Reaching Out

"I wonder what it's like to be the rainmaker
I wonder what it's like to know that I make the rain"
--Real World, Matchbox 20

I hope that someday, when I've "arrived" in the business and have become the executive producer of a show (the "rainmaker," if you will), I'll be able to show the same giving spirit to aspiring producers that I've been shown by those far more accomplished in this business. I continue to be amazed by the willingness of others to reach out and teach me, no matter their perceived place on the ladder.
This pretty much started with Bill Plaschke, whose encouraging e-mails and lunch meetings were totally unexpected and incredibly inspiring as I started to undertake my first real sportswriting job. Dallas Raines introduced me to everyone at KABC News (the dip-packing Rob Fukuzaki and Jeanie Zelasko's husband Curt Sandoval included) and tried his darndest to get me a job over there, eventually settling for an internship that I never took. Jeff Michael did the same at KTTV, and the sports producer let me hang out there for a day and see everything they do; when he left and a guy got promoted, Jeff tried to get me a job there as well.
Anyways, now that I've been here at Best Damn for a while, I've certainly been able to learn from some amazing people on staff (Chris Rose, a consummate professional, and a few of my superiors), and now the latest: Adrian Wojnarowski, the author of the amazing St. Anthony book I lauded yesterday, is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com in addition to his book authorship and regular gig with The Record (a New Jersey newspaper). I e-mailed him upon my completion of the book and told him how much I enjoyed it, and he actually called me shortly after receiving the e-mail (my office number is signed on the bottom of my work e-mails) last Friday. I was out of the office, so we've gone back and forth a few times now (he's flying to St. Louis today, so he's calling me tomorrow morning), but he's already mentioned a few writing things and said he hopes to explain more about the book-writing process (I'm in the very early stages of a few ideas for doing just that) in an actual conversation.
Now I know it's not like these guys are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant or something like that, but in their field, I think Plaschke and Wojnarowski are two of the best I've ever read (I put John Feinstein ahead of both; after that, not too many on the list), and they've both been amazingly gracious to somebody who is in no position to even do them any favors. Maybe I shouldn't be shocked by an individual acting unselfishly, but the world and our culture sort of lend themselves to a more cynical view of people (and the "industry" is the same way: always wondering what someone has to gain when they give you something or help out in some way).
It would be nice if we lived in a world where people did stuff like this all the time: the older, more experienced and accomplished individuals would raise up others to be like them, and even to exceed their accomplishments. Theoretically, that's the value of having a guy like John Salley on your team if you're the 2000 Lakers or David Wells on your staff if you're the 2004 Padres. Not all of those seasoned veterans are so generous (I don't even know if Salley or Wells were, but this is hypothetical anyway), but when it happens, the young guys benefit immensely. Kobe said he learned more from Byron Scott his rookie year than he could have learned from any coach (so maybe it would have been better to learn from Magic--leading a championship team rather than being a big part of one, but we can't be too picky here).
As it is, I think these sorts of things are indeed rare, and I consider myself privileged beyond belief to have people of this caliber helping me along the way. I had the opportunity to interview a college student two weeks ago for a summer internship and started to think about how I might be able to give this guy some hands-on experience, teach him at least some of the stuff I've been able to learn here, if he gets hired. Whether it's this summer or in the distant future, I can only hope I'll be able to reciprocate someday.
Line of the day: Standard Stephon Marbury, with three numbers that matter. 45 points, 10 assists and one big loss to the Lakers (hallelujah, the streak is over). This guy has had a lot more time to run a team and try to win than Kobe has, and he continues to fail in that area. Great numbers, nothing to show for it.
Rumors abound regarding the Niners and their possible trade of the number one overall pick in next month's draft, reportedly to the Chargers for Philip Rivers. I doubt the legitimacy of said rumor, but I don't know that I'd be able to control my enthusiasm if it indeed takes place. Three number one picks, including the top overall selection? Wow. I need to wait until it happens to get really excited, but we could add Braylon Edwards (Brees' top target for the next ten years), a pass-rusher and a lineman or a DB, all in the first round. Wow.