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Paul Daugherty
Enquirer columnist files news and observations

Paul Daugherty
Paul Daugherty has been an Enquirer sports columnist since 1994 and has been chronicling Cincinnati sports since 1988. He has covered almost every major sporting event in America, as well as five Summer Olympics. Along the way, he has been named one of the country's top-5 sports columnists four times, and Ohio columnist of the year on seven different occasions. Last year, he was voted 2nd-best sports columnist in the country, by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Apologizing

Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch at Boston's Opening Day. You'll recall Buckner was the Most Hated Man in Boston for allowing a routine grounder to skip under his glove and between his legs in Game 6 of the '86 Series, allowing the Mets to rally for the win, force a Game 7 and win it all.

Buckner moved to Idaho after he retired and became something of a recluse. The fact he threw out the first pitch this year, a mere 22 years later, suggests Red Sox Nation has moved on, possibly placated by a couple titles.

If you had the chance, to whom would you apologize? What player/manager/coach/executive did you misjudge or treat too harshly around here?

For me, it was Dave Shula. Poor coach, not ready for the job, hamstrung by Mike Brown's hands-on ways. Never had a chance. All true. But I was merciless with the guy. Years later, I met him for an interview the day of the Super Bowl. The game was in Tampa; he was staying in Orlando. He was classy, as usual, but he made it clear that some of the things I'd written had had a profound effect on his family, especially his sons, who were elementary school age at the time.

I understand that, as a public figure, you're going to get some criticism and you need to warn your family members that they could get caught up in it. You chose the life. But it never occurred to me that what I wrote could be used against his boys at school. Now I know.

I apologized to Shula that day. I've kept it in mind ever since.

We pass snap judgment daily. With the immedicay of the Internet (and the anonymity) people say some incredibly stupid things. Who over the years might you have been too hard on?


37 Comments:

at 8:33 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I called a guy who worked for me Charley Brown after a series of mistakes. One other guy herd the comment from the next room, and within days everyone at work was calling him Charley Brown. When it really sunk in for me was when at a social function someone called him Charley in front of his wife and she asked,"honey why do they call you Charley?" I have never felt so small.
Kind of disipointing that I had to learn the lesson of Charley Brown, the lovable looser, so late in life.

 
at 9:28 AM Blogger Cheviot Sports Authority said...

If you take a high profile coaching job, you better be able to take the heat.
St CSA

 
at 9:28 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great topic.
It made me think about the one column in particular that you wrote on Chad Johnson, and his last comments to local media where he seemed betrayed by it.
Have you spoken to him since you wrote that? In hindsight, was there anything you'd change on that?

 
at 9:33 AM Blogger Anonymous said...

I would like to apologize to the following:

Firefly, Mindriot25, Chad Johnson, oldtimer, REddleggs in Colorado, Debbie, Kyle Larson, Anon 2:54 (from 2 days ago), Marvin Lewis, reporter hate is so boring, mentalmidget, John Fay, and Mark Curnutte

On the bubble:

Cheviot Sports Authority (never has a good thing to say about anybody)

Mike Brown (need i explain)

Pete Rose (Should be in the HOF but has still done some pretty shallow things)

Bud Light (terrible beer as it is but i dont know if i can ever forgive them for that garbage that taste like V8)

Next years MVP:

Carson Palmer

Mike from -but never forget!

 
at 9:37 AM Blogger Bengal43 said...

Paul... See if Dave Shula would come on WLW with you. It would be a good show and he could explain his side of things.

 
at 10:22 AM Blogger Cheviot Sports Authority said...

"Who over the years might you have been too hard on"?

Can't think of a single sole.
St CSA

 
at 10:30 AM Blogger House of Cards said...

I always felt a little sorry for Dave. As angry as I was over the futility of Bengalness, I always felt that Dave got the same kinda dirty end of the stick that the Red's gave to Tony Perez. Just luckily for Doggie, he had enough of a magnetic personality to weather that storm, where I think it crushed Dave.
I know he was hired in part because he was cheap, in part because he was a "yes man" for Mikey, but to a small degree, I think Mikey thought he was going away from the same old stale bunch of retreads and trying to go in a whole different direction. Sometimes I wonder if he had been hired to be a HC by any other organization, would he have been as miserable or derided as he was here.

 
at 10:37 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Shula really was very bad but I feel Mike Brown was the primary culprit, as always, for hiring him. I think Shula's qualifications were: 1) son of Brown's buddy Don. 2) went to same college as Mikey.
I appreciate that you're focusing your laser light on Mikey now. Keep it up! And don't ever think about apologizing.

 
at 11:41 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great topic. Although
Mike Brown probably won't ever deserve an apology from anyone in this city.

 
at 11:49 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd like to apologize to all the high draft picks the Bengals chose and then expected to carry the team their rookie year. When I believed the hype and they failed, I blamed them (and sometimes the poor offensive line). I was wrong.

 
at 12:07 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I apologize for all the terrible thoughts I had about you, Paul, during your constant denigration of my adopted home town of Phoenix. Being a former Cincy resident, I know that there are beautiful places in that area, but I also know there is much disintegration happening in my hometown (both physically & emotionally).

