Saturday, November 12, 2011

End of Hell Week, Stache Hassle, Coolest Sports Picture of Year

Glad to be done with this mentally exhausting week. Though I realize, compared to many, I had it easy...

I wonder how many more people will watch the Nebraska-Penn State game than Michigan State-Iowa? The two football games start at the same time, 11 a.m., the game in (not so) Happy Valley on ESPN, the kick at Kinnick on ESPN 2. I'll predict that following the ugliest scandal in college sports history, the Penn State game has four times the rating (television audience). I know my wife wants to look-in, and she previously had zero interest in the game...

Great to hear kidnapped Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is alive and well. The story got lost this week, and it's nice to learn of the happy ending...

I continue to receive voice mails, emails, and tweets from people who want to be honest and tell me I should shave the mustache. Most are nice, some are mean, none realize I'm raising money for the American Cancer Society with No Shave November Stache for Cash. I'm aware it's not a good look in 2011, but I have to follow through...


The Carrier Classic basketball game on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson in honor of Veterans Day is the best idea for staging a sporting event since outdoor hockey in the Winter Classic. #1 North Carolina beat Michigan State, thanks in part to 17 points from Ames' Harrison Barnes. The game also produced the coolest sports pic I've seen this year (courtesy: Associated Press):
Image: Carrier Classic

22 comments:

Steve Bosell said...

Murphy, who shot and edited the Iowa/Chicago State game? Aaron White played his first game and had a double double, yet not one mention or highlight on your newscast.
Phoning it in ain't gonna cut it when the Hawks get good again on the haedwood Murph, it ain't gonna cut it.

Jeff Bryan said...

good blog as always. also i like college basketball but really is iowa-chicago state THAT important?

Keith Murphy said...

Steve,

Zach Borg left for state volleyball in the morning, and returned to Des Moines after 10 p.m. He shot the first 10 minutes of the Iowa game (which was actually over after five minutes).

Zach worked 12 hours, and did just fine on a game against Chicago State. I'm sorry we weren't around long enough to see Aaron White's big night, but I promise if White has a big second half in a more meaningful game, we'll be sure to have highlights.

Don't you think being upset about this is a little much? We didn't "phone it in". We realized who Iowa's playing, and also had state football and volleyball. (Did you post a note asking why we had no ISU women's basketball highlights? They actually went to the NCAA tournament last year.)

I'll be sure to tell Zach you appreciate the extra hours he worked to bring you some Hawkeye highlights when the game wasn't on
TV.

Keith

John Nelson said...

Keith, what you are doing is for a great cause, but I happened across "Coconuts" on YouTube and you look a lot like a young Groucho Marx!

Steve Bosell said...

Murphy, First off, I worked 6 days and over 70 hours this week, so spare me the "Zach worked so hard" guilt. For a season opening game that was not on TV, I absolutely expect more than 10 minutes worth of coverage.
Secondly, most people don't care about women's basketball, let alone volleyball. Oh, and before you jump all over me, I said MOST people, and Most of those people know someone competing. Why am I explaining this to you? You guys know that football/men's basketball dominate the Iowa sports scene.
I expect half arsed efforts from channel 5, but you guys are the big dogs in town, and with 4 on air talents in sports, I expect to get the best coverage, not excuses.

Zach Borg said...

After a quick look I found that we had the most total Hawkeye basketball highlights from the Chicago State game (I did not see any posted on WOI so I apologize if they did in fact have something on). In addition, our highlights were the only ones in HD.

It seems like we gave Iowa quite a bit of coverage despite the fact they played a team that went 4-25 last year and had the 339th RPI in the country.

I wish I had gotten a White basket, and tried to figure out when he began scoring in the first half (I was also shooting isolation video of players and coaches for further file use after shooting the first ten minutes, and I had also been told to switch spots on the floor since I was in a cheerleaders way). However, when I clicked into Iowa's box score on their official website, I was instead routed to the box score from the Iowa WOMEN'S team win over Harvard.

Perhaps they weren't interested enough in the game to put the correct link to the box score?

Steve Bosell said...

Excuse after excuse, REALLY? KCCI, during the same newscast time, had video of White and his stats.
I'd give you guys a mulligan on it, but all you offer up is excuses. Just man up and say you half arsed it, and we'll be cool.

KBEN Podcast said...

Steve...these guys don't have to answer to you. You're being Hawkeye meat head. Please watch KCCI.

Keith Murphy said...

Dear Steve,

Following your concerns we didn't do enough extensive coverage of the Iowa-Chicago State game, and gave too much coverage to things you find trivial, like area girls playing at the state volleyball tournament and Cyclone women's basketball, we had an emergency meeting at the station this weekend.

First of all, as you noted, we owe you an apology. I'm sorry we didn't stay for the entire Iowa basketball game. Hawks winning by 43 is no excuse. Neither is Zach working 12 hours, or driving the highlights back to Des Moines and turning around 7 hours later and heading back to Iowa City for the football game. We flat out screwed up. You called us on it, and we're acquiescing.

