Something to think about while pirating an HBO signal to watch Brett Favre’s live interview with Joe Buck tonight…
Surely you’ve noticed this. Normally, you can’t watch two minutes of ESPN or click over to ESPN.com these days without seeing some headline about Favre. As in, Sources Say Favre Tells Wife to Buy More Wranglers, or High Schooler Reportedly Drops Favre’s Screen Pass.
It’s almost always an anonymous source telling Ed Werder or Chris Mortensen some random little tidbit. And why does the Worldwide Leader overdose on Favre minutiae? Because the public has an insatiable appetite for the story. It’s no different here. My most-read columns almost always have something to do with Favre. It’s simple supply and demand.
Yet here’s some legitimate Favre news – that Favre himself, and not some anonymous source, is about to finally speak publicly – and how does ESPN treat the story?
With almost complete silence.
Over at ESPN.com on Monday, you had to practically excavate the Web site to learn about Joe Buck’s interview. There was nothing all morning. Finally in the afternoon, deep in the recesses of a story headlined “Trainer suggests shoulder exercises” (Really? Exercise to rehab an injured shoulder? Brilliant!), past Werder’s latest anonymous source saying that Favre met with a Vikings trainer, there was a brief mention of the interview in the final paragraph.
I heard an ESPN Radio national news update just before 3:30 p.m. The lead was the Lakers’ NBA title. The second story was about a WNBA coach who resigned. The WNBA, for Pistol Pete’s sake! But no mention that Favre was about to break his silence. Finally, right around 4 p.m., I heard a brief mention of the interview.
I’m cooped up in an office all day without a TV, but I’m guessing the silent treatment continued on SportsCenter.
So why was ESPN burying the story? Could the sports suits be miffed that Favre was speaking to someone outside of Bristol, Conn.? Worse yet, to Buck, who happens to call football games for a network named FOX.
If ESPN had this interview, you’d get triple-platform round-the-clock coverage of it. They’d argue about what he’d say, what he’d wear, how fat he’d look, what brand of bottled water he’d drink, and if his accent would have an extra twang.
But Buck gets the interview, and ESPN has practically nothing on it. Maybe the phone lines of those anonymous sources are busy.
Will Buck talk Favre into making more news on Monday night? And if he does, will ESPN air it tomorrow? Stay tuned.
Tuesday morning update
So what did we learn from Joe Buck Live? First, never interview Artie Lange on a live TV show. As for Favre, if you look close enough, we learned plenty.
HBO hasn’t put any video online, at least not yet. But here’s a transcript of the interview with Joe Buck from jsonline.com.
Officially, Favre would only say that he’s considering a comeback. Shocker, eh?
But Favre also confirmed previous reports that he’s talked with the Vikings and had surgery to fix his arm problems. The confirmation has value, in that it removes any “speculative” labels from those reports. And logic dictates that Favre doesn’t have surgery unless he’s determined to return.
More importantly, read between the lines and you’ll find that subconsciously, Favre’s already a Minnesota Viking. Why else would he talk about the Vikings in terms of “we”?
First Favre says “there’s no guarantees.” That’s the public front. Then a few sentences later, he says, “knowing your team, knowing as long as we can run the ball, and complete passes when needed, we should be pretty good.”
When it’s an us and them situation, you don’t say we. So apparently, there’s no us and them with Favre and the Vikings. And that’s very telling.
As for ESPN, it’s still not quite embracing the story. Here was the lineup for Monday night’s SportsCenter: Brewers-Indians slugfest, a U.S. vs. Italy soccer game, then Favre. When Favre’s falling behind soccer, you know somebody’s feelings are hurt.
Sayonara Parra
Manny Parra had just faced down the Milwaukee Brewers media – for the last time in the foreseeable future, because he was on his way to Triple-A Nashville. Another painfully short outing sealed his fate Saturday (the Brewers decided on the move before the game was even over) because teams in win-now mode can only stomach losses for so long. And after the mini media horde drifted away, Yovani Gallardo walked over, leaned in close and whispered a few words to his just-demoted friend.
