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August 21, 2007
Memo to Tiki: Please Let it Go Already
“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Ok, I just had to do it. I gave up two hours of my beloved 70s music (no comments from the peanut gallery, please) to become a first-time listener of “The Barber Shop,” the weekly in-season radio program hosted by Tiki and Ronde Barber on Sirius Radio because I just knew that the topic of Eli Manning would dominate the program.
Tiki and Ronde did not disappoint as they took numerous verbal shots at Manning’s response to Tiki’s Sunday night criticism about his leadership ability. Somewhere in that program, Tiki tried to make light of the rather childish war of words which he himself started when he called Manning’s leadership “comical” during halftime of the Giants-Ravens national broadcast.
Instead of taking the high road, what you had during the two hour program were a couple of brothers engaging in playful conversation which probably would have been better kept in private. For those who missed it, here are some gems from the Barber boys:
* They made fun of Eli’s pre-game speeches, going so far as to mimic an uncertain guy rehearsing his inflection in front of a mirror to see what tone sounded better.
* Tiki took exception to Manning’s statement that Tiki quit on the team as son as his retirement plans became public knowledge and that he had no heart. In fact, Barber was not shy about reminding listeners that he single-handedly won the Giants 2006 regular season finale against Washington which put them into the playoffs.
* Tiki confessed that he was upset with the Giants’ decision to part ways with Kerry Collins, whom he felt was still a serviceable quarterback and a good locker room leader, in favor of Manning.
Tiki said he hopes that he and Eli will eventually be able to look back at this and get a good laugh, though later on he said he didn’t care if he and Eli weren’t friends any more.
* Tiki also skewed the details surrounding the announcement of his retirement, saying that it wasn’t as though he asked New York Times writer John Branch to write the story (though what he fails to acknowledge is that unless the very talented Branch has a hidden talent as a mind-reader – and if he did, I doubt he’d still be in journalism -- there’s no way Branch could have known that he was planning to retire were it not for something Barber said that day).
As the twin brothers continued to joke about the topic, the one thing that Tiki did say that I found interesting was that he hopes that Manning is still miffed with him because, as Tiki put it, whenever his critics reared their opinions, it always drove him to perform better because they showed him his faults.
So wait a minute. Was Tiki actually trying to help Manning?
I doubt it. Tiki has to realize that he and Manning are two different people who get their motivation from different stimulants. Just because Tiki relishes the harsh words of his critics doesn’t mean that Manning is of that school of thought. If Tiki thinks that playing the role of Eli’s most prominent critic is going to help the young quarterback perform better on all levels, then he’s just not thinking this through.
I’m well aware of the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” I don’t think there’s a journalist out there who hasn’t had a personality clash with a figure they’ve covered – and I’m certainly no exception. But there comes a time when you have to just walk away from a situation and let it go, else you risk ruining your credibility, even if what you say is in jest or if you have a hidden agenda.
In my honest view, I think Tiki is taking a huge risk with his credibility in attacking his former teammates. The sooner he can learn to say “no comment” instead of taking the bait every time someone puts it out there, the better for all involved.
If Tiki is sincere in what he said, that he lets his critics point out his flaws so he can rectify them, then I certainly hope that come Wednesday when the story makes the back pages of the New York papers, he reads the columns carefully and rectifies this self-destructive flaw he seems to have developed every time Eli Manning or Tom Coughlin is mentioned.
Thanks for reading.
Posted by ptraina at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
http://insidefootball.com/blog/
Memo to Tiki: Please Let it Go Already
“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Ok, I just had to do it. I gave up two hours of my beloved 70s music (no comments from the peanut gallery, please) to become a first-time listener of “The Barber Shop,” the weekly in-season radio program hosted by Tiki and Ronde Barber on Sirius Radio because I just knew that the topic of Eli Manning would dominate the program.
Tiki and Ronde did not disappoint as they took numerous verbal shots at Manning’s response to Tiki’s Sunday night criticism about his leadership ability. Somewhere in that program, Tiki tried to make light of the rather childish war of words which he himself started when he called Manning’s leadership “comical” during halftime of the Giants-Ravens national broadcast.
Instead of taking the high road, what you had during the two hour program were a couple of brothers engaging in playful conversation which probably would have been better kept in private. For those who missed it, here are some gems from the Barber boys:
* They made fun of Eli’s pre-game speeches, going so far as to mimic an uncertain guy rehearsing his inflection in front of a mirror to see what tone sounded better.
* Tiki took exception to Manning’s statement that Tiki quit on the team as son as his retirement plans became public knowledge and that he had no heart. In fact, Barber was not shy about reminding listeners that he single-handedly won the Giants 2006 regular season finale against Washington which put them into the playoffs.
* Tiki confessed that he was upset with the Giants’ decision to part ways with Kerry Collins, whom he felt was still a serviceable quarterback and a good locker room leader, in favor of Manning.
Tiki said he hopes that he and Eli will eventually be able to look back at this and get a good laugh, though later on he said he didn’t care if he and Eli weren’t friends any more.
* Tiki also skewed the details surrounding the announcement of his retirement, saying that it wasn’t as though he asked New York Times writer John Branch to write the story (though what he fails to acknowledge is that unless the very talented Branch has a hidden talent as a mind-reader – and if he did, I doubt he’d still be in journalism -- there’s no way Branch could have known that he was planning to retire were it not for something Barber said that day).
As the twin brothers continued to joke about the topic, the one thing that Tiki did say that I found interesting was that he hopes that Manning is still miffed with him because, as Tiki put it, whenever his critics reared their opinions, it always drove him to perform better because they showed him his faults.
So wait a minute. Was Tiki actually trying to help Manning?
I doubt it. Tiki has to realize that he and Manning are two different people who get their motivation from different stimulants. Just because Tiki relishes the harsh words of his critics doesn’t mean that Manning is of that school of thought. If Tiki thinks that playing the role of Eli’s most prominent critic is going to help the young quarterback perform better on all levels, then he’s just not thinking this through.
I’m well aware of the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” I don’t think there’s a journalist out there who hasn’t had a personality clash with a figure they’ve covered – and I’m certainly no exception. But there comes a time when you have to just walk away from a situation and let it go, else you risk ruining your credibility, even if what you say is in jest or if you have a hidden agenda.
In my honest view, I think Tiki is taking a huge risk with his credibility in attacking his former teammates. The sooner he can learn to say “no comment” instead of taking the bait every time someone puts it out there, the better for all involved.
If Tiki is sincere in what he said, that he lets his critics point out his flaws so he can rectify them, then I certainly hope that come Wednesday when the story makes the back pages of the New York papers, he reads the columns carefully and rectifies this self-destructive flaw he seems to have developed every time Eli Manning or Tom Coughlin is mentioned.
Thanks for reading.
Posted by ptraina at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
http://insidefootball.com/blog/
