Kent Babb recalls “Arrowhead Anxiety” as he leaves for Washington, D.C.

[Hammock Parties]

This should proBabbly be it's own thread.

I'm just quoting the Chiefs parts of the interview.

http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2012/09/26/the-kansas-city-stars-former-chiefs-beat-reporter-kent-babb-recalls-arrowhead-anxiety-as-he-leaves-for-washington-dc



Your last few columns, including the most recent piece on Pioli, haven’t held anything back. Are these things you’ve been thinking for a while but are just now getting to write?


This past week’s column on Pioli, there was nothing personal about that. I was just pulling out the claws after a particularly embarrassing Chiefs loss.



You saw a very different side of Todd Haley in “Arrowhead Anxiety.” Do you believe Haley was actually scared?


I always liked Todd. He’s one of the most regular guys that I’ve covered. And one of the most unfortunate things about the Todd Haley era is that nobody else really saw that. I think he is a lot like you and me — he’s just a regular guy to have a beer with. He’d laugh at the same things. He just happened to be a football coach. Smart people can do anything they want to do. I don’t think he came out of the womb wanting to be a football coach, but he decided that was an avenue for success.

One of the saddest things, and the reason he got fired, is that he had to be a robot. He had to be this bland, boring, completely colorless person during press conferences, and that wasn’t Todd Haley. I do think he went overboard last season trying to be himself. That beard and nasty hat were his way of saying, “I’m not your robot anymore.”

There’s some level of revisionist thinking, but they kept talking about Pioli and Haley as this perfect marriage. These guys are enormously different people. It was funny for a while. There’s this fastidious, careful guy with his initials embroidered on his cuffs. And then the guy who, honest to God, had to borrow a necktie for his opening-day press conference.

I think Haley got some juice and got tired of being their puppet. A lot of luck led to the 2010 playoffs, and he misinterpreted it as some level of destiny. And he decided he wouldn’t follow the Chiefs’ insane rules. Professionally, and for sure personally, I’ve never seen anybody spit in the face of a set of rules like that.

I remember I was stunned when he approached me in the public-relations office. It wasn’t in an interview setting. I was thinking like I have to think in my job. Seconds after he talked to me, I went straight back to my computer. I wrote the lead, basically what was in the paper. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen as a reporter. I’ll probably go the rest of my career and not have such a candid moment, a moment like that, especially with an NFL head coach. It exemplified just how far he’d been pushed, that rare moment of being completely naked.


Are there stories that you wish you had more time to write or uncover while you were in Kansas City?


I really wish I wasn’t getting out of the Chiefs’ hair. I think they would have given me a lot of material this year. Scott Pioli is the gift that keeps on giving. He can’t not listen. He can’t not read. He can’t not care. I’ve never covered anybody who cares more about what is written about him. Frank Martin is number two. The louder and more often you say you don’t care, the more a lie it is.

[Ace Gunner]

thx for posting. I believe Haley is going to shit down Pioli's throat come november.

[Marcellus]

thx for posting. I believe Haley is going to shit down Pioli's throat come november.

Pioli and Haley will be on the field playing? That will be fun to watch!

[RealSNR]

Pioli and Haley will be on the field playing? That will be fun to watch!

Dude have you SEEN Haley's Magic deck? Oh man no way this is going to be a fair fight. Pioli's going DOWN!

[Trivers]

I LOVE how a single writer's opinion is taken as gospel.

[Marcellus]

I LOVE how a single writer's opinion is taken as gossip.

I SORT OF ENJOY how your post makes no sense.

[MMXcalibur]

I SORT OF ENJOY how your post makes no sense.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the warm, squishy feeling of a freshly shit-in pair of underwear.

[-King-]

Pioli vs. Haley


The douche-off to end all douche-offs.

[Dave Lane]

Can we now officially change RACs name to Piolibot?

[DaWolf]

Do you separate the Kent Babb of the Star and the Kent Babb who’s just watching the game?

