Southern Bookman

Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon back together at "Pardon the Interruption" studio

Tony Kornheiser returned to the "Pardon the Interruption" studio Monday for his first on-set appearance with co-host Michael Wilbon since before the Covid epidemic began.

For nearly four years, Kornheiser's been doing the daily show from his home.

Kornheiser joked that he'd awakened from a dream in which he'd been doing the show from his basement and attic for four years.

Wilbon cracked in a pop-culture reference for the show's baby-boomer audience that Kornheiser was like Bobby Ewing from the old "Dallas" show, returning as if nothing had happened.

In contrast to Kornheiser, Wilbon's been doing one of ESPN's signature shows from various locations around the country, sometimes appearing on the Washington, D.C. set.

As Kornheiser frequently jokes about, Wilbon often performs from Phoenix and Chicago, where he has homes. He also broadcasts from cities where he does his NBA Countdown show.

The PTI on-set reunion appears brief: Wilbon at the end of the show said he'd be traveling again, and Kornheiser sounded unclear about whether he'll regularly appear in the studio.

That raised speculation about whether Kornheiser's return is a prelude to his retiring.

Old-time viewers like me hope that's not the case. Each day, I look forward to his benediction "Happy time, people."

 

 

 

 

New York magazine's Will Leitch blasts college football for Florida State snub

Southern football fans wouldn't expect New York magazine to publish the best commentary on undefeated Florida State's shocking exclusion from the championship playoffs.

Yet the most rabid SEC fan embroiled by the controversy will find strong insights from the Manhattan-centric magazine's Will Leitch, the founder of Deadspin and one of the nation's top sportswriters.

Leitch, who lives in Athens, Ga., home of the also excluded defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, brings a Southern perspective to the magazine.

In his weekly column, Leitch lists 10 reasons why the decision to bump the undefeated ACC champion Seminoles and include one-loss SEC champion Alabama is such a travesty.

Leitch blasts the championship committee for selling out to TV money. Like the AJC's Mark Bradley, Leitch believes the unfair decision will hasten Florida State's exit from the ACC, bringing the conference's decline, and further strengthen the dominance of the Big Ten and SEC.

Fans of Georgia, LSU, Auburn and other haters of Alabama and coach Nick Saban will nod in agreement at Leitch's assessment that the decision smacks of favoritism to the Tide, which like Duke in college basketball always seems to benefit from referee calls and special treatment.

An Illinois alum, Leitch understands the Big Ten sports culture. A confessed lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, he has an old-school appreciation for  baseball. The writer is also a popular novelist and commentator on politics.

New York's Ed Kilgore, a longtime Georgia resident, displays a deep understanding of Southern politics in his pieces for the magazine.

With Leitch and Kilgore, New York covers Dixie like the Dew.

Alabama-Georgia game marks end of SEC games on CBS, a beloved Southern ritual

The Southern tradition of Saturday afternoon SEC games ends this weekend.

For years, the network's stirring theme at 3:30 p.m. meant the party had begun. Time for beer, bourbon and football.

CBS' broadcast turned SEC football into a national event. The Iron Bowl, Florida-Georgia, LSU-Ole Miss: The memories of great players, big plays and crazy coaches flood back.

No more War Eagle, Vols, Tigers, Crimson Tide, Dawgs, Wildcats, Gators, Commodores, Rebels, Aggies on the network whose logo looks like a Sunday morning hungover eye.

The cheerleaders, the bands, the stadium crowds from Gainesville to Athens to Oxford to Tuscaloosa to Auburn to Baton Rouge trumpeted regional pride.

Verne Lundquist, the longtime SEC voice, was our kindly uncle, turning stadium press boxes into our common front porch. 

Next season, the SEC game shifts to ESPN. The "world leader" has shown SEC games for years, but even with Chris and Kirk, they never matched CBS

Sadly, the SEC's beloved partner will now show the country Big Ten games.

Saturday afternoon's Alabama-Georgia showdown also marks the end of the SEC infrastructure fans have come to know and love for years.

With Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, the East-West division setup will be scrapped for a conference-wide free-for-all. Instead of the division winners, the top two finishers during the regular season will compete for the SEC title.

Traditional games like LSU-Mississippi State, which have endured since the 19th century, will be erased.

The already bloated Big Ten will add USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington from the ravaged Pac-12. That will at least give the Big Ten more appealing games than its present surfeit of mediocre teams like Rutgers, Northwestern, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and so on.

