It began as some sort of an “inside” story by KCSP 610 Sports talk show host Danny Parkins about an incident involving veteran Kansas City Star sports reporter Randy Covitz and Kansas City Royal third baseman Mike Moustakas after a recent Royals loss to Minnesota.
Basically, Parkins told a story about how Covitz attempted to interview Moose Moustakas while he was getting dressed after the game. Moustakas, who was brought up from the minors last June, reportedly blew off Covitz’s attempt to interview him twice, the second time flatly telling Covitz he wasn’t talking. However, Moustakas then did interviews with radio folks.
“The point is that you have a guy who is a potential budding superstar, a 23-year-old player, who has enough moxie and self-confidence to basically punk a veteran reporter more than 20 years his senior in front of a bunch of his colleagues,” reported Parkins.
Parkins’ remarks might have been relegated to his listening audience, however, when sports blogger Greg Hall posted Parkins’ remarks they seemed to take on a whole new life.
Bottom Line’s John Landsberg, who began his career as a sportswriter and has written a sports column for more than two decades, weighed in on Hall’s site noting that Moustakas’s treating of a veteran sportswriter who was likely facing a tough deadline at the area’s biggest media outlet was not a wise move.
Then veteran TV sports reporter Dave Stewart (KMBC and Metro Sports) weighed in on the topic basically agreeing with Landsberg’s views. Hall took Stewart’s feedback and wrote a second column.
Hall and a number of anonymous posters took the opposite side of the issue and most praised Moustakas for his actions.
However, no one bothered to ask Covitz about his side of the story—until now.
“This is totally much ado about nothing,” he told Bottom Line. “It’s hard to believe a talk-show host finds this such a hot topic worth valuable air time.”
Here is how the whole incident went down, according to Covitz, who was named the “Joe McGuff Lifetime Achievement Award” winner last year. He has been at the Star since 1981.
“The Royals’ 10-7 loss that night ended about 10:15, and the clubhouse didn’t open until after 10:30, giving me 45 minutes to hear Yost defend his decison to order a bunt in a tied game in the fourth inning, get some player reaction and race upstairs to write a 20-inch gamer.
“Yost answered the questions, losing pitcher Will Smith was gracious in discussing surrendering three home runs and Jarred Dyson answered a question about taking a third strike after the bunt. I didn’t need much else for my story, other than some comments from the Twins across the hall, but I saw Moustakas sitting at his locker, and considering he hit a home run with two doubles, I thought I’d get a quick comment from him.
“Yes, he was half dressed, but there were no TV cameras around, which is one reason you often have to wait for players to get their shirts on. PR man David Holtzman asked me to wait for Moose to get dressed, and I said, sure. Moose left to go brush his teeth, so I waited around with the group of radio and web folks, even though time was running short.
“Moose returned, and as he slipped on his shirt and flip flops, I approached him again. I didn’t have time to wait for a pack interview, I just wanted one or two sentences on his performance. When he brushed me off, and said he “wasn’t talking until tomorrow”, I had to bolt, but said he “needed to be a professional.”
“I’m glad he eventually consented to a group interview with the radio guys, but I didn’t have the luxury of time with an 11:15 deadline.”
Covitz says he never heard a word from the Royals about the situation, and didn’t expect to. He felt it was no big deal and something that happens in locker rooms every day.
“No one asked me to apologize for anything, and I don’t have any axe to grind with Moustakas,” he says.
Covitz concluded with his thoughts on the entire situation and the feedback the entire incident has received.
“I appreciate your understanding the situation as well as other old-school journalists like Dave Stewart who remember when athletes appreciated that we have a job to do, too,” he says.
“It’s funny that those most critical with my “clumsy” approach in deadline settings have never walked in my shoes.”