When I’m on the radio, I make it very clear that I’m a representative of the Star and a reporter. Part of my personality has to be that the sky is not falling. One of the radio guys asked me basically to rip [Chiefs offensive coordinator] Brian Daboll after the first game. It’s the guy’s first year and first regular-season game. I think he should get the benefit of the doubt for a little while.
I don’t respond to the reactionary side of journalism. If you fire Ned Yost or Romeo Crennel in the paper, what happens if they turn it around? You only get one silver bullet. You only get one chance to fire each person in the paper. If you write it all the time and then you want to take it back, nobody will have any trust in you. You can’t unfire the silver bullet. I thought about writing that [September 17] Pioli column for a while. I was just waiting for the perfect moment.

Translation: I can't call for someone's head until it becomes painfully obvious to everyone that I should be calling for his head, even though I promise you I have had these opinions for a while now.

Say what you want about Whitlock, but he at least could put an opinion out there and ride it out. If Babb had all these feelings about Pioli, write this in the offseason. Write this after he hires Romeo. Don't wait until we're 0-2 to write this...

[the Talking Can]

haley likes to finger bang chicks at the bar while his wife watches

[Dave Lane]

thx for posting. I hope Haley is going to shit down Pioli's throat come november.

FYP to agree with my thoughts.

[Deberg_1990]

Haley Vs. Pioli...

Whoever wins, we lose..

[DaneMcCloud]

Translation: I can't call for someone's head until it becomes painfully obvious to everyone that I should be calling for his head, even though I promise you I have had these opinions for a while now.

Say what you want about Whitlock, but he at least could put an opinion out there and ride it out. If Babb had all these feelings about Pioli, write this in the offseason. Write this after he hires Romeo. Don't wait until we're 0-2 to write this...

Whitlock was a columnist, not a beat reporter. Babb wasn't promoted to columnist until after Haley had left and IIRC, it was sometime over the summer.

[Dave Lane]

Whitlock was a columnist, not a beat reporter. Babb wasn't promoted to columnist until after Haley had left and IIRC, it was sometime over the summer.

Yup its a big difference.

[DaWolf]

I think Haley got some juice and got tired of being their puppet. A lot of luck led to the 2010 playoffs, and he misinterpreted it as some level of destiny. And he decided he wouldn’t follow the Chiefs’ insane rules. Professionally, and for sure personally, I’ve never seen anybody spit in the face of a set of rules like that.

I'd like to hear Babb expand on this. What insane rules did Haley have to follow? Are the current coaches also following these insane rules? Why if Haley was such a great guy did a lot of his assistants dislike him? Why if Haley was such a puppet was he allowed to fire Gailey and other assistants during his tenure, and run Weis out of town?

I'm hearing one side of the story, but to me Babb comes across as biased. I get he doesn't like Pioli, but as the rest of the article lets us know, Babb himself is not much of a structured person, so he probably has a much greater level of sympathy for the mess that is Haley than the OCD person that is Pioli. I think the reality is that Haley probably caused as much of the mess as Pioli did...

[Chiefnj2]

Babb was a typical wimp KC reporter who was afraid that if he wrote something bad about the Chiefs he would be locked out and persona non-grata at Arrowhead.

[DaWolf]

Whitlock was a columnist, not a beat reporter. Babb wasn't promoted to columnist until after Haley had left and IIRC, it was sometime over the summer.

Right. So write about it over the summer. That's my point. Tweet about it. He's very active on twitter. Destroy him for not getting Manning. Destroy him for sticking with Cassel. Destroy him for hiring Browns assistants. Destroy him for being, as he is now claiming, thick skinned and attempting to control the media. Don't wait until 0-2 if you have these opinions. Because what that tells me is that if we were 2-0, he's going to keep all these issues to himself and ride it out, because it wouldn't be the "popular opinion" to get rid of Pioli...

[Brock]

I'd like to hear Babb expand on this. What insane rules did Haley have to follow? Are the current coaches also following these insane rules? Why if Haley was such a great guy did a lot of his assistants dislike him? Why if Haley was such a puppet was he allowed to fire Gailey and other assistants during his tenure, and run Weis out of town?

It doesn't wash.

