Jim O'Donnell: Jagged little third railer costs ESPN reporter her job
SNIPS AND SNAILS AND PUPPY-DOG TAILS were once supposed to reside only on the male side of major sports media.
All of that changed in an epithet recently when Marly Rivera - a baseball reporter for ESPN - jumped the snark at Yankee Stadium.
Rivera lost her job after she threw a third rail-plus phrase at a female colleague while jostling for a pregame interview with Aaron Judge.
Rivera insisted she had an on-field appointment set. Freelancer Ivón Gaete - whose husband John Blundell is MLB's VP of communications - attempted to differ.
As at least one video recorder rolled, the bilingual Rivera vociferously tried to stake her ground.
Gaete would have none of it.
Rivera switched to English for the accenting career misconduct - no tilde needed.
The video wound up on TMZ and is easily accessed via YouTube.
Rivera, a veteran of 13 years at ESPN, later apologized. But with the network in the midst of as many as 7,000 layoffs, her "lo siento" was simply allowed to flow out into the Bronx washaway.
SIXTY YEARS AGO, pioneers like Jeannie Morris, Joan Ryan and Perian Conerly were ever-so diplomatically trying to establish the presence of women in major sports press boxes.
Today in the Chicago area, new-age pathfinders like Kathleen Danes (The Daily Herald) and Amanda Kaschube (The Chicago Tribune) supervise male-heavy sports departments.
In a way, all Rivera did was add a new equalizer to the ever-evolving blend.
She verbally gut-punched another woman professional.
Michelle Obama might not approve.
But Alanis Morissette certainly would.
STREET-BEATIN':
Grand way for that improbable radio marriage between the Bears and WMVP-AM (1000) to begin: The D-list audio grinder had to weave its opening-night NFL draft coverage around a broadcast of the White Sox's eighth straight loss. "Tailgating with the Improbable Ethan Katz" might have upgraded the mix. (Katz is the drowning poseur still masquerading as pitching coach of The Fail Hose.) ...
Joe Ponsetto's not talking but there are signs he may make a run next year for the Cook County State's Attorney chair to be vacated by Kim Foxx. "The Godfather" - an all-time DePaul basketball great - has a crisply impressive resume in public service-oriented law and other civic management channels. (Plus, Dave Corzine has already endorsed him.) ...
As a Cubs broadcast analyst, Jim Deshaies is never going to make anyone forget Davey Nelson. But even by his own one-dimensional standards, "J.D." appears to be approaching full pout this season. Must have something to do with the periodic booth presence of Joe Girardi, who is far more pedigreed for the job (Peoria, Northwestern, Cubs, Cards, four World Series rings with the Yankees.) ...
Lukas Van Ness of Barrington going at No. 13 to the Packers rang faint chimes of when Doug Betters (Arlington High, Class of '74) went to the Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1978 draft. Five years later, Betters was NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has sadly been battling mobility issues since a catastrophic 1998 skiing accident. ...
For Connie Simpson and other hard-core fans of HGTV's "Love It or List It," Zillow is touting a house 300 feet from the marquee at Wrigley Field for $1.1M. Dominick Stasi and his WGN-Channel 9 News staff have reported that the 130-year-old wood frame is at 1110 West Addison. A few seasons of choice parking fees might cover the down payment. ...
Still impossible not to note that any NBA playoffs game drops into a dreary rathskeller when it's on ABC/ESPN rather than WBD/Turner. Doris Burke and Mark Jackson sound like they're announcing state funerals; Hubie Brown doesn't just talk - he issues edicts. ...
Neither Willy Roy or Arno Steffenhagen will be involved, but Chicago Fire F.C. games will air on WLS-AM (890) this season. The upstreaming station hasn't touched play-by-play since bankrupt-battling parent Cumulus abruptly had to ditch Bulls and Sox programming five years ago. ...
Matt Flesch reports that a screening centered around his organic "Last Comiskey" is set for Saturday, May 13, at The Promontory in Chicago. Guests will include Nancy Faust and former Sox hurlers Donn Pall and Wayne Edwards (a $2,000 "Jeopardy!" response on any South Side board). Ticket information at promontorychicago.com; all proceeds benefit The Pediatric Epilepsy Alliance ...
High-strike Larry Rivelli - an accomplished sprint trainer - is already receiving backstretch stir-upping over the impending start of his Two Phil's in next Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Among the roast-ready, from good pal Gary Duch: ""Larry's chances go way up if they run the Derby this year at five and a half furlongs." ...
And Jimmy Kimmel, on the merits of media saturation of the NFL Draft: "We get our first look at the young men we'll be cursing at every Sunday."
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears Sunday and Thursday Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.