Yes, the desert can be stark -- but among the drabness, there's beauty in the desert, too.

Apologies...

 
at 12:39 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Corey Dillon. For a long time, he was the only player on the bengals resembling and NFL caliber athlete. He caught a lot of heat for wanting to get out, but it's hard to fault a guy for being frustrated with the organization. Everyone was frustrated with the organization. He just wanted a ring. He got what he wanted, and then retires before his body is too beat up to enjoy playing with his kids.

 
at 12:50 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have always thought that the "fans" jumped on Corrie Dillon, a great player, after he left the club for the Patriots, frustrated with the line he had to play behind and Mike Brown refusing to spend the money to at least try to improve the club. I was truly happy for him when he won a Super Bowl and his ring. I heard some friends refer to him as a "jerk". There were times when the Bengals line caved so badly Dillon could not get out of the backfield yet he avreaged over 1000 yards each year he played here.
Myself, I have always tried to be a perfectionist whereever I worked and in dealings with my famuly. But...because of this I have hurts which will never go away because of pathetic folks who have said thngs due to jealousy etc. and go their merry way.

 
at 12:55 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

You were unfairly tough on Sam Wyche too.

 
at 1:30 PM Blogger russ said...

Yesterday morning I was talking to a coworker while he was rummaging around his cube. He explained that he was supposed to take his nephew to a Reds game, but his nephew wasn't permitted to go due to poor grades in school. Jokingly I said, "he should spend more time with you so he can find out what happens to people who don't do well in school". Minutes later I realized that he was cleaning out his desk because he had just been laid off. True story.

Winner and still Champion of the "Foot-in-Mouth" Lifetime Achievement Award,
Russ

 
at 2:04 PM Blogger House of Cards said...

Russ, OUCH! That one will leave a mark.....

 
at 3:24 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

This city was really crappy toward Eric Davis in the late '80's & early '90's. Only when he came back from so many injuries & then cancer, as well, did Cincinnatians gain an appreciation for his toughness & courage. And he is far too classy to hold a grudge for all the boos & talk show negativity. He deserved better.

John Burroughs
Hyde Park

 
at 4:14 PM Blogger ewad said...

Immedeately before Shula was Sam Wyche.
He got brutalized by the media inparticular and especially by Andy Furman.
The on-air attacks levied by Furman turned over the top and personal.
As it turns out, and we all know now the demise of the franchise came because Mike Brown took over the team.
Not so much because of Wyche.
I happened to go to school with the Wyche kids who both handled it with dignity.... but if Sam or one of his family members found Furman in a dark alley somewhere and decided to work him over... I'd love to be they guy on the jury who voted not guilty.
The day that WLW got the guts to tell him to take a walk was a day long over due.

 
at 7:57 PM Blogger anti-media said...

I won't apologize to W.K. because of his arrogance. Paul,think back and you will remember his talking down to you !!And look at his success ...the Nats. won more games in 07 than the Reds(Bowden out smarts Cluless) WAKE UP CINCY FIRE KRIVSKY

 
at 10:44 PM Blogger Dave in Omaha said...

Pro athletes should realize that a lot of it comes with the territory (personal attacks aside)...I feel badly when college kids are booed mercilessly at home. I felt badly for Adam Hyrciniuk all season.

I used to scream and yell at Tommy Lasorda when I was a kid (well, 16-17 or so) I loved every minute of it. Still hate the Dodgers and miss that rivalry...

 
at 1:18 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Shula's elementary age children were hearing it from their classmates, it's unlikely those same classmates were repeating what they read in your column. They might have heard it from their parents, who might have read your column, but I don't think many, very young children were reading your column. Shula always did have thin skin. Remember when he confronted Barry Switzer over Switzer's college team analogy?

 
at 9:23 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

i apologize to anyone who has read anti-media and CSA and think they are the soul of Cincinnati sports. There is something wrong with people who have so much disdain for sports people.

