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My recent blog on Ed Kilgore’s angry reaction to my calling him to get his take on why he no longer is the 11 p.m. sports anchor on Channel 2 led to some amusing comments from readers.
“Wow!” wrote someone who identified himself as David Shapiro. “Ed sure sounds like a sorehead. It appears that he carried around resentments for a long, long time.”
“It is about time,” someone who referred to himself as wolfpack wrote about the 11 p.m. move. “He became a sleepy broadcaster. Thank you for the good years. I don’t remember them right off, but there must have been some.”
Pretty funny guy that wolfpack.
Actually, his assessment is pretty close to mine.
But I don’t bring these comments up to bash Kilgore. Honest. I bring them up to talk about how thin-skinned people who cover sports can be both locally and nationally.
I’ve been a fan of NBC’s Al Michaels (see above) even before his “do you believe in miracles?” line covering the Team USA hockey team during in the 1980 Olympics.

The feeling isn’t mutual. Michaels was so incensed at my suggestion several years ago that his play-by-play work on the NBA wasn’t as strong as it is in other sports that he called me over before a press conference in Los Angeles. He reminded me that NBA coaching legend Larry Brown was a friend of his and he’s followed the NBA forever.
When Michaels and analyst John Madden were assigned to cover a Buffalo Bills game in prime time, I requested an interview. Michaels asked me to send the questions via email.
I declined and instead asked to interview Madden, who I occasionally criticized. A former coach, Madden knew the critic game and gave me a long, thorough telephone interview.
I once wrote a long flattering article about NBC’s Bob Costas, who always has been one of my favorite announcers. When I went to cover a Blue Jays game in Toronto, Costas was there. I expected he might thank me. Instead, he focused on one line in which I described his physique. He isn’t Shaquille O’Neal — or Tatum O’Neal — for that matter. We eventually patched things up and I still think he is one of the greatest and most versatile sportscasters of all time.
When Dan Dierdorf made some unnecessary remarks about Buffalo weather during a Monday Night Football, I wrote a story about it. Dierdorf never forgave me. I’m told that Dierdorf – who now works at CBS – was one of the happiest NFL analysts when I retired from the Buffalo News.
Locally, Kilgore isn’t the only sports legend that I have upset. Channel 7 legend Rick Azar stopped talking to me decades ago. I don’t remember why, but I think it had something to do with my writing that although he was excellent on camera he wasn’t a huge sports fan. I’d call Azar to find out if that was it, but I think he’d give me the Kilgore treatment.
I’ve also received some rather nasty emails from relatives of sportscasters. I won’t name names, but the daughter of a sports broadcasting legend used to write rather insulting notes to me.
Younger broadcasters seem to have thicker skins. I once called out Channel 4’s Paul Peck about some mistake he made and called him. He got my respect when he agreed that he messed up.
I’m the guy who decades ago nicknamed former Channel 2 and former Empire Sports Network anchor Mike DeGeorge “Boy DeGeorge.” Now the well-respected and wise old police and mayor’s spokesman, DeGeorge frequently agrees to talk to my journalism classes.
Similarly, I pretty harshly criticized former Channel 7 sports-anchor reporter Bob Koshinski. We later patched things up and he actually gave me some advice some time ago about how to monetize my blog.
I’ve taken some shots at WGR’s Jeremy White on occasion and he didn’t sulk. He actually engaged me in an email exchange that gained my respect.
Then there’s Adam Benigni, who is taking over Kilgore’s 11 p.m. sports anchor slot. I don’t know him well. But this is Buffalo. I once ran into him with his dog at a soccer field in Delaware Park, where dog owners used to go with their animals. He bought a house way deep in the suburbs that mapquest can’t find. He had a neighbor who is a good friend of mine (and who thankfully) since has moved to a place that I can find without a map or GPS.
Benigni destroyed his knee about the same time I destroyed mine and we ended up at the same rehab center on many mornings and talked during exercises.
Do I like him? Sure. Will it influence my opinion of his work? Not a bit. You might not believe this, but I like Kilgore. Who doesn’t? That is the key to his longevity.
I just so happen to think that Benigni delivers the best sportscast in Buffalo.
I’m sure Channel 4’s John Murphy won’t like reading that. But I’m also sure that Murphy – who has the best voice in local sportscasting — will take my phone call if I call him because he gets it.
As I re-read this, I see something in common – besides age — about those in the business who get what I do and those who don’t.
Peck, White, Benigni and Murphy all have something in common with each other — and with me. They are all Syracuse University communications graduates. (So is Costas, but he’s a lot older).
Presumably, they all learned that criticism comes with the territory in broadcasting and actually can help you get better.
pergament@msn.com

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