Perhaps CBS might find a game or two almost as appealing as Michigan-Ohio St., at present the only Big Ten game the nation cares to watch.

CBS' chatty Brad Nessler has never replaced Uncle Verne in SEC fans' hearts, and we loved to hate color analyst Gary Danielson.

Yet, they also became part of the SEC nation. Nessler's last goodbye will bring an end to a great era of SEC football.

 

Northwestern State football player's slaying in Natchitoches apartment stirs sorrow

Northwestern State University, my parents' alma mater, has canceled its football season after the murder of defensive back Ronnie Caldwell Jr. on Oct. 12.

Caldwell died of multiple gunshot wounds at his apartment in Natchitoches, La., known for its festive holiday light display on the Cane River and as the setting of "Steel Magnolias."

Northwestern State and its Demons athletics teams hold a special meaning for me. Before receiving their undergraduate degrees from the school, my mother and father grew up in Campti, La.,  just a few miles away across the Red River from Louisiana's oldest city.

On our childhood visits to my grandmother's home in Campti, my parents often took us on nostalgic trips to Natchitoches and the school's campus. Several family members lived in Natchitoches and had connections to Northwestern State.

Demons football coach Brad Laird resigned following the murder of Caldwell, who hadn't played this season because of injuries. Later, the school canceled the remainder of the winless team's season, although some players wanted to keep playing, according to the Athletic.

Natchitoches police have made two arrests in connection with the case, but no one has been charged with the murder. Caldwell's family has filed a wrongful death suit against Laird and the school. Caldwell before his death allegedly expressed fear to Laird about the violent behavior of a new roommate, not a team member.

The slaying is the latest criminal incident shadowing college and pro sports. My mother and father always felt pride at their alma mater, and I'm saddened at the young player's tragic death.

Jimbo Fisher, Kathleen McElroy settlements show skewed priorities at Texas A&M

Fired Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher will receive a reported $77 million buyout, paid for by wealthy boosters and the school's athletics department.

In contrast, journalism professor Kathleen O. McElroy recently agreed to a $1 million settlement from A&M after the school backed away from hiring McElroy to lead a new journalism program.

Conservative A&M alums, many of whom likely will help pay for Fisher's record-breaking buyout, objected to McElroy's appointment because of her support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and her 20-year-career at The New York Times, according to media reports.

After the conservative backlash, A&M watered down its offer to McElroy, at last reducing the terms to a 1-year, non-tenured position.

An A&M alum, McElroy rejected the insulting offer, remaining a tenured professor at the University of Texas. 

An investigation into the bungled hiring led to the $1 million settlement and the retirement of former University President Kathleen Banks. School officials also apologized to McElroy.

One wealthy alum who scuttled McElroy's appointment said the journalism department should produce journalists with conservative values who would advocate for the school, rather than carry out objective reporting.

A&M hired Fisher in 2017 with great fanfare, luring him away from Florida State with a 10-year, $75 million contract. In 2021, the school extended Fisher's deal through the 2031 season, increasing his annual salary to more than $9 million.

Fisher coached Florida State to the 2013 national championship, but outside of a 9-1 record and a No. 4 ranking in the Covid-hampered 2020 season, he's fielded mediocre Aggies teams, despite highly ranked recruiting classes.

A&M Athletics Director Ross Bjork on Sunday night said he decided to fire Fisher with two games remaining in the 2023 season because the program is "stuck in neutral."

Bjork said the school's 12th Man Foundation and the athletics department will finance Fisher's settlement, which will pay him $7.2 million annually through 2031.

While A&M boasts of its academic excellence, the huge outlay for Fisher compared with McElroy's settlement indicates that football is the school's top priority.

 

 

Beloved Braves coach Ron Washington's hiring as Angels manager receives cheers

Ron Washington stood tall as the Braves' happy warrior in seven years manning the third-base coach's box.

When a Braves player hit a home run, Washington would wave him by like a proud father. The old coach would give joyous hugs to players called safe at third. For Braves fans, a Ron Washington smile was like sunshine emerging from behind a cloud.

Washington, who before coming to the Braves managed the Texas Rangers to two World Series appearances, was named manager of the Los Angeles Angels this week.

Braves players Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. saluted the well-deserved hiring. Albies, Riley and other Braves religiously participated in Washington's famous pregame fielding drills.

Washington's developing of young players resulted in every Braves infielder making the all-star team last summer, along with Acuna, pitchers Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder and catcher Sean Murphy.

