Toughest interviews

[micke77]

We've surely all dealt with athletes/coaches who tested our patience and sanity to the max.
What would be your top 3-5 toughest ever interviews ever and why? Could be for a feature story or whatever, maybe a postgame interview, mid-week media luncheon, etc. And might be just one particular instance that you still remember (and detest) vividly.

 

[cranberry]

Had blow-ups with both Bob Knight and John Chaney during NCAA regionals (as I recall, the same year). Had a clear-the-air meeting with Chaney about an hour after the incident and I came away with tremendous respect for the man. Bob Knight, not so much.

 

[Twoback]

Cornelius Bennett, 1986.
Absolute torture.

 

[micke77]

Twoback...what made the deal with CB so tough?
just wondering.

 

[pseudo]

My addition to the list: The local high school football coach who demanded I turn my recorder off during a postgame one-on-one because he "doesn't allow his voice to be recorded."

Yeah, his team lost. When I mentioned it to another writer later that evening, he suggested that I should have responded, "But you allowed that mess to be videotaped?"

Eh, he didn't say anything worth quoting anyway.

 

[Killick]

Bob Huggins, any number of times, 1998-2006. Huggs had his faves. If it wasn't you, acted like you just stepped in **** and walked across his carpet.

 

[albert77]

Ray Perkins, by a wide margin.

I covered a Miss State-Bama game when he was coaching the Tide and he was the most belligerent person I've ever seen. I'm standing off to the side watching in no small amount of fascination while he and Rick Cleveland started shouting at each other. And his team won the game, by a lot.

 

[BYH]

Had blow-ups with both Bob Knight and John Chaney during NCAA regionals (as I recall, the same year). Had a clear-the-air meeting with Chaney about an hour after the incident and I came away with tremendous respect for the man. Bob Knight, not so much.

"I'll kill you! You remember that! When I see you, I'll kick your ass!"

 

[micke77]

i've heard others give horror stories on dealing with Ray Perkins.
in just a couple of instances--surprise, surprise--Wimp Sanderson was a headache when he brought his UAB team into the D-I school we were covering. both times, he just said to hell with postgame press conference. and his team WON both times. he just flatout didn't want to deal with the media.
pat hill of fresno state can be tough.
ditto for les miles.

 

[Batman]

Never dealt with him myself, but from everything I've heard Bob Knight deserves a permanent spot on the top of this list. Ask one wrong, stupid or simply bad question and you're toast.

Working in Podunk, any 8-year-old at a youth baseball tournament qualifies

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

This thread is the reason why I'm glad I never covered swimming, gymnastics, or figure skating. Any interview that begins with, "Where do you want to go to high school?" can't end well.

 

[SnoopyBoy]

I've dealt with Pat Hill a few times and I liked him. Very matter-of-fact and candid, but he was fine.
Jeff Kent, not so much.

 

[Armchair_QB]

The one Bob Knight press conference I've had the pleasure of participating in is still the only one I've sat through in which no one wanted to ask the first question.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

For whatever reason, and this probably doesn't speak well of me, I had no problems with Knight and in fact in the times I dealt with him wound up with good copy.
I'm with FB. Prep girl athletes, while fine young people, are both creeped out at being asked questions by an adult and, to the extent they speak at all, only speak fluent Sportscenter.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

I'd like to throw a vote here to old John McNamara, the former Red Sox manager, because, well, you had to be there sometimes.

 

[micke77]

Fenian_Bastard....thanks for that offering because it made me smile. damn, how true.

 

[brettwatson]

Marvin Harrison is not known for being a chatty cathy type interview.

 

[Rhody31]

Those aren't tough interviews. Oh wow, someone who doesn't like to make things easy.
Tough is talking to a 17-year old girl who put up a double-double three days after her father died.

 

[HandsomeHarley]

Toughest for me have been freshmen girls.

It's bad enough when I'm talking to some kid after a game and their parents are in the stats wondering who that perv is that is talking with their little Britney.

It gets worse when little Britney gets the giggles because she can't come up with anything to say.

A couple of years ago we had a freshman make out All-Area cross country team. They all met us at the paper for photos and interviews. When I walked up to her for her interview, she started bawling. I kid you not.

 

[BYH]

Marvin Harrison is not known for being a chatty cathy type interview.

Yeah but he just might shoot you.