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Jim Miller Glad ESPN Was Willing To Cooperate On Book After Initial Resistance

Jim Miller said he was "gratified" ESPN chose to cooperate with the writing of "Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World Of ESPN" because "the first year they did not cooperate." Miller, who co-wrote the book with Tom Shales, revealed he "spent that year talking to people who were no longer there and also competitors." Miller: "I guess the network realized that the book was going to go on with or without their cooperation and they made the decision to cooperate." Miller: "Once they made that decision they were incredibly participatory and really never denied access to anybody" ("Street Signs," CNBC, 5/25). Miller said Tom Rinaldi was the only ESPN personality who declined to participate with the project. Miller, referring to Rinaldi's March '10 interview with Tiger Woods, said, "I wanted to talk with him afterwards about that experience and see if there was anything that we didn’t hear from all the coverage. He said ‘No, I don’t do interviews. I don’t want to talk’" ("The Dan Patrick Show," 5/25).

AN ORAL HISTORY: The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR's Husna Haq wrote, "Weaving 550 interviews into a seamless, entertaining, oral story is harder than it seems -- much easier, in fact, to craft a narrative in one's own words." But Miller and Shales were "able to get hundreds of people, from cameramen to on-air personalities, even Barack Obama, to talk." Haq: "Even more impressive, reviewers say, it works -- most of the time" (CSMONITOR.com, 5/26). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Andy Lewis wrote the book's quotes "flow seamlessly, and the voices are fresh and vibrant, but there are moments you wish the authors would referee competing stories directly, and the book could use a stronger organizational hand." Still, the "oral-history formula certainly makes the book more fun to read." Meanwhile, embedded in the book is the "story of the transition from a network-dominated world to a cable-dominated one." The net's "failures are just as interesting," and the "way ESPN gutted ABC Sports ... is presented as a tragedy" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/25). In Miami, Barry Jackson writes, "There's plenty that would interest loyal viewers, most programming and personnel decisions and conflicts between ESPN personalities. But there's plenty that lacks mainstream appeal, including comings and going of off-air executives" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/27). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay wrote the book "recalls the real moments that made the network: its televised drafts, its strangely irresistible yacht racing coverage, a Jim Gray scramble for Eric Dickerson trade news, the rise of the irreverent 'SportsCenter,' the brave efforts of female staff to curb workplace harassment." It at times "can feel like the world's longest cab ride home from the company Christmas party, as current and former ESPN employees describe, sometimes decades removed, the various ways in which their contributions have been under-appreciated or stymied by co-workers and the network itself" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/25). In Houston, David Barron writes there are some "good stories here, and some people speak fondly of colleagues and of accomplishments individual and corporate, but this is not a particularly happy read" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 5/27).

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH
: Dan Patrick worked at ESPN for 18 years before launching his syndicated radio show, and he said the execs at ESPN "mentally beat you up." Patrick: "You’re in this vacuum and they’re controlling the air you breathe. It’s ‘The Truman Show.’" He noted former ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Production Mark Shapiro "was an ass to me." Patrick: "You don’t have a boss that was there to be in unison with you. ... I wanted to kick his ass. I did want to fight him.” He added, "It took 18 years where you’re in this abusive relationship, but you’re not leaving the abusive relationship. At least that’s how I felt." However, Patrick also said, "Look, I love the place. For 15 years, it was great. I love the people. I love the product. I was proud of it. It’s the people who came in who didn’t value people who put in the time and effort. Not just talent, but all the great people behind the scenes. That’s what bothered me more than anything” ("The Dan Patrick Show," 5/25).

BECOMING THE STORY
: SI's Jack McCallum writes "one of the best aspects of 'Those Guys' is the willingness of several personalities to talk about their errors along with their hits." But the book raises the question of "how much is fair to cover about the private lives of people who bring us the news." McCallum: "There's nothing in the book to suggest that the dozens of outstanding journalists at ESPN won't continue to be heard. ... There's also nothing to suggest that the $7 billion phenomenon will not get even bigger and more powerful, morphing further into some unholy compound of celebrity, self-promotion, game-presentation and journalism" (SI, 5/30 issue).

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