The 71-year-old Washington will give the long-underachieving Angels a needed jolt of winning spirit. Even with pitching-hitting sensation Sohei Ohtani and superstar Mike Trout, the Angels have perpetually missed the playoffs.

An old-school baseball man still attuned to the new age showmanship of players like Acuna and Albies, Washington radiates the joy of his native New Orleans.

The forever young Washington will give a new glow to the Angels' halo.

 

 

 

Victor Wembanyama also impresses Hubie Brown

Ageless basketball wiseman Hubie Brown loves Victor Wembanyama.

The 90-year-old Brown, the former Hawks coach who still lives in Atlanta, will call the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama's Madison Square Garden debut Wednesday night on ESPN as the French phenom's San Antonio Spurs play the New York Knicks.

Wembanyama possesses uncommon three-point shooting and ball handling skills for a big man. He glides across the court and executes passes like a topflight point guard.

With extraordinarily long arms and jumping ability, Wembanyama also excels in the shot-blocking and rebounding skills usually associated with tall centers.

My daughter, who saw Wembanyama play in an exhibition game in Oklahoma City, said his "wingspan" covers nearly the entire court.

The 19-year-old French center has received intense media attention and overwhelming praise since he was a teen playing in Europe. The first pick in the NBA draft, Wembanyama is already making his mark on the league.

Brown in a Wall Street Journal story Wednesday said that he agrees with the widespread view that Wembanyama has the potential to fundamentally change the game, joining stars from the past like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Lebron James.

Known for his precise basketball commentary, Brown told the WSJ that watching tape of Wembanyama fired his enthusiasm. Brown characterized Wembanyama as a combination of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki, none of whom had the young star's towering height.

Wembanyama's Madison Square Garden debut is a major event in New York City.

New York Post columnist Mike Vaccarro, with his deep knowledge of the city's sports history, compared Wembanyama's New York City arrival to the NBA Garden debuts  of Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and George Mikan, all acclaimed big men.

Vaccarro pointed out that when Kareem made his NBA Garden debut with the Milwaukee Bucks, he was known as Lew Alcindor. The New York City native had played in the Garden as a UCLA star.

As with superstars of the past, playing in New York City's basketball palace will be Wembanyama's national coming out party.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washington Post baseball writer Chelsea Janes captures World Series drama

Washington Post national baseball writer Chelsea Janes has revived the classic game story in covering the World Series.

Janes, who has a B.A. in history and international studies from Yale and a master's in communication from Stanford, uses her analytical skills in writing detailed recounts of the games between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.

She also has a flair for capturing dramatic moments, such as Rangers slugger Corey Seager's two-run home run Monday night that gave the Rangers a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks and a 2-1 lead in the series.

In addition to her game stories, Janes also writes colorful features like her recent article on Seager and his obsession with hitting.

Along with Janes, Washington Post columnist Barry Svrluga is also covering the World Series, a throwback to the days when nationally known columnists from major newspapers packed the event's press boxes. Now, a dwindling few newspapers send writers to baseball's crowning showcase.

Three cheers to the Post for giving readers complete World Series coverage.

 

 

 

Sportswriter Seth Emerson re-examines saga of Wally Butts, Bear Bryant and Saturday Evening Post

A 1963 Saturday Evening Post story alleged that University of Georgia Athletics Director Wally Butts gave Alabama coach Bear Bryant inside information that led to a huge Crimson Tide victory in 1962 over the then mediocre Dawgs.

Butts and Bryant sued the popular Post, winning a libel judgment, Bryant's second against the magazine.

One of the most contentious sagas in Southern college football has long been surrounded by misinformation and myths.

Seth Emerson, the University of Georgia's beat writer for the Athletic, examined court records and media articles from the time to give a comprehensive recounting of the controversy, clearing up falsehoods.

Butts, called the grandfather of the West Coast offense by the San Francisco 49ers' legendary coach Bill Walsh, led the Dawgs to a national championship in 1942 and four SEC titles before suffering several losing seasons in the 1950s. Butts was moved to the athletics director position and replaced as coach by 32-year-old Johnny Griffith before the 1962 season.

Emerson's story details how an insurance executive named George Burnett somehow overheard a telephone conversation between Butts and Bryant on Sept. 13, 1962, before the Georgia-Alabama game.

According to Burnett, Butts told Bryant about the Dawgs' plays and offensive strategy. Butts while AD had been critical of Griffith's coaching.

