Robservations: Anonymous rumors not worth much
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I sure have. In fact, it happened yesterday right here in the stately offices of your friendly neighborhood sports department.
Just when I was trying to decide what today’s top story should be, along came the news that longtime Pioneer soccer coach Charlie Hardee has tendered his resignation.
It wasn’t the happiest — or the most unexpected — news I’ve ever received, but it sure made designing today’s front page a lot easier. (Note to any future sports editors reading this: When a coach quits, it goes on top of page one — period.)
But back to Thursday’s great timing. The second example happened later in the day, just when I was trying to decide what to pen this week’s version of everyone’s favorite yet not-quite “Best of the Best” column.
Just as I was preparing to search the wire, the web and the recesses of my brain for your normal Friday fare, up jumps wingman Dale Stubblefield with the statement that always leads to a great conversation: “You’ll never believe the phone call that just came in.”
Not to steal Dale’s thunder, since the call did technically come to his extension. But the conversation he had with this mystery caller was too ridiculous not to be repeated.
“Are you aware,” the caller began, “that Charlie Hardee was fired this morning?”
Dale replied with the information we had received, both from WCHS officials and from Hardee himself.
“I’m aware he decided to resign, and made it official this morning,” Dale said.
Our informative caller then responded with a word that I won’t be reprinting in this space, but if you know anyone who owns a cattle farm, they can show you an example of what he claimed Dale’s statement on the resignation was.
He then went on to say how coach Hardee didn’t resign, he was “forced to quit.”
When asked how he was so in tune with the inner workings of the WCHS athletic program, and in fact who he was (sometimes we like to know who’s supplying us with such “useful” information), our friendly caller then told Dale, “It doesn’t matter who this is, but I know there will be a lot of happy parents.”
Here’s where Dale’s recalling of his phone call hit a nerve with me, gang, and it’s what got my dander up just a bit.
I’ve been here darn near three years, and I’ve been in this business a long time before I came back home. And there’s one thing you learn day one at a newspaper — If someone won’t even tell you who they are, it’s a good idea not to listen to what they say.
Don’t think this latest anonymous caller is unique. Pretty much every time there’s anything resembling a controversial story, we get those calls. I remember through the whole hiring process that brought Ann Eades back to the head of the Lady Pioneer basketball program, I had conversations with some “fan” who wanted to clue me in as to the inner political workings of the school system and the athletic director’s office. He may have had some good points, he may have even been correct. But he wouldn’t ever tell me who he was, so I couldn’t have cared less what he said.
The same goes for this soccer “fan” who called Dale on Thursday. He said it didn’t matter who he was, so to me, it doesn’t matter what he said. Because if you’re going to be big enough to take pot shots at people, you need to be man enough to admit who’s pulling the trigger.
Bottom line, WCHS officials contacted this office to let us know Charlie Hardee resigned. When I talked to Charlie Hardee, he told me that he had resigned, and gave his reasons why. So as far as I’m concerned, the man resigned.
And if people like Thursday’s foul-mouthed, pot-shot-taking mystery caller are the kinds of people he’s had to deal with, I can’t say that I blame him.