It came at about 5:47 p.m. on Monday. Almost a full six days and eight hours after the nightmarish events of last Tuesday. And it sure did feel good.
"It" was the first deep and genuine laugh on The Sports Reporters on Sportstalk 980 in almost a week. Soon to be ex-Redskin Darrel Green delivered the comedic goods by saying that "I want this last season to be a good one because ... (strategic pause) as you know next year I plan to play major league baseball."
The jab at the football sideshow otherwise known as Deion Sanders was both funny and well received. Our show (one that I am privileged to be a part of) is a daily radio scrum of sports opinions, commentary, and yes, many good laughs wherever possible.
Enough time had passed so that nobody was worried about whether that "was the right thing to do" given the events of last week. We laughed because that is, quite simply, what we do as a show. It's how we live - another small slice of American life that gives us happiness.
Later in the show, we had our first voice-raising, you-are-so-wrong-it-hurts, knock-down argument since last week as well. The argument was over the following: "Will fewer Wildcard teams in the NFL playoffs make the final weeks of the regular season LESS exciting to watch, or MORE exciting."
Pretty weighty stuff, huh?
It sure seemed like it listening to myself, Andy Pollin, Mike Wilbon and Bram Weinstein. The whole brew-ha-ha disintegrated into each of us shouting over each other. Do I feel guilty that such triviality was elevated to pseudo life or death importance for a few minutes?
No, not at all.
Like I said, this is what we do as sports fans. And it is especially what my industry (sports talk radio) traffics in each and every day. We debate, dissect, and bludgeon the utterly nuanced, minute, and indeed trivial elements of our sports culture.
We do this because there is a deep appetite for such discussion amongst sports fans. Because we bring American passion to our sports culture. It is more than a hobby or diversion. It's as much who we are and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Naturally, the already trivial nature of what we discuss on sportstalk radio (i.e. whether Marty Schottenheimer has hired too many family members as assistant coaches) has been shrunk to now microscopic proportions in the wake of world events. But it doesn't mean we should stop talking about them.
Because almost everything in life is trivial when stacked against the mass murder of 6,000 innocent civilians. Unless you are a doctor, a cop, fireman, or soldier, chances are your current work week looks pretty damn silly by itself.
But taken together as a big American quilt of free citizens, busily pursuing their own happiness (as the Declaration of Independence proscribes) forms the spirit and backbone of our country. And it's a backbone that we need to stiffen in the days to come.
We need to stiffen it by going about our daily business, with as much vigor and passion as we did last Monday. Maybe more so. Because I don't want to live in a world without sports. I don't want to live in a world where NFL Sunday is not a sweet reward for a hard week of work. I don't want to live in a world where you have to be embarrassed for being a fan.
This is why I have been very troubled by some of the comments from our professional athletes. Granted, they are human beings like the rest of us, with fears and emotions "all a-jumble" like the rest of us. But right now everyone in America has to identify "what can I do to help the country?" Most of us can't help dig through the rubble. Most of us are not in the Armed Forces. Most of us don't work for the FBI. So what can we do?
If you are an athlete, the answer is simple. Play. Play hard, play with pride. And don't tell us how scared you are to fly, or how hard it will be to spend a weekend away from your family. It's fine to have those feelings, but do us all a favor and share them with your teammates, your minister, your therapist, not us.
For one, your fears are the most unfounded when it comes to air travel. You fly chartered flights, where you know by name every person on board, and every piece of luggage underneath. Compared to the firefighters who ran up 50 flights of stairs on Tuesday to their imminent death, millionaires' squeamishness to get on a charter is embarrassing when you think about it.
For another, the country needs some actual leadership from its high profile athletes. Leadership in the form of courage to say, "here we are going on with life, you should follow." Professional athletes are the only segment of society we watch go to work every day. Even in Hollywood, we only see the end result, not how it was done.
Which brings me to the decision to postpone the biennial Ryder Cup golf tournament until next fall. I don't even have the words to describe my anger and disappointment in the decision. Not that I am totally shocked that a bunch of highly individualistic, wealthy, gated-community living golfers would be quick to "cut and run." The excuse of the event being "overseas" is a complete crock. Fact of the matter is that British security is far ahead of America. They have had to deal with IRA bombers for years. They have had to cope with the Lockerbie tragedy. Their country is so much smaller, keeping a tab on troublemakers is much less daunting from a sheer numbers standpoint.
{INSERT_RELATED}Ah, but why bother with logic. Why nit-pick with the likes of Scott Hoch, who is as self-absorbed as a dish sponge? Bottom line, the golfers who were supposed to "represent America" in this event are too scared to fly their private jet to America's staunchest and most economically developed ally, to play a golf tournament.
Just pathetic.
I could unload on Tiger Woods, who rightfully should be held to task for shrinking from his leadership position as our most popular athlete. But why bother? He hasn't shown any desire in the past to put himself out in front of popular opinion, so why would he now? I want Tiger Woods to stand on that first tee at the Belfry, American flag on his shirt, and rip one down the middle 320 yards.
Too dangerous, I guess. You would think the Ryder Cup was being held in Kosovo this year, not suburban England. I really wonder what the late Payne Stewart thinks right now? Nobody wore the American colors with more pride and gusto than he did. I wonder what Tiger's dad thinks away from the media spotlight. Earl Woods is as tough as they come, having served in Vietnam as a Green Beret. He has had 3 heart attacks and continues to smoke, drink and eat like a king. Afraid of death? Earl Woods? Phah!
He has talked about his son being "bigger than Ghandi" in the scheme of world history, and boasted of the power he will wield as the world's most popular athlete. Not that Tiger insisting the Ryder Cup carry on would help stop a single terrorist, but it could have given America a much needed shot in the arm psychologically. Years from now, I might have told my kids, "hey after the World Trade Center attack back in 2001, Tiger Woods demanded that the Ryder Cup be played. Now there was an athlete with courage and conviction."
The very day after the attacks last week, I set out early to play golf at Caves Valley in Baltimore. The occasion was a sales-related meeting with the club's management to discuss our radio station's involvement in promoting the upcoming 2002 US Senior Open. I didn't think twice about playing, because a) sitting at home would have done no good and b) business needs to carry on. The one thing us average Americans can do at this time is keep our economy from totally going into the tank.
The weather was spectacular, and the course was immaculate. I played rather well, but must admit that the round was without a doubt the most joyless "loop" I have every taken in my life.
On the ride to the course however, I came upon the most spectacular sight while crossing the Potomac River at the American Legion Bridge. The sun was just coming up in the east, and a brilliant, blinding red fireball washed the river and it's surrounding trees in a surreal golden hue. A cool morning had wisps of steam rising from the water. It looked like heaven on earth, to be honest. I wish I had a camera.
But an even more beautiful sight was unfolding in front of me, one that I had never before considered to be at all "beautiful." The sight was the Beltway, bumper to bumper with traffic. Our usual crush of Americans doing what they do. Carrying on. Even in the face of evil.
And while I would rather have a framed shot of the golden hued Potomac River hanging on my wall, it's the mental portrait of the traffic jam, a masterpiece of America unbowed, that will hang in my mind forever.
Steve is a native Washingtonian and has worked in sports talk radio for the last 11 years. He worked at WTEM in 1993 anchoring Team Tickers before he took a full time job with national radio network One-on-One Sports.
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Steve has worked for WFNZ in Charlotte where his afternoon show was named "Best Radio Show." Steve continues to serve as a sports personality for WLZR in Milwaukee and does fill-in hosting for Fox Sports Radio.