Defending national champion Alabama, led by sophomore quarterback Joe Namath, defeated UGA 35-0, not surprising following the Dawgs' 3-7 finish the year before. Alabama finished 9-1 that season, while Georgia struggled to a 3-4-3 finish.

Burnett took his allegations to UGA and Southeastern Conference officials, leading to investigations and Butts' retirement.

One happy outcome for Georgia fans was that the case led to the firing of Griffith and the arrival of the young Vince Dooley as head coach. Dooley during a long career revived Georgia's football fortunes. Emerson notes that when Dooley took the job, Butts took flowers to his wife, Barbara, and welcomed her to Athens.

The Saturday Evening Post heard of the investigations and seeking to boost circulation with "sophisticated muckraking" assigned the story to veteran sportswriter Frank Graham Jr. Over the objections of Post sports editor Roger Kahn, of "Boys of Summer" fame, the magazine rushed the article into print on March 18, 1963.

Butts and Bryant's suit was tried in a lengthy trial in which a jury awarded Butts $60,000 in general damages and $3 million in punitive damages. After the judgment was extensively reduced by a federal judge, Butts appealed, taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Bryant had previously sued the Saturday Evening Post over a story by Atlanta Journal sports columnist Furman Bisher alleging that Bryant trained his team to play dirty and cause injuries to opponents. The Post settled with Bryant for $320,000 for both cases.

One of the myths that Emerson dispels is that the Bryant-Butts judgments caused the Saturday Evening Post's downfall. Emerson cites the magazine's mismanagement and circulation loss from the public's switch to television.

Emerson's comprehensive article gives a fascinating look back at a long vanished era of Southern football.

 

 

 

LSU professor Robert Mann resigns after right-wing agitator Jeff Landry elected as Louisiana's governor

LSU journalism professor Robert Mann will resign after the election of right-wing firebrand Jeff Landry as Louisiana's governor.

“My reasons are simple,” Mann said in a Sunday tweet. “The person who will be governor in January has already asked LSU to fire me. And I have no confidence the leadership of this university would protect the Manship School against a governor’s efforts to punish me and other faculty members.”

A professor at LSU's Manship School of Mass Communications for 18 years, Mann is an outspoken critic of the state's support for football and other sports to the detriment of academics.

Mann, who has previously clashed with Louisiana's attorney general, said he made the decision in anticipation that Landry will seek his removal. In response, the school's administration issued a statement asserting its support of freedom of speech and academic independence.

The tenured holder of the Manship Chair in Journalism, Mann said that he took the action because of his deep love for the university and that he wanted to spare the school and faculty members from possible political retribution.

Endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Landry won the governorship Saturday, surprising political observers by receiving 52 percent of the vote in the state's "jungle primary" to avoid a runoff.

As the state's attorney general for two terms, Landry fought Covid vaccine mandates, supported the state's harsh anti-abortion legislation and bans against gender care for trans youth, and joined a lawsuit in support of Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. He frequently fought Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is stepping down after eight years because of the state's term limit.

The professor battled Landry in December 2021 when Mann sponsored a resolution before the LSU faculty Senate calling for the university to follow Covid mandates for the testing of students.

An incensed Landry dispatched Assistant Attorney General Lauryn Sudduth to the governing body to read a letter opposing the mandates.

When Mann in a Twitter tweet assailed Landry for sending "a flunky" to the school, Landry demanded that LSU President William F. Tate IV take punitive action against Mann.

Tate relatedly issued a statement supporting Mann and academic freedom, but Mann considered it tentative, faulting Tate for not calling him directly to assure him that the administration "had his back."

Before coming to LSU, Mann served as an aide to Sens. John Breaux and Russell Long and Gov. Kathleen Blanco. A former reporter, Mann is a noted historian and political scientist who has written several well-regarded books.

He understands well the state's history of governors meddling with the university. Last year, LSU Press published Mann's "Kingfish U: Huey Long and LSU," which disclosed how Long sought to control the university and used the football team and band for his political advantage

As publisher of the Baton Rouge State Times and Morning Advocate, the Manship family opposed Long's regime, winning an important First Amendment ruling against the Kingfish in the U.S. Supreme Court. The benefactors of the LSU journalism school also stood out in the South for their support of integration.

Mann, who as a columnist for the then Times Picayune blasted former Gov. Bobby Jindal for severely cutting LSU's funding and who recently assailed the state's Legislature for refusing to fund a sorely needed new library, vows to keep speaking out when he leaves the university.

Louisiana needs his voice as Landry plans to turn the state into an even more repressive right-wing bastion.