[DaneMcCloud]

Right. So write about it over the summer. That's my point. Tweet about it. He's very active on twitter. Destroy him for not getting Manning. Destroy him for sticking with Cassel. Destroy him for hiring Browns assistants. Destroy him for being, as he is now claiming, thick skinned and attempting to control the media. Don't wait until 0-2 if you have these opinions. Because what that tells me is that if we were 2-0, he's going to keep all these issues to himself and ride it out, because it wouldn't be the "popular opinion" to get rid of Pioli...

Dude, I don't think you understand that as a beat reporter, you're only supposed to "report". You're not supposed to interject any opinion. That's the job of the columnist.

Babb didn't offer any opinions on Twitter because he was representing the Kansas City Star. Now, he's representing the Washington Post.

Blaming him for not printing what's been said in this forum for more than four years is pointless.

[DaneMcCloud]

Babb was a typical wimp KC reporter who was afraid that if he wrote something bad about the Chiefs he would be locked out and persona non-grata at Arrowhead.

I don't buy that, at all. I think that as an beat reporter employee of the KC Star, he was following orders.

Nothing more.

[Chiefnj2]

Dude, I don't think you understand that as a beat reporter, you're only supposed to "report". You're not supposed to interject any opinion. That's the job of the columnist.

Babb didn't offer any opinions on Twitter because he was representing the Kansas City Star. Now, he's representing the Washington Post.

Blaming him for not printing what's been said in this forum for more than four years is pointless.

When Haley fired Gailey 2 weeks before the start of the season, it wasn't the job of the beat reporter to report it and get information on the reasons surrounding it?

[Chiefnj2]

I don't buy that, at all. I think that as an beat reporter employee of the KC Star, he was following orders.

Nothing more.

The entire KC media, with the exception of Whitlock, followed Pioli's archaic press rules lock step because they were afraid they wouldn't get access.

[DaneMcCloud]

The entire KC media, with the exception of Whitlock, followed Pioli's archaic press rules lock step because they were afraid they wouldn't get access.

Then the sports editor would be at fault, right? Not individuals like Teicher, Babb, etc.?

[DaWolf]

Dude, I don't think you understand that as a beat reporter, you're only supposed to "report". You're not supposed to interject any opinion. That's the job of the columnist.

Babb didn't offer any opinions on Twitter because he was representing the Kansas City Star. Now, he's representing the Washington Post.

Blaming him for not printing what's been said in this forum for more than four years is pointless.

Wait, he was taken off the beat back in February according to the article. So that doesn't wash. He was a columnist way before the season began. So I don't buy your point.

I also don't agree about him not sharing opinions on twitter because he was a Star columnist vs a Post columnist. In either case, you are a journalist, so nothing has changed, unless you are saying the Star muzzles you from commenting on the local teams on Twitter, which isn't the case if you just look at all the tweets ridiculing the Royals...

[DaneMcCloud]

When Haley fired Gailey 2 weeks before the start of the season, it wasn't the job of the beat reporter to report it and get information on the reasons surrounding it?

The reason? We all know the "official" reason: Haley & Gailey didn't see "eye to eye".

Honestly, I think it's as simple as that. Bad move, but that simple.

[DaWolf]

Also, I keep hearing that beat writers can't express an opinion here. That's not accurate. Just listen to Teicher on Petro and you'll know that's not the case...

[CoMoChief]

haley likes to finger bang chicks at the bar while his wife watches

I'd like to play w/ Haley's wife's big ol boobies.

She's a milf IMO

[DaneMcCloud]

Also, I keep hearing that beat writers can't express an opinion here. That's not accurate. Just listen to Teicher on Petro and you'll know that's not the case...

Does Teicher express an opinion in the Star?

[DaneMcCloud]

Wait, he was taken off the beat back in February according to the article. So that doesn't wash. He was a columnist way before the season began. So I don't buy your point.

So what's YOUR point? That Babb shouldn't have jumped all over Pioli until the team started 0-2? What if they had started 2-0 and he HAD written those articles. Don't you think that most people would either dismiss him or accuse him of lying? That's what a bunch of fucktards (Reerun) here at Chiefsplanet accused Whitlock of doing back in 2009.

I also don't agree about him not sharing opinions on twitter because he was a Star columnist vs a Post columnist. In either case, you are a journalist, so nothing has changed, unless you are saying the Star muzzles you from commenting on the local teams on Twitter, which isn't the case if you just look at all the tweets ridiculing the Royals...

