TO THIS POINT, Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger has been sort of Teflon-coated in the local media. Despite a disastrous first season that saw his team win only five games, he's received little criticism.
And, while the coach of the Jazz or a college football or basketball team or even the Grizzlies would no doubt be weathering calls for his resignation or firing, there was none of that for Ellinger. Well, almost none.
That is not, however, altogether the case with the non-local media. The hosts of the Fox Soccer Channel's "Fox Football Friday" were openly contemptuous and openly ridiculed the RSL coach in a recent broadcast.
It wasn't just what they said, it was how they said it. They laughed out loud at as they mentioned Ellinger's name and the sarcasm flowed freely.
"Hey, John Ellinger — a great friend of ours," said Nick Geber as Steven Cohen cackled beside him. "He did such a great job last year. Look at this record — 5-22-5."
Geber attributed Ellinger's continued employment by RSL to "charity," while Cohen chimed in, "It was the job he did with Clint Mathis."
(Oooh. Low blow.)
"They finished last season . . . a shameful 2-13-12," Geber said. "And I wonder why John Ellinger still has a job. In fact, I predict he'll be the first MLS gaffer on the dole and unlikely to get another job."
He was equally pessimistic about RSL prospects for this season.
"Despite adding to the attack with the likes of Jeff Cunningham, they remain defensively poor," Geber said. "The additions of a few veterans like Chris Klein and Scott Garlick — just not going to be enough. More of the same and Ellinger goes."
Ouch.
IF IT MAKES the RSL coach feel any better, "Fox Football Friday" (the "football" being, of course, what we call soccer) isn't exactly a high-budget operation. Geber and Cohen sit on a cardboard set that's supposed to be a sports bar as people guzzle beer and ask rehearsed questions.
And they're at least as much about making people laugh as informing viewers.
STILL, IT IS SORT of surprising that a coach whose team won only five times in 32 outings didn't get much criticism from the local media.
My theory — most local sportscasters know a lot about football, basketball and baseball and not a whole lot about soccer, so they didn't feel qualified to heap on the criticism.
That and Ellinger caught a break because it was a first-year, expansion franchise.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Real doesn't start winning this season.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com