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One of the funny things that I remember is when I was working at a newspaper in Kentucky.
I had made a prediction in the Friday newspaper that this particular school that I covered
at that time was going to lose the next day on Saturday. And they were playing a team
that really was better than them, and had won some national championships--and the game
was even on the road for the school I was covering. So, you know, every Friday I make
my prediction in the paper, and I said that I thought this team I covered was going to
get beat. So, the team I covered ends up winning the game, and I come out on my column in Monday's
paper saying I guess I have to eat crow because I was wrong, and I admit it. I go to the coaches
press luncheon on Tuesday, and he comes out with a plastic crow laying on a plate with
a fork and knife for me, and he's got it covered with a napkin, and he pulls the napkin off
and says I'd like to present this to Brett. And he kind of did this in front of everybody,
and he hands me this crow--plastic crow laying on a plate like it was time for me to eat
crow. I thought it was great. I thought it was funny. I didn't have any problem with
it. It was good that he had a sense of humor about the fact I hadn't picked his team to
win. So that was one that I still remember, and some of my friends actually still talk
about. That was a good moment. One of the things I really like most about being a sports
writer is that it's a daily challenge for me, working here in Nashville, Tennessee--thousands
of people are going to read what I write. So there's a little bit of pressure that comes
with that. But I also love the challenge of it, because I like the fact that I need to
produce something that is factually correct and interesting enough for these people to
want to pick up and read, not only tomorrow, but the next day and the next day and the
next day. So each day, it's kind of a challenge to craft something, to put it together, and
make it interesting. And sometimes it's a little daunting when it's eleven o'clock and
you've got thirty more minutes to finish your deadline--to make your deadline--but I also
really like the challenge of that.