The Education of Alex Rodriguez

Very, very good point. I never understood the hosannas to Earl Woods (aside from obviously wanting access to Tiger). Other than the success of their respective sons, what was the difference between Earl Woods and Marv Marinovich?

 

Earl got a chance to try stuff out with a practice family first, then cut bait and hooked up with Kutilda, pretending that first family never existed, except when it was time to draw on training methods that did not work.

 

BASW lock, for sure. I actually read the piece because I wanted to read this thread but I didn't want to come across any spoilers (too late, waited for the Katy Perry scene and was not disappointed).

The bigger takeaway when you look at the grand scheme of things is how much Moehringer does with access. But, I know I'm stating the obvious. I mean, it's Moehringer. But it's what makes his terrific profile of Pete Carroll works so well and why it still holds up after eight years. Also, he leaves behind subtle craftsmanship marks -- the color of Dr. David's coach, for example, and the repetition of the phrase, "not there yet in his education." A GA in college said she felt sets of three always seemed like the sweet spot when it comes to listing items. Moehringer used repeated that particular phrase three times. It may have been by accident, but it worked really well.

 

Moehringer discusses his access and decision-making re: the A-Rod story for ESPN Mag.
Interesting

Why there’s not a single Alex Rodriguez quote in ESPN’s 12,000-word profile | Poynter.

 

That was really interesting. I've been fascinated with the concept of "access" since reading this piece and how J.R. got it. For some reason, I figured he pitched it to ARod's people, who then pitched it to him, saying that J.R. was a Pulitzer winner and had done the Agassi bio. Knowing how simple it actually started - seeking a quote for a story on Derek Jeter - makes it all the more impressive.

 

The best thing I can say about this story is, if this is the inheritor to "Frank Sinatra has a Cold," then so be it. It is notable that there has been little or no interest in it on the usual fan mainstream outlets. If Rodriguez and his handlers, and Moehringer set out to make him into Regular Guy, they succeeded. Which was the plan all along.