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Chat Reel: Rick Reilly
SI columnist dishes on Marion, Bob Knight and MJ
Latest: Monday October 02, 2000 07:17 PM
Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly joined CNNSI.com users on Monday at 2 p.m. ET to talk sports. A transcript of his Oct. 1 chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our chat with Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly. Thanks for joining us, Rick.
Rick Reilly: Great to be here
CNNSI.com Host: Let's get started with the questions.
From Guest: Watching the antics of some of the American athletes, was it difficult to root for the Yanks?
Rick Reilly: No, I didn't find it hard to root for the Yanks, unless you're talking baseball Yanks. I still find the Olympics the most compelling human-interest story in sports. You just can't fake the tears and emotion so many athletes -- even so-called spoiled, professional American athletes -- displayed. I'll never forget the reaction of Chris Huffins after winning bronze in the decathlon, despite falling out of the lead. He knew his effort just for the bronze was unforgettable.
From John McGivney: Yes, Lithuania, 3.7 million strong, did scare the bee-jeez-us out of our NBA zillionaires. But the officiating was on a legit, gold-medal "fixed" level on par with the last 10 seconds of the Munich 1972 Olympics. Do you agree?
Rick Reilly: Not really. I was talking to Charles Barkley about it this week in New York. He said something funny. He said the first year, in Barcelona, the opponents took their pictures and asked for autographs. He said in Atlanta, they just wanted to meet them. He said this year, they want to beat them. He said he fully expects the Americans to lose a game in 2004.
From Guest: I read somewhere that over 600,000 condoms were handed out to the Olympic athletes by the Sydney committee. Did you fill your quota?
Rick Reilly: Depends on whether the person asking is my wife or not.
From CatsFan: In your book Missing Links, I've always been curious as to what inspired the character with severe OCD. Was that based on someone you knew in real life?
Rick Reilly: Yes, that character is based on a nephew of mine who had severe O.C.D. (germs). He nearly died. It was he who said he might jump into oncoming traffic on the way to the hospital. Instead, he didn't and from the day he entered the hospital and started taking medication, he was better. Now he's in New York and he's a social worker.
From Aris in Manila, Philippines: Why don't you write that much about tennis anymore? Has it become that boring now?
Rick Reilly: : No, just men's tennis is boring. I wrote once about the Williams sisters still going door to door for Jehovah's Witnesses. Can't you just see yourself opening the door, hungover, on some Sunday morning, and there's Venus and Serena, asking if they can come in and chat?
From Guest: Could your daughter appreciate the unified display that North and South Korea put on at the opening ceremonies?
Rick Reilly: : What a great question. You're referring to my daughter, whom I wrote about in Time magazine. We went back to Korea and met her birth mother. Yes, she appreciated it. We talked to many Koreans who had family they hadn't seen in 50 years.
From scooterp: You have any plans on writing another 'Missing Links' type of book?
Rick Reilly: Yes, I'm working on a prequel to Missing Links right now. Maybe it'll be about ice hockey. We'll call it missing rinks. If anybody cares, my "best of" collection comes out Nov. 1. Title: "Life of Reilly." Took us months to get that title.
From Ryan Keenan: What process do you go through to edit a piece? How do you know that it's complete? And do you ever go back and read your past columns?
Rick Reilly: Here's my process: Monday: Think about what to write while playing golf. Tuesday: Day off, play golf. Wednesday: consider possibly writing column while playing 27. Thursday: Begin researching column on cell phone while playing golf. Friday: Write column at turn.
From Guest: What do you think were the greatest sportscasters of all time?
Rick Reilly: My favorite is Bill Stern, who used to just make stuff up like crazy. One time he had the wrong guy with the ball flying toward the end zone. His assistant elbowed him hard and said, "That's not Johhson! That's Miller." Stern said, without missing a beat: "Johnson laterals to Miller! Touchdown!"
From Scott Krumm: Andy Reid and the Eagles seem to be laying down the blueprint for a successful franchise. Am I getting ahead of myself to think the playoffs are within reach this year?
Rick Reilly: No. The playoffs are definitely within reach this year -- for everybody but the Eagles.
From Joshua Bechtel: Since the Yankees have been terribly struggling down the stretch, my question is this: Do you think the Yankees will have to take 5 or 6 games to win the World Series this year instead of the usual sweep?
