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See ya, mates An Aussie's World Sport anecdotes
Updated: Tuesday October 16, 2001 5:25 AM
A World Sport career that began face-to-face with Olympic ski champion Hermann Maier at the base of a Colorado mountain ended soon after meeting a man-mountain in Brisbane: Australia's World Cup-winning rugby captain John Eales. My association with CNN's global sports show lasted less than three years but leaves me with many rich memories. When envious people would tell me that presenting sports news on television was the best job on the planet, I'd never argue with them. I loved almost every minute of my time on World Sport. While my primary responsibility was at the anchor's desk in Atlanta, I was fortunate enough to leave the office on occasion and get a taste of top-level international sport. My very first assignment was covering the World Alpine Ski Championships at Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado, in February 1999. As well as witnessing the power and finesse of Austria's men and women, plus the phenomenal Norwegians Lasse Kjus and Kjetil-Andre Aamodt, I was full of patriotic pride when Zali Steggall stunned the Europeans by winning Australia's first-ever world championship gold medal, the women's slalom. The following year I was sent to nearby Augusta to report on the 2000 Masters. Despite Tiger Woods being a much-hyped favorite, I was delighted to see Fiji's Vijay Singh defy the pundits to win his second Major championship. Spending a week at Augusta's breathtaking course, I conducted several interviews with one of my long-time sporting heroes, Greg Norman and was charmed by the elusive but likable Sergio Garcia. It was around the time of the Masters and the preceding Bell South Classic in Atlanta when I encountered my best and worst interview experiences at World Sport. The best was speaking to the delightful Nick Price, who would have to be one of the most patient and articulate people I've ever met. The highly successful Zimbabwean was both generous and entertaining with his insights about golf and life in general. The worst was trying to interview Colin Montgomerie after the burly Scot had shot one of his lowest ever rounds at the Masters. (I say "one of his lowest ever" so you know he had no particular reason to be in a bad mood.) As I gingerly approached Monty with my camera crew as he entered the enclosure in front of the clubhouse, he snarled: "Don't even think about it!" Unfortunately, all the long-held stereotypes about this grumpy, young man had been reinforced in a fleeting moment. Having to virtually beg professional athletes (who are actually contractually obligated) for standard interviews during major events was not a pleasant part of the job. My faith was restored later that same day at Augusta when golfing legend Jack Nicklaus (18 Major titles compared to Montgomerie's zero) happily agreed to an impromptu on-camera chat even though he'd had a dreadful day on the course. Another low point was the torrent of abuse I received after writing a fairly innocuous Web article about Venus Williams. Unfortunately, any kind of criticism of tennis's Grand Slam queen is perceived as racism by certain sections of the American population. All in all though, the highs easily outnumbered the lows. I remember watching in awe as coach Brad Gilbert served to Andre Agassi during practice for a clay-court tournament here in the U.S. I was amazed at the precision and power that Andre was able to show as he returned ball after ball for clean winners. At the same tournament, I got to spend a social evening with Australia's flamboyant Andrew Ilie, best known for his shirt-ripping antics after inspiring ATP victories. Andrew, it must be said, is one in a million. There have been some odd and unusual moments in the course of my job. Somehow, during a satellite interview from London with British Formula One driver Jenson Button, the conversation turned to a discussion about our favorite Spice girl. Another time, I had my cell phone confiscated when my producer called me at an inopportune time during the 2000 Masters at Augusta National. My hunger for a story and adventure took me on the trail of banned former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin at the height of cricket's match-fixing scandal during a personal trip in early 2001. After a series of elaborate directions received during a mysterious phone call to my hotel room, I took an "auto" (three-wheeled motorized rickshaw) to a seedy, back-street in Hyderabad, where I met with Azharuddin's lawyer in a smoky office that resembled something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. In the end, on the advice of his lawyer, "Azza" refused an on-camera interview but did speak to me for an exclusive Web article. My last reporting assignment was definitely one of the high points. It came during Brisbane's Goodwill Games in September 2001 when I interviewed Aussie rugby icon John Eales after he announced that he was retiring at the end of a 10-year international career. (Eales was a spectator at the Games). In Australia, Eales is a little like the Wayne Gretzky of rugby. He was his nation's most successful captain and arguably the Wallabies' best-ever forward: the closest thing to a household name you'll get Down Under. Yet, when we met at the start of our interview, the gentle giant warmly smiled and firmly shook my hand. "John Eales. Nice to meet you," he said, without a hint of vanity or arrogance. It was a pleasure to come across a superstar who was a human being first. I make no secret of my passion for rugby, cricket and tennis. On the next level of my personal sporting taste are English Premier League and World Cup football, major golf, the Olympics -- especially track and field -- and Formula One motor racing. But I did try to appreciate the value of each and every international sport in our show. Ice hockey has yet to spark my interest, but I did develop a liking for other American sports, especially the NFL and Major League Baseball. My colleagues are often intrigued by my choice of teams from all over the country, but being a genuine outsider affords me that privilege. The cultural mix of anchors at World Sport provided a rich working environment. Pedro Pinto displayed his strong Portuguese background (and command of Lisbon "slang") in the local soccer team for which we both played in the Atlanta area. When I worked alongside Phil Jones, we would sometimes test each other with obscure Commonwealth sports trivia, while his fellow Englishman Terry Baddoo could somehow justify being both a Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal fan (the north London clubs are neighbors and archrivals). And Americans Tom Stinar and Mark McKay were always generous in sharing the intricacies of U.S. sports. I also really appreciated the feedback from viewers, whether it be a letter from Africa, an e-mail from Europe or a surprise call from an old school friend watching in a hotel while traveling through Asia. And even if you never made contact but simply enjoyed watching the show, I thank you as well. I am about to undertake a new challenge in broadcasting that will take me to the Far East. Of course, I know that I will miss World Sport and the great production teams that we have in Atlanta and London. There will also probably be times when I will crave the buzz of working for a global network on such a high-quality program. But I also know I am flying out of Atlanta with World Sport in very capable hands. The show must go on, as they say, and I'm sure our viewers will continue to watch for many years to come. Australian-born Jason Dasey has been a co-anchor for World Sport, a 30-minute sports highlights and news program, shown on CNN-International and CNN/SI.
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