The fantastic four

I found this over at Jim Romensko's blog, which is an embarrassment of riches for media junkies. This is one of those stories that gets (quietly) mentioned every year, but the actual number keeps shrinking, and the longevity becomes more impressive. As a kid who wanted to be a sportswriter when he grew up, I was kind of awed by this. Only four sportswriters have covered all 38 Super Bowls: Jerry Izenberg of The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., Edwin Pope of The Miami Herald, Jerry Green of The Detroit News, and Bob Oates of the Los Angeles Times.

I don't know if either of these guys has written a book about the experience, but one of them should. I'd read it, anyway. I'd love to see what they think about how the hype leading up to the big game has changed over the years. For instance, did any of you watch the "highlights" from Super Bowl media day yesterday on the news or ESPN? A bunch of guys trying to concoct stories, making proverbial mountains out of molehills. Actual journalists jostling for space with phoney "correspondents" from MTV, Nickelodeon, or "Entertainment Tonight." I'd go straight to the bar afterwards and ask for my own bottle of scotch.

The best stupid question at Super Bowl media day? In 1988 (Super Bowl XXII), someone asked Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, "How long have you been a black quarterback?"