My Take on Wake - Showing Our True Colors

Showing Our True Colors

I confess to this recurring nightmare. I get pulled out of a wreck and whisked off to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, but the doctors there won’t put me back together because of my underwear. They’re not torn and tattered. That was my mother’s nightmare. But they happen to be a light shade of blue. (I’m not confessing to owning such an article of clothing—it’s a nightmare, remember?).

It’s the first advice I give to any aspiring sportswriter. Wear the right colors. I learned that early on, having cut my teeth in the gurgling cauldron of passionate and overlapping allegiances known as the Research Triangle. You never ever wear red to Kenan Stadium, light blue to Wallace Wade Stadium or any shade of blue to Carter-Finley. Even if you don’t take that stuff as seriously as the fans, it’s not worth the hassle.

I did screw up once at a game in Clemson. I wore a purple shirt and the Tigers, for the first time in like 40 years, came out in all purple uniforms. That was one on me.

So it was Stupid—notice the capital S—for a reporter for The Hog Sportsradio to wear a cap from her alma mater of Florida to an Arkansas press conference.
Seeing Red in Arkansas That said, should that person be publicly rebuked by a coach, hunted down by an internet posse and summarily fired? Smacks of Kremlin-like behavior if you ask me, and raises the hair on my arm just a bit. Do we really have to take ourselves so seriously?

As an aside, I was around Petrino enough at the Orange Bowl to know that, in his case, the answer is definitely yes.

Jim Grobe might have joked about it, but it would have been a joke. In my 10 years of covering him, I’ve never seen him once show another person up in a press conference. There have been times he had all right to, but that’s not who he is.

Back to the main page.

By Dan Collins on 08/17/2010 (12:24 pm)

Comments

Bobby Petrino seems to me to be the most despicable man in all of sports. I agree the reporter should have made a better decision, but Petrino is the L-A-S-T person on earth to condemn someone for faux-loyalty. Poor girl didn’t know what was coming, but as you said, a true professional never shows their true colors no matter what.

Thomas on 08/18/2010 (2:55 pm)

We are very fortunate to have some class people as coaches at Wake. In the past, I have approached Prosser, Gaudio and Grobe in public settings, simply to say hi, and they all were very gracious. On another subject Dan, I am so glad to have you back and writing on WF. Until you started up again, all I had was espn ACC blog and all you get there is da U, FSU, VT and Carolina rhetoric, which gets really old. I hope this team turns out to be something special.

Jim on 08/18/2010 (8:43 am)

Ken,
To paraphrase one of my all-time heroes, Groucho Marx:
“I refuse to join any fan base that would have me as a member.’’

Dan on 08/17/2010 (10:12 pm)

Personal question for you, Dan!

Have you changed YOUR true colors to the Black and Gold yet?

Patiently waiting…...

PS…I know you know I’m picking with you!

Ken Green on 08/17/2010 (10:02 pm)

Coach Grobe is a class act. We all agree. Where I think we disagree is on how the young lady was treated after she made her gaff. I can’t think of any other way for the station to handle her and keep their credibility. The station is trying to convince listeners that they truly care about razorback football. Keeping the reporter would have told listeners that wasn’t actually the case.

John S on 08/17/2010 (9:27 pm)

Ironic comparison considering Coach Grobe was the first choice for Mr. Petrino’s current position.

I have a feeling that one of the reasons Coach Grobe stayed (and I’m glad he did!) is the difference between the atmospheres at Arkansas and at Wake Forest. We want to win as much as anyone, but I think that the Wake Forest community (for the most part) has a better grip on what matters with respect to accomplishing our goals. The apparel choice of sports reporters, while certainly fair game for some gentle ribbing, really doesn’t rank so high on the priority list.

DC on 08/17/2010 (7:24 pm)

We all know the guy is a complete class act. Let’s just hope that we get to keep him for a long time.

Lee Jackson on 08/17/2010 (5:07 pm)

I can attest to that. Early in Grobe’s career my brother and I were at the WFU vs N.C. State basketball game. This was right after Wake had got a verbal from Q.B. Ben Mauck. Well I was excited and saw Coach Grobe after the game and went to talk to him about the big recruit we got. Me in black and gold my brother wearing colors from a school down i-40 that doesn’t wear a shade of blue. Coach Grobe talked to the both of us like he knew us all his life. I pointed to my brothers shirt and said for goodness sake beat these guys this year. Coach Grobe said “We’ll see if we can handle that request”

Doug on 08/17/2010 (1:12 pm)