the 4th star

Let us ponder for a second, the comments from Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson. From TSN, a man who is clearly addicted to frustration:

“Actually at the end of the day, you guys shouldn’t even watch us practice. This is the only sport where the media will report what you said to a player on the field of battle. You can’t do it in football, baseball or basketball. How many basketball practices have you ever been to? None. This is our office and it should be off-limits.”

Wilson’s rant on how traditional hockey media access is partially responsible for his team’s struggling existence was quite comical today, especially after using that same media to light a fire under his hapless charges. But before we all try to stop laughing at the simplistic contradiction Wilson provides, let’s actually consider the big picture point of his tantrum paint brush.

We’ve seen football teams go out of their way to limit media accessibility to practices, for fear that the television cameras — the lenses usually focusing in on one specific player or coach — will reveal an offensive scheme or a trick formation on the 6 o’clock news. For an example of this, check out the media guide for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this past season. There have also been instances where paranoid coaches have limited not only workout time but also measured own comments regarding the team of their employ. The rationale: Opposing media, strangers and unfamiliar faces that obviously cannot be trusted, will report what they hear to the opposing coach. Alias is a spy!

An update on Jones and the ankle?

Good.

Will he play Saturday?

Good.

During the AHL playoffs one year, I remember one hockey coach going out of his way to not mention players names, for fear of the other room picking up on line combinations in the paper the next day. Former Manitoba Moose and current Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle used to be completely paranoid about this. He believed rivals read what the papers were saying about his team, and using that information, they could somehow gleam a competitive advantage. Of course, Carlyle was never a friendly face to the media. If he could turn a simple hello into an ‘us vs. them’ situation, he’d take it. Adversity, thy name is Randy.

Here in Winnipeg, there is no real limit to media access in baseball. It used to be wide open. You needed to interview a player. No problem, just grab him after he gets out of the cage. Since Rick Forney assumed the controls in Goldeyeland a few years ago, things have tightened a bit. Talk to a player before or after batting practice — not during. A minor inconvenience, but certainly fair to everyone involved. I’m not sure what the protocol is in Major League Baseball, but I think media access is along the same lines. Before and after.

Of course, Wilson is not talking about interview time. He’s referring to the actual practice time on the ice where print people, radio guys, television talent and anyone else with some reason for sitting in the lower bowl are allowed to watch the team work on the power play. So a coach yells at a player at practice — everyone can hear it. That’s how it is at the rink, and that’s why Wilson’s little drama is interesting. It makes you wonder when hockey will get to the stage of limiting media practice viewing. It probably closer than most of us think.

When it happens, though, a whole new can of worms will be opened. The scorned media, upset that they can no longer do an important part of their job, will really turn the heat on struggling teams who are obviously trying to hide something. Who will Wilson blame then? And the dance continues…