Read Online You Herd Me!: I'll Say It If Nobody Else Will by Colin Cowherd - Free Book Online
Authors: Colin Cowherd
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really good guy that day.
Or maybe he wasn’t.
John Henderson covered the program at the time for the
Las Vegas Review-Journal
. He once came home after writing a negative story to find his apartment trashed. He never found out who did it, but we all had our suspicions that it was connected to his not-always-glowing coverage of Tark and the Runnin’ Rebels. I got anonymous death threats on my voicemail and was angrily confronted in grocery stores for commentaries that were considered anti-Tark.
Tark’s response to all of this? “Some of the fans are a little crazy,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.
He preferred media coverage that was close enough to hear his thoughts but distant enough to … well … just distant enough. Leave it at that.
Without knowing it, Tarkanian provided a helpful glimpse athow complex people can be. Like Tark, none of us are one thing; we’re a collection of conflicts. We’re all good in our own ways and troublesome in others. Tarkanian was different only in the way he wore his conflicts right out in the open, on his trademark short-sleeved shirts.
He was both caring and callous, loyal and self-serving, modest and egomaniacal.
Even the NCAA seemed conflicted on how to handle Tarkanian. After he sued the institution for harassment after repeated investigations, the NCAA settled on a $2.5 million payout but refused to admit it was actually guilty of harassment.
I know how the NCAA felt. Covering the man for six years was similar to riding a roller coaster: you’re exhilarated while it’s happening, glad and relieved when it’s over.
All of these years later, what am I to think of Tark? Or should I look at it another way and just thank him for making me think?
Bobby Knight condemns coaches who manipulate the system. Knight is regarded as a squeaky clean arbiter of collegiate ethics. But look at his methods—he bullied everyone from students to officials to athletic-department personnel.
So, is Knight the good guy or is Tark?
Both?
Neither?
Tark leaves me as conflicted today as I was while covering him and his teams.
Two years ago at a Penn State radio remote, his nieces approached me and said Jerry insisted they stop by and say hello. He had nothing to gain. The gesture felt genuine.
Despite everything, I think Tark was really a good man.
There are others who think,
You know what? Maybe he wasn’t
.
Is it a copout for me to say I understand both sides? Because I do. I understand how Tark could be a cold, all-consuming coach who constantly fought The Man and tried to bend the rules in his direction. I also understand how Tark tried to bend those rules and fight that fight because he truly cared about the poor and disadvantaged kids who came to play in his program.
It makes sense that Tark’s nieces—years after our contentious relationship ended—would be asked to relay a kind message from their uncle. By that time, he was no longer coaching and I was no longer a threat. Once upon a time, we both had a job to do, and each of us understood the other within that context.
It’s a perspective I don’t ever want to lose, and I have Tark to thank for the lesson.
People say they want something but sometimes are better served without it. Transparency comes to mind.
Politicians say they’ll deliver it. Your boss promises he’ll manage with it. Maybe sometimes we’re just better off not knowing things.
Everybody knows that CEO pay is out of control in many sectors. The big guy is making way too much compared to the average worker. At least too much for most people’s taste. The vitriol, though, has ramped up in recent years.
People don’t seem to get nearly as agitated over this fact: 60 percent of corporations are not paying taxes. Yet you can’t put a singular face to that. At least that rich CEO is ponying up a large chunk to the IRS.
I would argue part of that current animosity over wealth isn’t just about the gap between rich and poor, but it’s
Or maybe he wasn’t.
John Henderson covered the program at the time for the
Las Vegas Review-Journal
. He once came home after writing a negative story to find his apartment trashed. He never found out who did it, but we all had our suspicions that it was connected to his not-always-glowing coverage of Tark and the Runnin’ Rebels. I got anonymous death threats on my voicemail and was angrily confronted in grocery stores for commentaries that were considered anti-Tark.
Tark’s response to all of this? “Some of the fans are a little crazy,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.
He preferred media coverage that was close enough to hear his thoughts but distant enough to … well … just distant enough. Leave it at that.
Without knowing it, Tarkanian provided a helpful glimpse athow complex people can be. Like Tark, none of us are one thing; we’re a collection of conflicts. We’re all good in our own ways and troublesome in others. Tarkanian was different only in the way he wore his conflicts right out in the open, on his trademark short-sleeved shirts.
He was both caring and callous, loyal and self-serving, modest and egomaniacal.
Even the NCAA seemed conflicted on how to handle Tarkanian. After he sued the institution for harassment after repeated investigations, the NCAA settled on a $2.5 million payout but refused to admit it was actually guilty of harassment.
I know how the NCAA felt. Covering the man for six years was similar to riding a roller coaster: you’re exhilarated while it’s happening, glad and relieved when it’s over.
All of these years later, what am I to think of Tark? Or should I look at it another way and just thank him for making me think?
Bobby Knight condemns coaches who manipulate the system. Knight is regarded as a squeaky clean arbiter of collegiate ethics. But look at his methods—he bullied everyone from students to officials to athletic-department personnel.
So, is Knight the good guy or is Tark?
Both?
Neither?
Tark leaves me as conflicted today as I was while covering him and his teams.
Two years ago at a Penn State radio remote, his nieces approached me and said Jerry insisted they stop by and say hello. He had nothing to gain. The gesture felt genuine.
Despite everything, I think Tark was really a good man.
There are others who think,
You know what? Maybe he wasn’t
.
Is it a copout for me to say I understand both sides? Because I do. I understand how Tark could be a cold, all-consuming coach who constantly fought The Man and tried to bend the rules in his direction. I also understand how Tark tried to bend those rules and fight that fight because he truly cared about the poor and disadvantaged kids who came to play in his program.
It makes sense that Tark’s nieces—years after our contentious relationship ended—would be asked to relay a kind message from their uncle. By that time, he was no longer coaching and I was no longer a threat. Once upon a time, we both had a job to do, and each of us understood the other within that context.
It’s a perspective I don’t ever want to lose, and I have Tark to thank for the lesson.
People say they want something but sometimes are better served without it. Transparency comes to mind.
Politicians say they’ll deliver it. Your boss promises he’ll manage with it. Maybe sometimes we’re just better off not knowing things.
Everybody knows that CEO pay is out of control in many sectors. The big guy is making way too much compared to the average worker. At least too much for most people’s taste. The vitriol, though, has ramped up in recent years.
People don’t seem to get nearly as agitated over this fact: 60 percent of corporations are not paying taxes. Yet you can’t put a singular face to that. At least that rich CEO is ponying up a large chunk to the IRS.
I would argue part of that current animosity over wealth isn’t just about the gap between rich and poor, but it’s
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