By the way, The Vaunted Nats' just got off a nine game losing streak.

 
at 9:47 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

After this morning's column, you need to apologize to your Mother-in-law ("economies as ugly as my Mother-in-Law at 6 AM).
Great line. I'd like to borrow it. Could be used in a variety of ways >> opponent's golf swing, neighbor's dog, etc, etc.

 
at 10:58 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would like the Cincinnati media apologize to all the black athletes who didn't get the Ryan freel/Josh hamilton treatment when they did something wrong. I also would like Cincinnati to apologize to black athletes like frank robinson, eric davis, barry Larkin, Chad johnson, Marvin lewis and Ken Griffey jr. for the "unfair treatment" they have recieved from the conservitive/majority white media in this town. their treatment is the reason Cincinnati has the "poor reputation" it has to this date.

 
at 12:01 PM Blogger Unknown said...

I apologize to myself for getting excited about a Cincy pro sports franchise way too early in the season.

I know better.

 
at 1:19 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to apologize to Dusty baker ahead of time. I have lived in this city most of my life and i can only imagine how bad things will get in the future for Dusty baker in this ultr conservitive town. Sorry Dusty, we in small town/backwater Cincinnati just can't get out of the 60's.

 
at 1:59 PM Blogger Anonymous said...

I wanted to apologize to every person who has read ANON 10:58 and 1:19's comments!

Carson Palmer will be MVP (even without Chad)

Mike from the 70's (still not the 60's)

 
at 2:26 PM Blogger House of Cards said...

I'd like to apologize to Carson Palmer on behalf of Chad. Chad is so sorry that he's such a tool. He blames the racist media.....

 
at 3:38 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I apologize to Chad Johnson on behalf of the most inept franchise owner in the NFL.
And, I apologize to Chad for signing his contract a few years ago. Dude, I was trying to do you a solid but, I agree, you were the one who should have signed that contract since you were the one expected to live up to it. Not me.

 
at 3:56 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

What about Paul O'Neill? If I recall, his last year with the Reds in '92, he had a sub-par year, finishing with 14 homers? If I recall, and please forgive me, for I was a teen ager then and don't really remember, he had a broken wrist and really didn't let anyone know. Or some type of hand ailment. I remember the last few home games that year he was boed unmercifully. I guess he got the last laugh though. Who'd have the thought the Yankees would go to 5 World Series and win 4 while he was there.

 
at 4:18 PM Blogger mentalmidget said...

I'd like to apologize to my son for buying a Chad Johnson jersey. Now he wants to burn it!! Anyone gotta light?

I want to apologize to Mike from.....
Mike, I went way overboard, my friend.

 
at 9:15 PM Blogger Bomber2Musky said...

Hey Paul,

How about a blog about what's big in Cincinnati right now? Like maybe the struggling Reds or Chad's newest rant?

Even if you don't feel like talking about Chad, what about the Bengals in general? Given their ridiculous schedule, what are the Bengals most likely to do now?

No need to talk about what's going on in Boston; their doing quite alright over there...

 
at 9:25 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just think it's funny you said Hard On.

 
at 10:02 PM Blogger bodacio said...

This guy: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=6132

...for ever doubting he was a top flight major league starter. Can anyone say Cy Young?

 
at 1:07 AM Blogger keepinitreal said...

Hey anon: 10:58 and 1:19

Why don't I see your postings on Curnutte's blog? Is it because you can't remain anonymous any longer? Is it the fact that you would have to register and people would then know who you really are? What a coward you are. I know it's you. You're the guy that doesn't know how to spell conservative.

 
at 6:57 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to apologize to Todd Portune for anything bad I ever said about him.
He just suggested Ham Co could help their budget problem by selling naming rights to PBS. Over Mike Brown's cold, dead body, of course.
But good point anyway, Todd.
And if he & Doc keep sticking Mikey, maybe the public embarrassment will move him to throw his benefactors (Ham Co txapayers) a bone >> ala new coach, scouting dept, GM .......

 
at 9:15 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

In keeping that this is a sport's blog, I apologize to my girlfriend of many, many years for my occasional (too often perhaps) snippy behavior. She developed Lou Gehrig Disease. (You see, the sporting life is involved!) On that sporting note, though neither of us were big fans of sports we did enjoy the chants of "Paul O'Neill" by the Yankee fans. I got to show her NYC. She was astounded! I could always make her cry by saying "Secretariat - Belmont."

If I could take back all my being of snippy with her I'd give a pretty.

r m reddicks

 
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