Rob Parker of the Detroit News

Rob Parker, a reporter for the Detroit News is an idiot. Why is he an idiot? I'll explain in due time. I'm not going to claim to know a lot about Mr. Parker because I didn't know who he was until today. So mission accomplished on his part.

Yesterday during the post game press conference for the 0-15 Detroit Lions, Parker, as he's done all season, asked Coach Rod Marinelli if he would fire his defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Barry just so happens to be Marinelli's son-in-law. Every week Parker has continued to ask this question after each game, this is according to Parker himself. Yesterday he decided to cross the line. He asked Marinelli if he wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator. That question is completely inappropriate, and he actually tried to justify this stupid comment as an attempt at humor. Seriously people! He said that he was trying to make light of the situation. Ask yourself this...if you were Marinelli would you have picked up the podium and thrown it at him? I wouldn't have, but that's only because I'm weak and I probably wouldn't be able to pick it up.

Parker's excuse was probably as much of an insult to Marinelli as the quesion originally posed. Parker tries to make himself seem like a concerned parent. He said he was "trying to get Marinelli to lighten up, have some fun after a rough day." Go read his excuse athttp://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081222/OPINION03/812220369/1004 . After being criticized on national TV one of his ego defense mechanism's kicked in. Rationalization, which is supplying a logical or rational reason as opposed to the real reason. In other words, his excuse was him trying to make it seem as if he was trying to be a comedian instead of a sports reporter. But in my opinion he feels as if he is at a point where he wishes to persue further national exposure.
He is a frequent guest on ESPN's "ESPN First Take." Parker is probably anxious to be like Stephen A. Smith who rose to fame as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Smith no longer works for the Inquirer because he too was in search of more fame (which is their every right.) Parker's quesion was premeditated and was an attempt to make himself popular for asking tough questions. I believe he wants to work more on radio and TV as opposed to working at the Detroit News.

Parkers question was inappropriate, it was unprofessional. His apology was weak at best. The problem with sports reporters is they are all failing miserably at their jobs. Their job is to ask questions that the fans want answered. It's not to ask questions to give themselves more exposure and become a household name. I don't want to see Parker fired though. Even though his question was classless, I firmly believe everyone deserves a second chance. Although many detroit sports fans feel as if Parker has had several. I want to see if Parker can become a better reporter after this. Even professionals, no matter how unprofessional they may be, need to learn from their mistakes as well as us fans. Hopefully, he learned not to ask stupid questions.




I apologize if my grammer, puncuation and spelling are poor. I have absolutely no writing ability, but I'd like to try and voice my opinions on sports and other things. If you like my opinion please feel free to read it and check back on occassions for new blogs. If you don't agree with me, leave a comment. I am the type where if I feel like I've been proved wrong I will admit that I am wrong.