Pictures Flying Through The Air

A couple of thoughts went through my mind as I reviewed this series of interviews featuring sports journalist and former talk show host Bob Costas. The first was that the interviews hold up surprisingly well, despite being more than 15 years old. Snyder and Costas compared notes on dated material such as the end of Bob’s run on “Later,” the big baseball strike, and Ken Burns’ “Baseball” documentary. While the specific references might not be fresh in the minds of most people, the substance of the interviews seems to stand the test of time. The second thought I had was that, for reasons I cannot explain logically, I could watch Bob Costas read classified ads out of the back of a Los Angeles Times and be entertained. He is immanently watchable, and the excitement and enthusiasm he brings to certain topics is infectious.

Costas was only in studio with Snyder for one segment, and then only briefly. The other two interviews feature Bob speaking from a remote location. Anyone wondering exactly how stupid one must feel sitting in a remote location should check out the first segment (from Tom’s CNBC show), which features a “tour” of the facility that will make you laugh. For the most part, such facilities are glorified broom closets, as this clip demonstrates.

Another clip features Bob’s ability to multi-task, as he is able to carry on a conversation with Tom while watching the last few minutes of an NBA playoff game on a monitor just off camera.

Those who know me know I have little interest in sports, so for me to find these interviews interesting says a lot about the people involved. Costas goes into sometimes lengthy, most times comedic descriptions of changes to the structure of professional baseball, the legacy of a strike that resulted in an unfinished season, and the strangeness of a documentary about baseball not including interviews of baseball players talking about their greatest moments. None of these topics matter to me, but I found myself compelled to watch them, and continue to watch them years later.

Tom Snyder has been dead for a few years, but Bob Costas is still alive and kicking. Can somebody please find a place for him on a broadcast network? He is capable of more than color-commentating a Clippers game.

Next time: Dennis Prager, and the lost ideal of the compassionate conservative