Alysa's email to Randy Smith on his Geno column

[HuskyNan]

An Open Letter to Randy Smith of the Chattanoogan

Nicely done, Alysa.

 

[HuskyNan]

And Randy Smith's reponse

Nicely done as well, Randy.

 

[RoyDodger]

And Randy Smith's reponse

Nicely done as well, Randy.

I could not resist sending Mr. Smith the following email with regard to the name he applies the UConn Huskies (the email was entitled "For the Record):

In your recent retraction of your column about Geno Auriemma and his comments with regard to Pat Summitt, you refer to the UConn women's basketball team as the "Lady Huskies." Well, the University of Tennessee women's team may well be the "Lady Vols," something I consider sexist as the men's team is not known as the "Gentlemen Vols" or something like that, but please note that the UConn women's basketball team is known as the Huskies, just like the men's team. The term "Lady" is not part of their team title.

 

[ThisJustIn]

something I consider sexist as the men's team is not known as the "Gentlemen Vols" or something like that,

Ahhh, I have taught you well, grasshopper!

 

[vtcwbuff]

Kudos to Smith for having the stones to admit publicly that he made a mistake.

 

[RoyDodger]

On the subject of the use of the term "Lady" in the titles of women's sports teams, here's an interesting article from 2007:

Civil Actions- 'Lady" Interrupted

 

[RoyDodger]

Kudos to Smith for having the stones to admit publicly that he made a mistake.

Sort of a begrudging admission:

Smith: "To me, those words, just as they were presented in the article, still sound a bit arrogant."

 

[UcMiami]

Thought his response was very good - including the admission that he did not follow his journalistic responsibility of fully researching what he wrote (not a small admission for anyone.)
And as for Alysa - very well written.

 

[Phil]

I sent an email as well, and thanked him for the gracious apology.

 

[Kevin G]

Who are the Lady Huskies?!

 

[Adesmar123]

sounds like he got a wopping? wopping? whooping? wooping?

 

[Icebear]

Randy's response was fine but Ally's was a wonderful piece of writing and one of the reasons I have come to truly enjoy her work. It is always intelligent, passionate, humorous, and above all articulate. I expect that we are a long way from the end of her journey as a writer. I look forward to enjoying every minute of the trip.

 

[cferraro04]

All I can say is wow! If our politicians can learn from these two the body politic just might return to civil discourse once again.

 

[psconn]

I could not resist sending Mr. Smith the following email with regard to the name he applies the UConn Huskies (the email was entitled "For the Record):

In your recent retraction of your column about Geno Auriemma and his comments with regard to Pat Summitt, you refer to the UConn women's basketball team as the "Lady Huskies." Well, the University of Tennessee women's team may well be the "Lady Vols," something I consider sexist as the men's team is not known as the "Gentlemen Vols" or something like that, but please note that the UConn women's basketball team is known as the Huskies, just like the men's team. The term "Lady" is not part of their team title.

43 years a sports journalist and doesn't know, or care enough to find out, the name of the team he is discussing. Jerk. Here's my e-mail to him:


Thanks for the apology, but you are still stumbling…

How does a 43-year sports reporting veteran, especially one who seems to pride himself on being a thorough investigator (except just once, of course) not know the team name of the women’s basketball team that has dominated the sport for almost half of his career.

The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team is called the UConn Huskies. There is no “Lady” in our name, unlike those quaint throw backs to a by-gone, and somewhat sexist era proudly represented by the Bulldogs, Techsters , Vols, etc. Are you one of those fringe followers of the woman’s game who thinks that every team is called the “Lady Something-or-Others”?

Good luck to the Lady and Gentleman Vols next season (that is what the men’s team is called, right?), and see you in Nashville if your Ladies get to join us there.

 

[pppggg]

Imagine the piece he will write when Geno gets #9 on his home turf!

 

[Kait14]

An Open Letter to Randy Smith of the Chattanoogan

Nicely done, Alysa.