It wasn't Star vs. Post, his Twitter account isn't personal. Plus, how unprofessional would it have been if he had released all that info via Twitter as opposed to the Star?

You're not thinking this through.

[Dave Lane]

Translation: I can't call for someone's head until it becomes painfully obvious to everyone that I should be calling for his head, even though I promise you I have had these opinions for a while now.

Say what you want about Whitlock, but he at least could put an opinion out there and ride it out. If Babb had all these feelings about Pioli, write this in the offseason. Write this after he hires Romeo. Don't wait until we're 0-2 to write this...

Read the “Arrowhead Anxiety.” article before you verve off into Blackboob territory.

[Chiefspants]

Translation: I can't call for someone's head until it becomes painfully obvious to everyone that I should be calling for his head, even though I promise you I have had these opinions for a while now.

Say what you want about Whitlock, but he at least could put an opinion out there and ride it out. If Babb had all these feelings about Pioli, write this in the offseason. Write this after he hires Romeo. Don't wait until we're 0-2 to write this...

Uhhh, Did your read Arrowhead Anxiety? That surfaced all the was back in January.

[chiefzilla1501]

I'd like to hear Babb expand on this. What insane rules did Haley have to follow? Are the current coaches also following these insane rules? Why if Haley was such a great guy did a lot of his assistants dislike him? Why if Haley was such a puppet was he allowed to fire Gailey and other assistants during his tenure, and run Weis out of town?

I'm hearing one side of the story, but to me Babb comes across as biased. I get he doesn't like Pioli, but as the rest of the article lets us know, Babb himself is not much of a structured person, so he probably has a much greater level of sympathy for the mess that is Haley than the OCD person that is Pioli. I think the reality is that Haley probably caused as much of the mess as Pioli did...

Take your head out of the sand. Babb is not the only guy speaking against pioli.

[displacedinMN]

that kind of explains why Babb is going out with flames towards the Chiefs.

Sure-it needed to be said and there are issues- but WOW those were massive bombs he threw out there.

[Hammock Parties]

I can tell you right now that local media are held very accountable for what they say on twitter. The Chiefs monitor all of that shit. If they're too negative about the team, there are repercussions.

[DaneMcCloud]

I can tell you right now that local media are held very accountable for what they say on twitter. The Chiefs monitor all of that shit. If they're too negative about the team, there are repercussions.

Was this policy under Carl? I know that Twitter was in its infancy at the time but I'm curious to know if he was paranoid in his later days.

[Hammock Parties]

I don't believe so. Carl had his own form of hands-on assholism though. I talked to Babb at training camp once and he told me that Carl cornered him up against a wall and dressed him down for an article he wrote. This was while Babb was on the beat mind you, so there was no opinion in it.

Pioli works differently. He'll sic the Arrowhead SS on you.

[Psyko Tek]

thx for posting. I believe Haley is going to shit down Pioli's throat come november.
will Pittsburgh let him where that shitty kc hat on the sidelines?

[chiefzilla1501]

I can tell you right now that local media are held very accountable for what they say on twitter. The Chiefs monitor all of that shit. If they're too negative about the team, there are repercussions.

I have heard the same from people involved with small-time blogs.

He knows when people write badly about him. And he becomes a pain in the ass when it happens. I actually like a lot of what Pioli has done for this team in terms of building a team. But it's not worth the fucked up baggage that comes with it.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

thx for posting. I believe Haley is going to shit down Pioli's throat come november.

That's because all Hand Benana and that Pitt D knows is ball, good,.....and rape. Won't have anything to do with Haley.

[KCrockaholic]

One thing I know is a fact is that last sentence.

"I’ve never covered anybody who cares more about what is written about him."

I know this personally and can confirm this is completely true. Pioli sees everything, and he is constantly worried about what people are saying about him.




As a matter of fact, I know Pioli will seek out writers that say positive things about him, and thank them personally for not painting a negative light on him.

Public perception is his biggest fear.

[Rausch]

When Haley fired Gailey 2 weeks before the start of the season, it wasn't the job of the beat reporter to report it and get information on the reasons surrounding it?

That would have been nice...