Here's our action plan, though we're open to whatever you think best. In addition to now all three of us in the sports department working seven days a week (Andy actually works in news four of his five nights, but we're trying to change that, per your concerns), we ask that you send a list of what you think should be covered each week, and for how long. I'll assume the focus should be on the Iowa Hawkeyes, but if you could let us know which sports are insignificant, or have females involved, that would help greatly.

Again, sorry for all the lame excuses and "half-arsed" efforts. I fear we've already lost you to KCCI, but maybe you'll find our wake-up call is to your satisfaction.

All the best, and Go Hawks!
Keith

Steve Bosell said...

If Zach had to turn right around and drive back to Iowa City, why not put him up in a hotel room and have him send the highlights to the station on an FTP file via the internet? Not only would you have gotten more highlights, but it would have saved Zach 4 hours of drive time.
Let me guess, you needed Zach to edit because Hassell was too busy making a new Cooter Ray video, and you and Andy were writing your witty comments for Sound Off.
Seems like actual coverage of real sports take a backseat to slapstick humor and friend's daughter's 8th grade volleyball match.
I'm sorry that my feedback doesn't pat you on the back and has caused you to go into a sarcastic and condescending fit, but in this tech savvy world we live in today, there is no excuse not to have more highlights than you did for a season opening game.

Anonymous said...

steve--this is whats called game, set, match or game over. don't bring a knife to a gun fight. your embarrasing yourself, and the rest of us. maybe go match wits with someone your own size.

tim

The Former Real Ice Borg said...

What I want to know is, why wasn't Zach Borg in Ames interviewing the greatest football coach of all time, Paul Roades?

Paul Rhodes now, Paul Rodes tomorrow, and Paul Roads forever!!!

Steve Bosell said...

Tim, Is this the first chance you've had to use the Cliche Book you got for your birthday? Seriously, you are nuttier than a squirrel in a turd factory. Now wake and smell the butter, and don't count your chickens before they cross the road.

Tim said...

wow, so.....this dude is pissed that they didn't have enough highlights (when they actually did) of a game against the worst team in the country? and you're pissed because they didn't have a highlight of some freshman working this team in garbage time?

Lighten up. Are you that worried Royce White is going to embarrass Aaron White when they play so badly that he'll quit basketball and all we'll be left with his, cue the music, "One Shining Moment" against the Chicago State Junior Varsity?

Steve Bosell said...

Tim, How did this become Iowa vs Iowa State? It's already been implied that I'm an Iowa fan, which I am, but I also am a fan of Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa.
I wish nothing but the best for Aaron and Royce White, I just wish there was adequate coverage of them and their teams in a state that has no pro sports.
To re-emphasize my point, Iowa played their season opener with no TV broadcast. I believe that I should expect the sports news leader in IOWA to cover that game more thoroughly then shoot 10 minutes and leave. If the game was on TV, they could have pulled video from it, but since it wasn't, they failed.
I gave them a chance to say they screwed up, but I got condescension and sarcasm instead. Class act Keith, class act.

Anonymous said...

Steve did you GO to the game in Iowa City? It sounds like there were seats available...then you wouldn't have to worry about Channel 13's (or anyone else's) highlights or lack thereof in your opinion.

Murph/Zach no matter what you do you won't make this guy happy apparently until you make the entire show Hawkeye basketball highlights...I wonder how many Hawk fans actually KNEW there was a basketball game happening?

Jacob said...

Steve, as someone who was AT THE GAME after driving up from Des Moines, if you think they screwed up, you've got a lot of people to call out. I saw a bunch of guys with cameras down there. By the start of the second all of them were gone. Most of the fans started leaving too, including me, I was out with 10 minutes left. If they stayed the entire game I'd question their sanity. There's a reason it didn't get much play on networks or local TV-IT WASN'T A GOOD GAME.

Anonymous said...

We need more of THIS Murph. He bodyslammed that dude, and the dude had it coming. What an idiot.

Respect Murph!

Steve Bosell said...

Everyone is crying that Joe Paterno and Penn State should have did more. I say that Channel 13 should have did more to have a better report on the season opener for Iowa, and everyone jumps on my backside.
If you guys want half-arsed coverage of local NCAA basketball teams and more focus on high school girls volleyball, softball, and slapstick comedy, well I guess you guys get what you deserve. I'm going to find a station that lives up to more professional standards.

Anonymous said...

steve--keith gave you a thoughtful answer considering your tone, but you couldnt take a hint,and got even more stupid, so you got humbled. accept you deserved it and move on.

tim (the other one)

Steve Bosell said...

Tim, so is that what the victims at Penn State should do, "accept it and move on"?
I gave them a chance to admit they should have done better, and I got condescension and sarcasm instead.
Stay classy Keith.

(Insert Station Call Letters) PROMOTIONS said...

Steve,

We appreciate your zest and fervor for promoting our station.

But please stop now. You're embarrassing us and probably drawing more viewers to them since you look like such an idiot.

Sincerly
Promotions Department.