 |
|
In His Own League "We are not journalists, but filmmakers and storytellers." Sunday, the morning routine, groggily stirring out of bed at an early bird hour of around 11 am, stumbling, sometimes trying to remember the hazy details of the previous evening, stubbing the toes to the kitchen fridge, grab a glass of milk, or OJ, or water, and somehow find the way to the living room, collapsing on the couch…ah a haven at last, it was a long journey but not quite yet over. The search for the clicker begins…if I'm lucky, it is a short search and before long the sweet sounds of professional football welcome my ears… If you are anything like me (I will refrain here from making a sexist statement because my girlfriend is as big a fan of football as me, although not a fan of the ill-described hangover like me), this Sunday morning routine may sound slightly similar…with a twist or two here or there that involves an early morning wake up call from the dog, or kids, or, maybe you're not as disoriented as me, maybe some errand running; but it doesn't really matter does it. We all end up in the same place at some point on Sunday, entranced by helmeted uniformed warriors trying to carry an oblong ball made of textured pig skin up and down a rectangular field. Time takes on all new meanings…minutes take hours…hero's are made. "Hero's," the subject at hand… Besides the Sunday morning routine, there is the unforgettable weeklong routine of waiting till next Sunday and there is one definitive hero that makes these 6 days slightly less painless. His name is Steve Sabol. If you've never heard of Steve Sabol, I wouldn't be surprised. It took me about 24 hours to actually find out his name and I found out by just happening to know a die hard general trivia, football trivia, fantasy football trivia buff…(my necessary thanks are thus given to Tim Turitto). If you haven't heard Steve Sabol, I would be very surprised. Steve is the immortal football voice. Steve is the current genius behind NFL Films the winner of 76 Emmy's. Steve himself has claimed an impressive 27 Emmy's for writing, cinematography, editing, directing, and producing. My "personal" Steve Emmy goes to his narrating voice in the eternal moments he creates on Inside the NFL every Thursday on HBO (and following reruns that go until Sunday). He can also be found on, NFL Film Presents, the immortal show that takes you back in history to some of football's greatest moments, Steve's voice guiding you along through each touchdown, each fumble, each hit that still sends shivers up your neck in slow motion. His programs can be found virtually anywhere, including: ABC, NBC, TNT, Comedy Central, ESPN, and of course, HBO. The reason can partially be attributed to the NFL Films' philosophy, which includes only using film, not video tape, to record these weekly battles. Thus, the consistent barrage of startling images. Steve himself, is "uniquely qualified to make football movies," (his father's own words), being a ex-running back for Colorado College. It was Steve Sabol's idea to film just the hands of the offensive line. Now we watch those same hands turn to fists just prior to the quarterback's snap. In October, Steve can be found on ESPN, interviewing Al Gore and bringing to light the facts: 1) George Bush used to be a head Cheerleader (Andover
Prep) You gotta love this guy. Football fan? Find Steve Sabol's list of the biggest hits in football history at: www.sportingnews.com Resources for this article include: www.nfl.com www.kappasigma.org/caduceus/w98/sabol.html www.usnews.com (9/4/2000 issue online) Great quotes from your favorite sportscasters: www.americansportscasters.com/facts.html How much do those (sportscasters) guys make? Check it out!! www.onlinesports.com/sportstrust/sports45.html |
