Why does Sam Mitchell always snap on the media?

[kyrils]

How would you feel if you had to answer stupid questions all the time because someone is trying to prod you in to saying something controversial.

My guess is that most coaches if they could give up one thing about their jobs would be to stop talking to the media.

Most sports writers are either failed journalists or failed athletes.

Nuf said

[YogiStewart]

Here's a Smitch story i heard:

at the start of the season, a certain Toronto sports writer (i will not name him, but i will hint that i personally think he sucks) wanted to speak to one of the new players. so the writer asks Sam "Sam, can you get the player? i wanted to interview him."

Mitchell says "I will, but i will tell him that you are one of the following: a homosexual or a racist."
the reporter says " what?? no."
Sam says "then you can't talk to the player. decide. am i introducing you as a homosexual or am i introducing you as a racist?"
the reporter wants his story, so he says, begrudgingly: "Fine. introduce me as a homosexual."

Sam says "ok, hang one for a sec," and he walks to the locker room and yells to the player, so everyone could here: "HEY! come outside! there's a homosexual reporter who wants to interview you!!"

its Sam's shtick to mess around with the media. and i've heard some of the questions being asked and the manner in which they are asked and, if i was Sam, i would lose it on them all the time.

[YogiStewart]

How would you feel if you had to answer stupid questions all the time because someone is trying to prod you in to saying something controversial.

My guess is that most coaches if they could give up one thing about their jobs would be to stop talking to the media.

Most sports writers are either failed journalists or failed athletes.

Nuf said

look for the Milt Stegall playoff interview from this season. Some dummy reporter went into the Bombers' locker room and was asking Stegall irritating questions. Milt started asking this reporter if he's ever played sports at a high level. the reporter smugly says "yes i have", so Milt says "what ahve you played???". the reporter answered something like Bantam or Junior hockey and Stegall went nuts on him.

it summarized how players think about reporters. reporters are there to get a story and to be a thorn in the players' side. imagine someone asking you the same questions every damn day.

it would be exactly like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bqc6H8sibnE

[pierrot]

A great example of this came yesterday in practice, when a reporter asked Sam whether TJ should think about changing his style when he comes back. Sam acted like this was the dumbest idea that he'd ever heard, like only a complete imbecile could think that TJ might want to try something to avoid getting his fourth stinger in a year.

The worst part is that Sam's entire response was something like "Why don't you stock up on food and water and stay in your house, if you're so afraid?" So basically Sam answers a reasonable question with an obviously false analogy, all while rolling his eyes and speaking in the most condescending tone he can muster.

I know that it's partially an attempt to be funny, and partially exasperation at having to answer the same questions over and over again. But it's like Sam doesn't even think anymore ... no matter how sensible the question, his knee-jerk reaction is "I can't believe how stupid you are." He tries to deflate the writers, but his sarcastically delivered/poorly reasoned responses aren't nearly as witty as he seems to think.

I'm pretty tired of it, myself. On the other hand, I doubt that he's anything like that outside of the media scrum situation.

[Reignman]

why? because 99 % of the media are retards. this is what a usual raptor (Please Use More Appropriate Word) media interview with sam is .

after a win over sixers :

first reporter : so uuh sam uuh you lost the rebound battle. what do you think about that?!

sam: well we didnt win that but we did other things well, lets talk about that. we won the game guys.

(Please Use More Appropriate Word) reporter #2 : yeah sam , so uh the raptors are the worst rebounding team in the league what are you going to do about it ?

sam: work hard. try to win ball games.

