Time to Say Good-Bye
By Ken Berger
Well, my worst fear has come true: Cimini has scooped me on the news of my own departure.
It’s true, after six seasons, plus six months, three weeks, and two days of the Eric Mangini Era, I will be leaving the Jets beat to become Newsday’s NBA columnist. Tom Rock already looks to have settled nicely into my corner seat in the media room between Cimini and Hutch. He’ll do a great job, when he’s not being pelted by crumpled up paper balls.
As Neil Best was reported to have said near the end of his nine-year tenure as Newsday’s Giants beat writer, “I’ve wasted the best years of my life in this room.” I say that jokingly, and I know he did, too. This has been a better, more enjoyable experience than I ever imagined when I arrived six years ago to chronicle the one-and-done exploits of Al Groh.
I can say that I was good for a few laughs. A couple of my favorite competitors have come and gone over the years, but this room from Day One has been a better place than anyone could hope to work because of the people working in it. I’ve worked a lot of places, and I find it hard to believe that there is a newspaper beat in the country that measures up.
I came in with the Shaun Ellis-John Abraham-Chad Pennington-Anthony Becht draft class, and from the looks of things a few months ago, Ellis was going to be the only one to outlast me. Not so. Rarely have I seen so many bad things happen to as good and honest a guy as Pennington in sports, and now I am leaving just when he appears to be getting some of the good stuff that he deserves. It would have been unprofessional to openly root for someone I was covering, but now that I no longer have that conflict, I will be rooting hard for him.
I doubt I will ever cover anyone like Curtis Martin again. He couldn’t have been more gracious, accommodating, or professional. I hope things work out for him, too.
Pete Kendall was the funniest guy I met here, by a lot. Randy Thomas was the hungriest. Kareem McKenzie was the biggest and most interesting to talk with about things other than football. Victor Green would say anything you wanted him to say, which came in handy.
It wasn’t all hearts and flowers. I never got stuffed into a locker like Steve Serby, but I did get the nickname “Little Media Man,” courtesy of Laveranues Coles. Ironically, the first Jets story I wrote when I joined the beat was about Coles. Things deteriorated when I tried to talk with him after practice one day, and he informed me, “Ain’t no media allowed in here.”
“Actually, we’re allowed in the locker room after practice now,” I replied.
“Why don’t you go to Jillian’s or something and get a job,” Coles said.
“This is my job,” I said.
Then came the line that still gets repeated from time to time here in the room.
“That ain’t no job, writin’ paragraphs,” Coles said.
I still have a few paragraphs to write before my new assignment begins. And a few thoughts left to share.
I couldn’t be happier to hear that Jamie Henderson will graduate from the University of Georgia on Saturday. Whenever I think of him, I am reminded that terrible things can happen to any of us at any moment, but also that it’s not what happens to us that matters, but how we handle it.
I know I will catch heat for this, but I hope Herm does well in Kansas City. Despite what some of you think about him, he taught me a lot about football. He also taught me an important measure of people: Good people treat you with respect even before you’ve earned it.
I meant what I said in the blog yesterday, and what I’ve touched on in print from time to time. Although Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum will be no picnic for the writers, I am as certain as I can be that they will do a good job here. I’ve known Mike for six years and Mangini for six months, but I can assure you that in terms of football and having a plan, this place is in good hands.
The hardest day for me this season will be Nov. 12, when the Jets play at New England. My father lived about 45 minutes from Foxboro, and I always looked forward to that trip. He would meet me at the Providence Marriott, where the writers and often the team stayed, and we’d sit at the bar and watch a college football game and then go out to dinner at a spectacular fish restaurant called Hemenway’s.
He died last year on Thanksgiving Day. My first game back was at New England on Dec. 4, the day after my 35th birthday. I walked into that hotel lobby, and I’m not kidding when I say I was looking for my father.
My colleagues joined my brother and I for the customary dinner at Hemenway’s the night before the game. I will never forget how Jim Corbett, who used to cover for the Journal News, made long-distance arrangements for a bottle of Pinot Noir to be delivered to our table with a heartfelt note that I still have.
The Jets lost, 16-3, and I was numb the entire game. It’ll be strange not to be at the next one, but I’ll be watching.
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Comments (22)
Ken --
Thank you for everything, especially your consistently objective, insightful and -- most importantly -- excellent reporting. Good luck with your new beat, although why anyone would pick the NBA over the NFL is beyond me.
I hope Cimini at least paid for drinks when they all took you out.
It was burf who drove you off, wasn't it? ;-) Aye, tis a heavy burden a Jets beat writer carries, lad. Well, stepping down to the NBA should give you plenty of time to rest.
Yeah, JF... the *plot* worked to perfection ;)
Hey Ken... good luck in your new world. To me, you & Lange are the most credible reads, in Jetslandistan, and you will be missed.
By the way... thanks for sharing the personal notes today... I know it aint easy, doing so as a public person.
