from fictional schools.

Seeing Rydell High with a 12 point victory over the city's high school that closed in 1977 was unspeakably awesome.

The competing sports anchor was fired within a year.

 

Sorry, but that's a total fucking dick move. I don't care if the guy was more annoying than Urkel.

"The treatment?" You mean douchebaggery mixed with a healthy dose of unprofessional behavior.

 

Sounds like you are the one who should be punched. An absolute cowards move. I guess you didn't have the stones to stand up to the guy so you pull some childish bullshit.

 

When haven't I wanted to punch my competition?

In an unrelated note, I once knew a guy named Clappy. Pretty sure it was for a different reason.

 

The only challenge is figuring out how to get a bunch of kids' names in the paper for the team that got shutout.

 

I certainly wouldn't do it now. But, at 24, that kind of judgment explains why men that age pay higher car insurance rates.