(Please Use More Appropriate Word) reporter 3: sam , bargnani isnt rebounding like youd like him to . what do you do ?

sam ( already looking like he wants to vomit ) : play hard. hes coming along. has young and needs to develop.... (when another (Please Use More Appropriate Word) reporter interrupts )

(Please Use More Appropriate Word) reporter 4: sam you were outrebounded by 10 on the offensive glass, talk about that?!

sam: i just want to kill someone.
basically most of the media and reporters in toronto are retards. feschuk and more of the prominent members of the toronto sports media are often lowlife scum, fishdick and his negative exagerrated writing was and still is unbearable, at least now he shut his ugly mouth now that we are doing better. all in all toronto sports media are a bunch of negativity whores , because thats what sells their stories. sam should be allowed to carry around a cow prod to electrocute anymore retards with their stupid questions.

sam can do whatever the hell he wants to the media. media hasnt done **** for our franchise except years and years of milking and publishing all the possible neagtive stuff they can find. anyone remember fishdicks article on vince's grandmother? lowlife scum like that needs to be taken out back and "Dealt with" . media = ****. sam IS holier than thou when it comes to the toronto media, cause toronto sports media = on a level below or equal to **** , dirt , scum, filth.

Agreed, that's pretty much how the post game questioning went at the end of a WIN. I don't blame Sam one bit for the way he treats the media. These media types need to do a little more research if they want a proper response from Sam.

Just take a look at how he answers questions from Grange or Doug, he respects them because they take the time to do their homework.

[Reignman]

A great example of this came yesterday in practice, when a reporter asked Sam whether TJ should think about changing his style when he comes back. Sam acted like this was the dumbest idea that he'd ever heard, like only a complete imbecile could think that TJ might want to try something to avoid getting his fourth stinger in a year.

The worst part is that Sam's entire response was something like "Why don't you stock up on food and water and stay in your house, if you're so afraid?" So basically Sam answers a reasonable question with an obviously false analogy, all while rolling his eyes and speaking in the most condescending tone he can muster.
I know that it's partially an attempt to be funny, and partially exasperation at having to answer the same questions over and over again. But it's like Sam doesn't even think anymore ... no matter how sensible the question, his knee-jerk reaction is "I can't believe how stupid you are." He tries to deflate the writers, but his sarcastically delivered/poorly reasoned responses aren't nearly as witty as he seems to think.

I'm pretty tired of it, myself. On the other hand, I doubt that he's anything like that outside of the media scrum situation.

I don't know about you, but that makes perfect sense to me. He's basically saying that TJ can't come out and play scared. Everyone knows that TJ is not going to completely change his game, it's not going to happen. He might be a little more cautious, but I bet after 10 or so games, he's gonna go back to his normal playing style.

We have some real media hacks in Toronto when it comes to Ball, and Sam knows that these guys will rip him to shreds the first opportunity they get. I mean they have done it in the past. Ask him a thoughtful question and he'll give you a thoughtful answer.

[pierrot]

He's basically saying that TJ can't come out and play scared. Everyone knows that TJ is not going to completely change his game, it's not going to happen. He might be a little more cautious, but I bet after 10 or so games, he's gonna go back to his normal playing style.

I know that's the reasoning behind what he said. If he had said what you wrote, I wouldn't have complained. My problem isn't with his conclusion, it's with his argument - specifically with his analogy.

Sam was trying to make the writer look stupid by comparing the writer's idea (TJ should be more careful when driving the lane) to a ridiculous idea (we should lock ourselves in our houses). But that's a terrible analogy. TJ is in serious jeopardy of being forced to retire from the league. If he comes back and gets another bad stinger within 10 or 15 games, he will have to think about it. What credible danger are we avoiding by locking ourselves in our homes?

Just to be clear, I'm not objecting to Sam's point. I happen to agree with it. I'm objecting to the rhetorical strategy he used to belittle the reporter who asked him the question.

Maybe you had to see it. Basically, Sam was saying (through his tone): "I can't believe how stupid you are. According to you, people should hide in their houses because of the off-chance they might get into some kind of accident! God, you're an idiot."

[dacrusha]

If the Toronto sport media actually had some serious reporters with a basketball background, then none of this would happen.

Just a bunch of suburban white puck-heads asking ballboy-level questions about a sport they know nothing about.

[whoknows]

If the Toronto sport media actually had some serious reporters with a basketball background, then none of this would happen.

Just a bunch of suburban white puck-heads asking ballboy-level questions about a sport they know nothing about.

QFT