She was on fire about it on Twitter

 

[Samanthabrown3]

I could not resist sending Mr. Smith the following email with regard to the name he applies the UConn Huskies (the email was entitled "For the Record):

In your recent retraction of your column about Geno Auriemma and his comments with regard to Pat Summitt, you refer to the UConn women's basketball team as the "Lady Huskies." Well, the University of Tennessee women's team may well be the "Lady Vols," something I consider sexist as the men's team is not known as the "Gentlemen Vols" or something like that, but please note that the UConn women's basketball team is known as the Huskies, just like the men's team. The term "Lady" is not part of their team title.

I was hoping someone would say this to him. Fingernails on blackboard.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

sounds like he got a wopping? wopping? whooping? wooping?

One of my Southern colleagues referred to print that was askew (from a crummy copier, for instance) as "wopperjogged." Probably a variation of what Smith says is a Southernism. But I've used it ever since.

 

[Biff]

I could not resist sending Mr. Smith the following email with regard to the name he applies the UConn Huskies (the email was entitled "For the Record):

In your recent retraction of your column about Geno Auriemma and his comments with regard to Pat Summitt, you refer to the UConn women's basketball team as the "Lady Huskies." Well, the University of Tennessee women's team may well be the "Lady Vols," something I consider sexist as the men's team is not known as the "Gentlemen Vols" or something like that, but please note that the UConn women's basketball team is known as the Huskies, just like the men's team. The term "Lady" is not part of their team title.

I was hoping someone would say this to him. Fingernails on blackboard.

Well Mr. Smith has a bit of an excuse being he's from Lady Vol country. As I listened to WTIC radio's report on the Parade yesterday the reported opened with the "Lady Huskies".
If our own flagship station can allow it to happen, I guess we need to at least understand when an outsider does it (and of course e-mail him informing him of his error!)

 

[Icebear]

That was the intern from U of TN who made that mistake.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Elegantly done, Alysa...and you too, Randy...it does get tiring trying to convince folks that there are a few gentle people in the South...

 

[DobbsRover2]

And one thing to add about Alysa's piece is that she actually apologizes for Geno's mouth and the mistakes it's made. Naturally, we try to keep our mistakes under control, but anyone who is afraid to make mistakes cannot achieve greatness nor will they learn how to do things well or learn how to respond when everything goes batpoop on us. Geno has never been afraid to make mistakes in the quest to to get the truth and make things better, and that's a great tribute to him and his desire to help push for a higher-level game.

On the other hand, I am well aware that daughters can feel like strangling their dad when he says something smart-alecky that makes their dad look like more like their noogie-bait kid brother.

 

[EricLA]

Finally had a chance to read both. Great letter by Alyssa and very nice response by Randy Smith. I'm guessing now he's on the dart board for Tennessee fans as well. Any time you see an article favorable to Geno (especially when it's from ESPN, either in writing or during games by their commentators), that person suddenly becomes a lightning rod for disdain and disgust by their fans.

Still, I give him credit for doing some research AFTER he posted his original blog/article taking the quotes out of context. Wouldn't it have been nice, though, if he'd done his homework in the first place? It wasn't hard to find the entire quote.

 

[cabbie191]

I wrote to Smith on the 11th, encouraging him to listen to the entire interview and reconsider his stance. I didn't hear back but am glad that he had the integrity to do so and admit he was in error. With so many intentional false claims spread on the internet that in my opinion pollute our national dialogue, it's refreshing someone was willing to acknowledge his mistake.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I wrote to Smith on the 11th, encouraging him to listen to the entire interview and reconsider his stance. I didn't hear back but am glad that he had the integrity to do so and admit he was in error. With so many intentional false claims spread on the internet that in my opinion pollute our national dialogue, it's refreshing someone was willing to acknowledge his mistake.

I say that every day when I read about players from "other" teams