Today in Local Sports Coverage: The Answer Raises a Question

The back covers this morning prompt a question: Which tabloid do you trust? Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign

The back covers this morning prompt a question: Which tabloid do you trust?

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They both have Allen Iverson, but the Daily News tell us “TIME OUT: Dolan has reservations,” while the Post feels so confident it’s actually happening that they put him in a Knicks jersey over the headline “LOOKS GOOD!”

The Daily News gives you more particulars on the situation, how General Manager Donnie Walsh is doing his due diligence, but won’t be updating reporters every hour. “I’m not tweeting this,” Walsh says. It’s an informative story, but it takes an odd, normative turn midway through when you hit this line: “Dolan’s record of taking an active role in major decisions isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” In attempt to back this up, the Daily News gives us a graphic of a players Dolan disliked: Latrell Sprewell, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, and Nate Robinson. That doesn’t exactly make him Nostradamus or Jerry West, does it? I mean, this is a franchise–which he runs–that currently has zero players it considers fundamental to next year’s team. And it’s draft pick this summer belongs to Utah, so it’s not like all the losing this year is getting them anywhere. 

The Post eschews the Dolan praise and gives its endorsement to Iverson. Apparently Peter Vecsey bought 76ers season tickets three years in a row, just to make sure he’d catch Iverson whenever he was down in Philadelphia. (Exactly how much money does Peter Vecsey make, one has to wonder? Or does the Post cover something like that?) In any case, Vecsey pens a pretty strong defense of Iverson, who–as a handy little timeline shows us across the bottom of the two-page spread–has had his run-ins with coaches and, well, the law. But Vecsey’s not having it.

During his 10 years as a 76er, never once wasn’t Iverson straight up with me, never once did he lead me astray, as so many other NBA people are inclined to do, never once was he remotely disrespectful to my wife and children, who were often around the team on and off the court.

It’s something of a mea culpa column; Vecsey later wrote “an attempted stab at humor at his wife’s expense” that didn’t sit well with Iverson, who confronted Vecsey about it. Vecsey seems to regret the whole thing, even as he wonders whether Iverson can really help the team.

The stories about Rex Ryan’s tears are noticeably absent this morning, except Steve Serby finds a new angle He writes about how Giants coach Tom Coughlin won’t be caught crying anytime soon. It starts, more or less, like this:

Tom Coughlin, The Other Coach in town this week.

Tom Coughlin, The Coach Who Does Not Cry.

Tom Coughlin, The Coach Who Loves General Patton.

Tom Coughlin, The Coach Who Has Been to the White House.

Tom Coughlin, The Big Blue Rock of the Giants.

That ring makes quite a difference. This is a guy who was hanging on to his job by a thread before that Giants playoff run. Now he’s unassailable, even though the Giants haven’t won since October 11. In any case, the most interesting part comes at the end.

Ex-Eagle Jeff Feagles was asked if he ever had a coach cry. “Yeah,” Feagles said, “Buddy Ryan.

But Buddy said earlier this week that he left the crying to other guys, like that leaky faucet Dick Vermeil. Someone should really follow up on this.

I have to say, the Post finds a way to make things interesting on an otherwise slow sports day. To wit: both papers have a story about Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis trying to stop Randy Moss again. Boilerplate Friday article, right? Well yes, but Mark Cannizzaro’s story includes this great bit of dialogue:

 

Revis: “Do you know football?”

Reporter: “Well, that’s why I’m asking. You know, if you could clear it up for me.”

Revis: “Yeah, I’m asking you. I’m asking you a question. Do you know football?”

Reporter: “Maybe parts of it, but not that part of it.”

Revis: “What part do you know?”

Reporter: “I said, like parts of it.”

Revis: “OK, so do you know defensive coverages?”

Reporter: “Not very well.”

Revis: “Cover two, over three, cover one . . .”

Reporter: “Not very well, quite honestly.”

Revis: “Well, OK.”

Was Cannizzaro skewering himself? Or is he taking on a colleague? Either way, it’s a good glimpse into how it must feel to have a reporter who sits in a chair typing things for most of the day asking you why you can’t cover Randy Moss without help from a safety over the top.

 

 

Today in Local Sports Coverage: The Answer Raises a Question