Another Day, Another Circus
...Media circus, that is.
My humble home town here in the Sunshine State is feverish with Daisuke-Mania. The Boston Red Sox' new zillion dollar investment has arrived here in town, and all of the media has been whipped into a frenzy.
But unlike last year's drama over Manny, it isn't just Red Sox nation that's been sucked into the craziness. This year, we're going worldwide. The entire city has been overrun with Japanese media. It seems like every time I turn around, there's a Japanese man or woman wielding a microphone or a camera, staking any possible place Daiskue might emerge. Today, there were three camera crews along the side of the road near the Sox spring training complex, just waiting for him to drive by.
Last night, the frenzy may have peaked. A press conference for Daisuke. Complete with interpreter. And a throng of media.
And while a news conference may not sound unusual, around here it is. See, spring training is casual. The players hold very informal practices, then showered, walk over to their cars, and drive off. If we (the media) want to talk to them, then we just mosey on over, and start chit-chatting. Sometimes they're cool about it. Sometimes they're dicks. Either way, it's very laid-back. When there is a "news conference," it's usually around a picnic table.
Not this year.
150 members of the media (about 60% Japanese) stood around , watching and listening at the Daisuke news conference, which was televised live in Japan (at 8:00 am). Oh, watching it was not unlike the thrill of watching paint dry. Someone would ask a question in English, which would then get translated into Japanese, to which Daisuke would respond in Japanese, and then we would hear the translator's version of his remarks. Every question took at least five minutes to answer, and the majority of the answers were pretty dry. I get the feeling it was kind of like a game of "telephone" when you're a kid... every version gets a little more watered-down than the previous version. Often, he wasn't answering the question that was asked. Once, his answer didn't even remotely resemble the question. And often, even if he spoke for a minute, his interpreter's response was very brief- maybe 10 seconds long.
He did manage to crack a few jokes in there, and he seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. He'll need it to survive with the Sox.
By the way, if you're wondering why I'm standing sooooo far away in the above picture, it's because I had gotten bored with the news conference itself, and had moved off to the side to get video of the media throng instead. To me, they became the real story.
By the way, Jayson Stark at ESPN.com did a great article on Thursday's media circus at City of Palms Park. He makes many of the same observations that I reported on during last night's newcast. And since you can't watch me, you might as well read his article, which is much more articulate than anything I've ever spoken or typed.
My humble home town here in the Sunshine State is feverish with Daisuke-Mania. The Boston Red Sox' new zillion dollar investment has arrived here in town, and all of the media has been whipped into a frenzy.
But unlike last year's drama over Manny, it isn't just Red Sox nation that's been sucked into the craziness. This year, we're going worldwide. The entire city has been overrun with Japanese media. It seems like every time I turn around, there's a Japanese man or woman wielding a microphone or a camera, staking any possible place Daiskue might emerge. Today, there were three camera crews along the side of the road near the Sox spring training complex, just waiting for him to drive by.
Last night, the frenzy may have peaked. A press conference for Daisuke. Complete with interpreter. And a throng of media.
And while a news conference may not sound unusual, around here it is. See, spring training is casual. The players hold very informal practices, then showered, walk over to their cars, and drive off. If we (the media) want to talk to them, then we just mosey on over, and start chit-chatting. Sometimes they're cool about it. Sometimes they're dicks. Either way, it's very laid-back. When there is a "news conference," it's usually around a picnic table.
Not this year.
150 members of the media (about 60% Japanese) stood around , watching and listening at the Daisuke news conference, which was televised live in Japan (at 8:00 am). Oh, watching it was not unlike the thrill of watching paint dry. Someone would ask a question in English, which would then get translated into Japanese, to which Daisuke would respond in Japanese, and then we would hear the translator's version of his remarks. Every question took at least five minutes to answer, and the majority of the answers were pretty dry. I get the feeling it was kind of like a game of "telephone" when you're a kid... every version gets a little more watered-down than the previous version. Often, he wasn't answering the question that was asked. Once, his answer didn't even remotely resemble the question. And often, even if he spoke for a minute, his interpreter's response was very brief- maybe 10 seconds long.
He did manage to crack a few jokes in there, and he seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. He'll need it to survive with the Sox.
By the way, if you're wondering why I'm standing sooooo far away in the above picture, it's because I had gotten bored with the news conference itself, and had moved off to the side to get video of the media throng instead. To me, they became the real story.
By the way, Jayson Stark at ESPN.com did a great article on Thursday's media circus at City of Palms Park. He makes many of the same observations that I reported on during last night's newcast. And since you can't watch me, you might as well read his article, which is much more articulate than anything I've ever spoken or typed.
Labels: Being the Sportslady, sports
Stumble It!
<< Home