Sorry to hear about your dad... kudos to you for being a professional during those trying times.
I'll miss that professionalism... good luck, and take care, hombre!
Thanks for everything, especially this last piece. I woke up this morning after reading an interesting piece on Mangold wondering just what it would be like to spend time with the guys on the field. Its nice to know that you, who had a pretty good chance to do just that, can confirm for us that many of the guys we think have good hearts and good personalities actually do. And kudos for your Pennington comment. I know his remarks about the media not too long ago (the "privilege") seemed foolish and immature, but I always think of him as a top notch competitor and person. Its nice to hear you echo that.
Finally, I really enjoyed your sincere remembrance of your father. My father took me to my first Jets game (1986 Jets-Miami at the Meadowlands.) Sports is such a powerful conduit for fathers and sons to get closer to one-another. I know I'll never forget those memories, and its clear neither have or will you. My condolences and my best.
Ken,
Very nice post...exactly why I read blogs. Lots of Jets memories with my Dad as well, he recently passed away and this will be the first season I won't get to do the post-game call with him. Enjoy the new gig, hope the new guy picks up the blog and feeds our need for all things Jets.
An articulate and touching post from start to finish. I'll miss your thoughts, but I'll be rooting hard for Penny, right along with you. Best of luck at your new gig.
Great post and thanks foor the fine work over the years. You'll be missed by us Jets fans.
Your anecdote about your Dad was quite moving, and an example of the best of the blogosphere.
i cant believe you are leaving me. the nba? do you really like basketball that much. i guess you want to be shaun powell.
well good luck to you. i hope you have a blog over there.
Ken,
That was a great story about your father.
I hope you enjoy the NBA beat as much as you enjoyed the Jets. I know you'll do just as well.
Good luck.
-MC
Jesus Christ. Out of the Jets frying pan and into the Knicks fire. You poor bastard. Keep your head down and your helmet on. Good luck.
Mr Berger,
I guess "someone with knowledge of the Post's thinking" got to Cimini...or was that "someone with direct knowledge" of Post's inner workings??? Either way...covering the Knicks you can easily use those terms.. because we all know there isn't anyone working for the knicks who have any knowledge about anything..so your fantasy insiders can continue on...
Ken, thanks for the great coverage, and also for these last wonderful insights into your relationship with your father. Seriously, they were very touching.
I must note, however, that Herm taught you so much about football that you've been immediately shipped off to cover the NBA. I believe in logic that's referred to as an appeal to inapprpriate authority, like asking Richard Simmons for fashion advice.
Anyway, good luck Ken, covering the NBA. Maybe you'll be around that beat long enough to break the story on how David Stern plans to make the NBA not suck anymore (good luck with that).
I gather Tom Rock will be taking over the blog. Will the name change to something like the Rock Pile?
Ken,
Thanks for everything. You will always be the one who brought the Jets Beat writers into modern times by starting the first blog. Thanks!
What a loss for the News! Sad to see you move on, especially since I don't follow the NBA as I do the NFL. Your talented writing and wit will be sorely missed. This new person has some big shoes to fill, even if they do belong to a Little Media Man...
Ken, it has been a pleasure reading your work over the past six years. Your words have always masterfully demonstrated your intelligence and passion for the game. Good luck in the future.
Writin' paragraphs 'bout the NBA ain't no job.
Trub87. Holla.
I'm sorry to see you go, I've enjoyed your coverage very much. I especially like how you treated Pennington in Your blog today. Make sure you tell that Bob Glauber a**hole where to go on the way across the hall. I read Newsday online everyday but will never read another article by "that"guy. Great story about your father too. Anyway, thank you, you write well.
Ken,
I read your goodbye blog and wish you all the best with the new column. I've always loved your Jets stuff and dabbled with some of your NASCAR columns. You may or may not remember me, but I interned for jetsinsider.com last summer and for Newsday.com, too. I sat right by the podium. Anyway, like I said, I've always been a fan of your Jets stuff, so best of luck dealing with the personalities in the NBA.
Wow! I say this as an unprejudiced member of the "Berger Admiration Club". I know zero about football, basketball and every sport under the sun. But, I can certainly recognize talent, respect, admiration and humility when I see it. Your father is beaming with pride at your professional success as well as your natural talent of expressing your true feelings. I share in his joy!
-aunt h
Wow! I say this as an unprejudiced member of the "Berger Admiration Club". I know zero about football, basketball and every sport under the sun. But, I can certainly recognize talent, respect, admiration and humility when I see it. Your father is beaming with pride at your professional success as well as your natural talent of expressing your true feelings. I share in his joy!
-aunt h
Good luck as you move on & away from the Jets. The NBA, what Newsday didn't have a space for you in the Baghdad bureau?Being away from NY your writing was important to stay close to home. Your story of your Dad was touching as so many of us have looked for our Dad in familar places & can only see him in our hearts.