I have to say, I'm more than a bit surprised at the level of animosity some elements of the local population seem to have for NBC sportscaster Bob Costas.
Some of the kinder comments I've gotten by e-mail (and KSL-Channel 5 has gotten on the phone) include words like "jerk" and "whiner" and exhortations to "send him home." Yikes.
There's seems to be a perception that Costas is too sarcastic and is, in general, dissing Utah. But I don't see it. After watching almost all of NBC's coverage through the first three days of the 2002 Games, I've got to say that the network in general (and that includes Costas) has been overwhelmingly positive about Utah.
Does Costas make the occasional comment at our expense? Yes — but he does so in jest, and we ought to laugh along with him. (And laugh at him when he's yelling, "What am I doing here?" when he thinks he's still off camera.)
I don't think every comment he makes is golden. I did some whining myself about Costas following the opening ceremonies — not so much about their tone as about their frequency. As in, he should have kept quiet more often and just let us enjoy the show.
But, as a studio host, they don't come any better than Costas. He's bright, informed, quick-witted and charming. And there's nothing wrong with a sense of humor about all of this.
COSTAS IN LIVING COLOR: If you want to hear Costas get at least a little bit peeved, remind him of the rash of weird stories that cropped up in the press during the 2000 Summer Olympics questioning whether he had changed his hair color. Ask him, as yours truly did recently, if he's mentioned to anyone that he doesn't want the studio lighting in Salt Lake City to do what it did in Sydney.
"Yeah, I mentioned that, like, Day 2 in Sydney," Costas said. "I guarantee you it was exactly the same color in Sydney as it is now.
"It's funny, though, Scott, that you would pose a hair question."
(If you want to know why that's hilarious, check out the photo that accompanies this column.)
Costas complained that the press kept a non-story going and opined that if he suddenly decided to grow a beard "more would be written about that than if I said the smartest thing ever said or the stupidest thing ever said on the Olympics. The fascination with the trivial and the inane grows with the day."
True. But, in my own defense, I can only say that I never wrote about Costas hair color until he responded to questions about it. (And, for that matter, being somewhat color blind, I never noticed the alleged difference in hair color to begin with.)
THE RATINGS GAME: The Salt Lake Games are still going strong on NBC — Night 2 averaged a 17.1 national rating, the highest numbers the network has gotten on a Saturday since the 18.0 it got for Night 2 of the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996. That's also 31 percent higher than Night 2 in Sydney (2000) and 39 percent higher than Night 2 in Nagano (1998).
The Salt Lake TV market continued to lead the way with a 37.2 rating and a 59 share of the audience.
SKIPPING THE CEREMONY: It was obvious that a lot of people put a lot of effort into the first ceremony at the Medals Plaza. And it was equally obvious that the folks at NBC were both surprised by and unappreciative of those efforts.
The network went to and away from the plaza twice as acrobats performed. Costas commented on Salt Lake's proximity to Las Vegas, adding, "If Siegfried and Roy come out next, I don't know what I'll do." And, when we finally saw the medals presented, it was on tape.
LAME LENO JOKE OF THE DAY: "I like the parade of nations, but three hours long? You know, I mean, why are these athletes walking?"
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com