Who was that Fiesta Bowl sideline reporter?
I had never watched Fox sideline reporter Laura Okmin cover a game before Wednesday night’s Fiesta Bowl. I figured she must be new to covering football the way she gushed about the jubiliation on West Virginia’s sidelines or wondered why senior fullback Owen Schmitt was sobbing during her postgame interview. I thought she was clueless and green. I was wrong about her being inexperienced. Looking up her bio on the Web, I found out she graduated with honors from KU. (Actually, she probably didn’t really see much football there as the school hasn’t had much of a program until recent years). She went on to become a field producer for ESPN in 1993 and has worked at TV stations in Montgomery, Ala., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Chicago. She joined “Totally Football” in 2003.
As usual, Fox’s coverage left a lot to be desired. When the network covers only five college football games a year, it’s hard to know much about the sport. Matt Vasgerian was a lame play-by-play announcer, making numerous mistakes. (No, it wasn’t the first time OU went for a two-point conversion this season). Vasgerian did have a good line on Schmitt’s 63-yard touchdown run, referring to him as a “runaway beer truck.” A three-man booth is too crowded. Former USC quarterback Pat Haden was the most insightful, and I’m sure he was glad to cover someone other than a lackluster Notre Dame team for NBC. Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue didn’t add much.
I should have listened to the game on ESPN Radio. I’d like to think Sean McDonough, Bob Davie and Holly Rowe would have done a better job. At least, they are familiar with college football and the Sooners.Thom Brennaman and the underrated Charles Davis likely will do a better job Monday night for Fox, covering the BCS National Championship game. Chris Meyers will work the sidelines.
Terry Awards: Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw announced his annual Terry Awards on last Sunday’s “NFL Sunday” pregame show. The list:
Good Hire Award: Dolphins Executive VP of Football Operations Bill Parcells.
Next Coach Fired Award: Dolphins coach Cam Cameron.
Mr. Under-Appreciated Award: Jaguars RB Fred Taylor.
The (Adrian) Peterson Award: Vikings offensive line.
Player of the Year: Patriots QB Tom Brady.
Coach of the Year: Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
Assistant Coach of the Year: Buccaneers defensive backs xoach Raheem Morris.
Kicker of the Year: Cowboys Nick Folk.
Profile In Courage Award: Bills TE Kevin Everett.
Good Deed Award: Chiefs OT Kyle Turley.
Benedict Arnold Trophy: Ex-Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino.
Best Team Turnaround: Cleveland Browns.
Worst Move of the Year: The NFL for the 12th straight year without a team in Los Angeles.
Front Office Man of the Year: Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli.
Owner Of The Year: Buccaneers WR Joey Galloway for his Tampa vitamin and smoothie shop.
Best Player 5’8” Or Under: Colts S Bob Sanders.
Mr. Remarkable Award: Packers QB Brett Favre.
Clemens special: ESPN will present a one-hour SportsCenter special at 4 p.m. Monday, including live coverage of Roger Clemens’ press conference in Houston. Monday will mark Clemens’ first press conference since his name was mentioned in former U.S. Senator George Mitchell’s report on drugs in Major League Baseball. Clemens’ news conference will come less than 24 hours after his “60 Minutes” interview with Mike Wallace.
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