Jason Wilde is a rock star

TheGhostDog · Post #1 » by **TheGhostDog** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 6:14 pm

First off, I can't take credit for this find; the folks at 540 radio were talking it up. That said, on Saturday Wilde, like McGinn et al, ran his own season-opening Q & A with Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson. These were his opening questions.

To TT and MM: "Do you guys know what you're doing?"

"MIKE McCARTHY: What kind of question is that?"

One of his next questions to TT was: "So then it bothers you that people think you're a raging egomaniac?"

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/packers/303828

Wow. Wilde is going to get promoted to ESPN someday soon.

LUKE23 · Post #2 » by **LUKE23** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 6:17 pm

I just finished reading that. An amazing interview, and better than any of the JSOnline coverage by a mile.

Good comments on MM on how he expects the D to be better.

Post #3 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 6:46 pm

I may be off base here but I've read his stuff for a long time and listen to him every day on 540. I get the feeling that he's getting tired of covering the Packers and maybe wants to do something else. Maybe that's why he's showing the "I don't give a crap I'll ask what I want" attitude. He's pretty interesting on the radio.

TheGhostDog · Post #4 » by **TheGhostDog** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 7:03 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:I may be off base here but I've read his stuff for a long time and listen to him every day on 540. I get the feeling that he's getting tired of covering the Packers and maybe wants to do something else. Maybe that's why he's showing the "I don't give a crap I'll ask what I want" attitude. He's pretty interesting on the radio.

He certainly has that "I don't give a crap" vibe. When I watch Packer locker room interview videos at Packers.com occasionally you can see Wilde, unshaven and looking like Humphrey Bogart, sticking his recorder in some player's face as other reporters ask questions and not even watching, seemingly a million miles away. As a former journalist I admire his ability to cut through the crap, er, spin, and get to the heart of an issue quickly.

EastSideBucksFan · Post #5 » by **EastSideBucksFan** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 8:59 pm

After this kind of an interview, its hard to see him covering the Packers (and gaining access) for much longer.

Two ways to look at what he did here.

One, its pretty "unprofessional" for him to be giving that attitude/tone/line of questioning to the head coach and GM.

Two, it's pretty cutting edge to sportwriters and journalists all over that he was willing to put his career on the line to give the "angry fan" a voice.

It will be interesting if he suffers any consequences for this.

dedned · Post #6 » by **dedned** » Mon Sep 8, 2008 9:53 pm

EastSideBucksFan wrote:After this kind of an interview, its hard to see him covering the Packers (and gaining access) for much longer.

Two ways to look at what he did here.

One, its pretty "unprofessional" for him to be giving that attitude/tone/line of questioning to the head coach and GM.

Two, it's pretty cutting edge to sportwriters and journalists all over that he was willing to put his career on the line to give the "angry fan" a voice.

It will be interesting if he suffers any consequences for this.

Does it even matter? Its not like Ted or MM have ever said anything worth reading.(I got sizzle, the train left the station, move on/forward, etc.) Just the same mindless answers.

BuckFan25226 · Post #7 » by **BuckFan25226** » Tue Sep 9, 2008 6:18 pm

I've been listening to Wilde for some time now with Homer and the D-List. I think Wilde starting getting that attitude more and more with the Favre situation. To my knowledge, he was one of the first writers in the state to continually be objective about Favre. He praised him when it was warranted, and he bashed him when it was warranted.

People that follow Wilde know several years ago Favre didn't like some of the stuff Wilde wrote about him. Which basically meant Wilde didn't get on his knees for Brett when he wrote about him. Wilde also received a lot of criticism from fans for not constantly praising Favre.

I think he definitely has the talent to move to national media. But he's way too entertaining on the radio, so I hope he stays a while longer.

Movieman · Post #8 » by **Movieman** » Tue Sep 9, 2008 7:55 pm

I get the feeling that covering a team just takes away any joy you get out of that sport.

Beat writers know the real story about what goes on behind the scenes - what the athletes are really like, what the organizations really think about players -- after a while they probably can't remember why people are interested in this stuff.

They know fans are hopelessly naive about the teams they root for, and probably feel like a adult listening to a child go on about something they feel is trivial.

Listen to Drew Olson talk about the Brewers on the radio. He is straightforward, practical, and analytical. He has covered this team close up for so long he can only respond emotionally to how fans react or overreact - or when he talks to other sportswriters he's close to. Deep down, I bet he wishes the D-List was more of a "Bob & Brian" show than just a sports talk show.