[Molitoth]

Babb was a typical wimp KC reporter who was afraid that if he wrote something bad about the Chiefs he would be locked out and persona non-grata at Arrowhead.

Well, gotta admit... it would be a hard job to cover the chiefs at that level when you are banned from Arrowhead and Chiefs related events.

[Ace Gunner]

That's because all Hand Benana and that Pitt D knows is ball, good,.....and rape. Won't have anything to do with Haley.

If the score is 480 - 3 at the final minute and Ben is about to kneel it, but then throws a 60 yard TD, that'll be Haley shitting down Pioli's throat.

[Hammock Parties]

One thing I know is a fact is that last sentence.

"I’ve never covered anybody who cares more about what is written about him."

I know this personally and can confirm this is completely true. Pioli sees everything, and he is constantly worried about what people are saying about him.




As a matter of fact, I know Pioli will seek out writers that say positive things about him, and thank them personally for not painting a negative light on him.

Public perception is his biggest fear.

Jesus Christ he's pathetic.

His insecurity is phenomenally ludicrous.

Why the fuck is he wasting time focusing on that garbage? How does it improve the team?

[Thig Lyfe]

I LOVE how a single writer's opinion is taken as gossip.

By "gossip," do you mean "gospel," dummy???

[chiefzilla1501]

One thing I know is a fact is that last sentence.

"I’ve never covered anybody who cares more about what is written about him."

I know this personally and can confirm this is completely true. Pioli sees everything, and he is constantly worried about what people are saying about him.




As a matter of fact, I know Pioli will seek out writers that say positive things about him, and thank them personally for not painting a negative light on him.

Public perception is his biggest fear.

What's funny about this is that KC has one of the biggest ball washing media outlets in sports.

If Pioli treated the media with respect instead of bullying them, he would have gotten a whole bunch of apologists working double time to apologize for him. Instead, he somehow managed to turn those apologists into critics.

Good work, Scottie.

[milkman]

I'd like to hear Babb expand on this. What insane rules did Haley have to follow? Are the current coaches also following these insane rules? Why if Haley was such a great guy did a lot of his assistants dislike him? Why if Haley was such a puppet was he allowed to fire Gailey and other assistants during his tenure, and run Weis out of town?

I'm hearing one side of the story, but to me Babb comes across as biased. I get he doesn't like Pioli, but as the rest of the article lets us know, Babb himself is not much of a structured person, so he probably has a much greater level of sympathy for the mess that is Haley than the OCD person that is Pioli. I think the reality is that Haley probably caused as much of the mess as Pioli did...

It was reported that Gailey was retained by Haley at the personal request of Clark Hunt.

I don't believe that Pioli was on board with Gailey any more than Haley was, so when it became apparent that Haley and gailey couldn't get on the same page, Pioli had no problem in talking to Hunt and getting the OK to let him go.

It was also whispered that Weis couldn't work with Cassel, and gave up attempting to try to coach him up, leaving that task to Haley.

So, if Haley did run Weis out of town, Pioli had no problem with that since Weis wouldn't work with his golden boy.

[Ace Gunner]

It was reported that Gailey was retained by Haley at the personal request of Clark Hunt.

I don't believe that Pioli was on board with Gailey any more than Haley was, so when it became apparent that Haley and gailey couldn't get on the same page, Pioli had no problem in talking to Hunt and getting the OK to let him go.

It was also whispered that Weis couldn't work with Cassel, and gave up attempting to try to coach him up, leaving that task to Haley.

So, if Haley did run Weis out of town, Pioli had no problem with that since Weis wouldn't work with his golden boy.

And, if Haley really was "the problem" at the time then Pioli would have just popped a cap in Haley right there and held on to Weis either as HC or OC or both.

[Brock]

And, if Haley really was "the problem" at the time then Pioli would have just popped a cap in Haley right there and held on to Weis either as HC or OC or both.

It's not so easy to fire a coach after he just won a division title.

[milkman]

It's not so easy to fire a coach after he just won a division title./AJ Smith

.

[boogblaster]

well shit .. to the bust .....

[Trivers]

By "gossip," do you mean "gospel," dummy???

Yep! I should have proofread better!

Good catch.