Words of encouragement, no doubt. Something Parra could use these days.
“It’s very tough. I played with Manny coming up in the minor leagues and we pretty much pitched together at mostly every level,” Gallardo later told me on Sunday. “After speaking with him, he sounded pretty confident in the things he had to work on and hopefully he’ll be back up here soon.”
Watching the two pitchers share that moment Saturday, you couldn’t help thinking what might have been. There was Gallardo, the budding ace, mature beyond his 23 years, a young man who is the foundation of Milwaukee’s pitching staff. And there was Parra, the 26-year-old lefty with impressive stuff who was supposed to be Gallardo’s wingman, but has struggled to fly straight in his third major league season.
What a wonderful one-two punch it was supposed to be. The Brewers expected the duo to fill the void left by the offseason departures of Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia. And while Gallardo has lived up to expectations, Parra left town with a 3-8 record and a 7.52 ERA. The dynamic duo has become a sensational single. When Parra will return is anyone’s guess.
At least Parra took his last dose of medicine like a man. He could’ve fled the clubhouse before reporters arrived, but waited around and answered everything asked of him until there was nothing left to ask. He didn’t deflect blame, admitting to being uncomfortable on the mound all season and not trusting his stuff.
Well, when a major leaguer doesn’t trust himself, the results are rarely pretty. Parra is just the latest example.
Brewers Trade Target?
Early indications from manager Ken Macha are that Parra won’t be back with the Brewers anytime soon. But could there be another way for Parra to help the Brewers win immediately?
Back in May, there was scuttlebutt that the Brewers were interested in acquiring Cleveland’s slugging Swiss Army knife, Mark DeRosa, to help ease the loss of Rickie Weeks.
It’s easy to see why. DeRosa has pop in his bat. He can play second, third and the corner outfield spots. He’s a good “glue” guy (witness the Chicago Cubs, who miss him terribly this season). And best of all, he’s affordable, owed less than $5 million on a contract that expires after the season – clearing second base for the return of Weeks next season.
But in May, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said Milwaukee couldn’t meet Cleveland’s asking price.
“They supposedly want major-league pitching,” Melvin told the Journal Sentinel back then (near the bottom of this notes column). “I don’t know if we have enough pitching to trade right now. There’s a lot of players that might be good fits but you have to do something that fits with the other team.”
Well, DeRosa is still available, and with Milwaukee’s recent offensive struggles, the Brewers are probably more interested than ever. Presumably, Melvin was unwilling to trade Parra back in May. Would he be more open to the idea now? And you have to believe Cleveland would be interested in Parra, who still has a live arm and might benefit from a change of scenery.
Casey at the Bat Whatever happens with DeRosa, don’t be surprised if Casey McGehee soon becomes a fixture in the Brewers’ lineup. After McGehee’s 3-for-4 outing Sunday, a day that included his first major league home run and made him 13-for-27 in June, I asked Macha if McGehee had played his way into an everyday job. “We’ll see how things roll out here,” Macha said. “You know, he is definitely making a case for himself.” McGehee’s versatility should make it easier to get him in the lineup, as he can play both second and third base, and both positions are becoming offensive black holes for the Brewers. Milwaukee’s other second baseman, Craig Counsell, is 6-for-26 in June. As for the June numbers at third base, Bill Hall is 3-for-24 and Mat Gamel is 7-for-31. That’s a combined 16-for-81, or a .198 average. Ugh. McGehee won’t provide the power lost to Weeks’ season-ending injury, but if he continues getting on base anywhere near his current .408 clip, the Brewers will be thrilled. Brewerly Love Sign spotted at Miller Park during Saturday’s Brewers vs. White Sox game: “We can both agree on one thing… the Cubs Suck.” Just how electric was Kil@wat when Carly Rubach stumbled in? Find out in Bar Time. And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.