Rick Reilly: If the Yankees win, I'll tongue bathe the bat at Yankee Stadium. No way they win this year.
From Guest: Is it true that NBC is going to show the baseball playoffs tape-delayed, to take advantage of all the momentum they picked up from the Olympics?
Rick Reilly: : No, they're showing the 1967 Cardinals-Red Sox series live, as it happened.
From j-smooth: Where do you find ideas for your stories?
Rick Reilly: I have very funny friends. Also, believe it not, I get ideas from people who tack on their comments to the end of my column when it runs on the Web. Seriously. If you have something nasty, funny or controversial to say, please say it to me first.
From Guest: Which Olympic sport could you medal in?
Rick Reilly: : I do indoor trampoline well.
From Guest: What kind of music do you like? Just curious.
Rick Reilly: My sons listen to nothing but Hip-Hop. I like that, if only for the lyrics. I heard one that I loved, "I'm getttin' more hugs than Bela Karolyi" if you can rhyme THAT, you're good.
From Guest: What advice to you have for a young aspiring sports writer?
Rick Reilly: : Write letters, grocery lists, poems, articles. Write for free. Write anything. Then take your best five pieces and send them to 100 small-paper editors. If they all say no, write 100 more. If you can handle the rejection, you'll eventually make it.
From Scooter in Solana Beach: Rick, do you like Pro Rodeo?
Rick Reilly: Mostly, I like the names. My buddy and I collect 'em. Tex Tick from Spur, Arkansas. And Merle Buzzard from Devil's Itch, Montana. Stuff too good to make up
From Joey: Do you think they will add any women's sports, now that most of the women either look like men or little kids?
Rick Reilly: I just wish they'd actually find some new SPORTS. What is synchronized diving anyway? Seriously, your whole childhood, the lifeguard hollers at you "one person on the diving board at a time!" All of a sudden it's an Olympic sport? They should've left in ballroom dancing if they were going to leave that in.
From Guest: Why aren't you in one of those Coors Original TV ads?
Rick Reilly: : Coors? Coors? I only drink Miller Lite? I put Miller Lite on my corn flakes! My children were baptized in Miller Lite!
From Guest: I'd like to see Bob Knight be the next coach at Swarthmore. Any idea where he'll end up?
Rick Reilly: I'm hoping the University of Hell.
From Guest: How is it possible that no team has yet hired Bruce Coslet? The man is clearly a genius!
Rick Reilly: : Yes, yes! Let's make him Bobby Knight's P.R. guy!
From Guest: Can we send Donna Karan or someone down to Cuba to help the baseball team get better uniforms? Those red uniforms looked like a J.V. team from 1977.
Rick Reilly: What do you want Cuba in, teal? They're communist! They gotta be red!
From Guest: Finish this sentence: In two years, Ryan Leaf will...
Rick Reilly: ... be promoted to late-night stocker from sack boy.
From Guest: Do you think Marion Jones will be the best female athlete ever?
Rick Reilly: No, I don't think she is now. Do you realize Babe Didrickson won NINE different events at one AAU national track meet? She also won every event she was entered in at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics -- and they limited her to three. She was robbed of one one gold when an official didn't like the way she cleared the high-jump bar.
From Joey: Rick, can I have a job working for you? I'm pretty bored at work.
Rick Reilly: Commissioner Tagliabue, I've asked you to stop e-mailing me.
From Culley9: Who is the nicest pro athlete?
Rick Reilly: Probably Ray Allen from the Bucks. Although Dale Murphy once spent a week apologizing for not being able to do an interview with me. He even had me over for homemade ice cream to explain why he couldn't do it. By the end of the week, I told him, "No problem, Dale. You've given me enough for 10 stories."
From Guest: Who would play you in the movie, "The Life of Reilly?"
Rick Reilly: I'd like to say George Clooney. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it'd be Bob Saget -- with Aunt Bea as the love interest
From Guest: Is there a column you wished that you hadn't written?
Rick Reilly: Yeah, the one in which I excoriated Michael Jordan for not deciding to retire soon enough. I think I was on crack.
From Which: Does SI test for performance enhancers?
Rick Reilly: I think its clear from reading my columns, I'm not on them.
From Guest: Now finish this sentence...In two years Rick Reilly will be...
Rick Reilly: ... Ryan Leaf's best friend.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks for joining us, Rick.
Rick Reilly: : I'm doubling the medication.
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