Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

3/21/2009 - SCIL Athletes Talk Of The Town

One of the things I look forward to the most after each sports season is the annual awards banquet that Mugs Media/Eastern Propane sponsors that honors the best players, teams and coaches from that season.

Last Sunday, we honored the best that the Winter Sports season had to offer at Farmstead Golf and Country Club and by all accounts it was a smashing success as over 70 people attended.

After the event, I was talking with my colleagues at Mugs Media and the subject of how media savvy the student-athletes from the Sussex County Interscholastic League are these days.

It is a subject that we in the media have spoken about for years. I have always said that the athletes of Sussex County get the best sports coverage of any county in the state, especially with Jerry Morelli going out on his own 16 years ago after a long run at WSUS in Franklin and producing the Sports Beat.

In my opinion, the Sports Beat and the Mugs Media website are the go to sources for all of your sports needs (Yes, I’m incredibly biased). Anyway, from Mugs Media to the local newspapers the athletes in this area are exposed almost immediately to the glare of the media spotlight.

It is amazing how well these student-athletes handle that pressure, while giving well-thought out and eloquent answers when questioned after the game. It is almost like second nature to them and the ease to which they respond reveals a definite self confidence, which is great.

Now, when I played, very few players were interviewed by the media. The coach was always the spokesperson, and on a rare occasion, a player was asked questions. Even when I got into this business 20 years ago, it was like that. I look back on articles I wrote and I hardly had any player quotes.

I remember that coaches were not too thrilled to have their players interviewed and there were even some who would not allow their players to speak unless the coach was right next to them monitoring their answers like a public relations flak waiting to put the right spin on a story.

It is amazing how times have changed. I still ask the coach’s permission to talk to a player, but for the most part that rule has been tossed out the window because kids these days are more than ready and willing to answer questions and I think the rise of the Sports Beat has a lot to do with that.

The Sports Beat has been around for 16 years and the kids who are in high school now have grown up watching the show and the Games of the Week, so they know what to expect.

When I first started interviewing kids on a regular basis, it was like pulling teeth sometimes and it was a complete joy to get an athlete who could speak their mind. It had nothing to do with intelligence, but the ability to be sure in your answers.

The all-time best interview subject I have ever quizzed was far and away Mike Leach of Jefferson. Leach was a phenomenal three-sport athlete for the Falcons and is currently with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL after a long run as the long snapper for the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans.

Leach was always ready for a question and always had an answer. He was quite loquacious (that’s big word for he talked good!), but not a blowhard like Curt Schilling of the Red Sox. He was also not like Derek Jeter of the Yankees, who speaks, but says lots of nothing.

Leach would give you great answers and could fill up a notebook or give a great sound bite without blinking an eye. And Leach was good with the younger players and showed them the media ropes.

I was covering Jefferson’s run to the state final in baseball Leach’s senior year in the mid-1990s and Leach, along with underclassman phenom Shaun Stokes, had led the Falcons to the ultimate game.

At the time, Mike Yahnko, Jefferson’s outstanding coach, and a Major League notebook filler in his own right, was using both pitchers in almost every game to get around the innings limitation rules and he was doing a great job of it.

So it seemed like I was talking to Leach and Stokes after every game. I would start with Leach and he would give me great stuff and then I would turn to Stokes. But after my question, I wouldn’t hear Stokes’ voice because Leach was answering for him and Stokes would then nod in agreement, in a “what he said”-type of gesture.

It was pretty funny and Leach didn’t mean to shut out Stokes, he thought he was helping his protégé learn the ropes, which Stokes did and he became a great interview as he got older. Stokes eventually played for the New Jersey Cardinals at Skylands Park.

But back then, Leach was more of the exception, than the rule. Now, I don’t even think twice interviewing kids after games because more times than not they will give a useful sound bite.

This got me to thinking about who are the most media savvy athletes this year and there too many to number, which blows my mind. I can name a few from each school in the SCIL and Sussex Tech, including most of the Jefferson boys basketball team and football team.

I always enjoyed interviewing Gavin McCarney, Sami Caygoz and Frank Strumolo of the Jefferson football team and Derek Hall of the hoops team.

Wallkill’s girls basketball team from coach Ed Paiva to every player I interviewed, was always a treat. They never spoke in clichés and seemed honored to be interviewed. Sparta’s football team was the same way as QB Dan D’Angelo, along with Zach Passerelle, Taylor May, Mike Radeloff and Phil Greiner did Sparta proud.

Emily Carollo, the outstanding soccer and track star at Pope John, could write a book on handling the press at her tender age as well as her teammates Stephanie Barbulescu and Gabby Magdaleno.

Up at High Point, Jeremy Quinn, the Wildcats stud golfer, is already PGA Tour ready when it comes to Q&As. And wrestler Tom Diviantonio of High Point is a terrific interview.

Some other athletes who are media masters are football player Mike Hagemann of Vernon, Wallkill Valley quarterback Matt Briggs, Newton’s Ryan Gresik in both football and hoops, Alex Pollizzo of Kittatinny field hockey and girls hoops, Shane Hosler of Lenape Valley football, Steve Hynson of Hopatcong football, Vinny Cinotti of Sparta soccer, Rachel Nutto of Vernon soccer, hoops and girls lacrosse and Chelsea Shupe, Sarah Miebach and Stephon Blair of Sussex Tech to name a few.

It has been fascinating to watch this transformation over the years. I get a big kick out watching a shy sophomore mature over the years and turn into a team spokesperson by the time they are seniors.

These communication skills will help these student-athletes in the long run as they enter the working world years from now and I take a little pride in knowing that I had a small part in that process.

That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.

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Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

3/21/2009 - SCIL Athletes Talk Of The Town