Did Jim Thome just set a new world record for most uses of the words "Again" and "You know" in one interview?

Jimmy 2 times. He interviewed on MJH last year after his 500th HR, and he repeated himself at least 20 times in a matter of 5 minutes during the interview.

_________________

he breaks his own record every time he's interviewed.

Didn't hear it, but I bet this is about right yea?

_________________

That's about right Frank, except add at least 15 "you knows" in those few sentences. He certainly is a poster boy for baseball having the most inarticulate athletes of any sport.

you know what that means...a future in FOX or ESPN broadcasting!

Last night on MJH, Mark DeRosa of the Cubs also showed his stuff by saying "to be honest with you" at least 10 times. At one point Jurko said "yes, I want honesty...I DEMAND honesty". DeRosa didn't get it. He just kept using the cliche ad nauseum with almost every response. He has been an okay interview a few times, but last night he was classic baseball dumbo. He's not in Thome's league yet, but give him a dozen or more interviews and he'll get all the cliches and inarticulate responses down pat.

They may be inarticulate, but their embarassing interviews are not all their fault. They may be naturally inarticulate, but it's apparent they have gotten zero media training. Every business trains their people who are going to talk to the media as to how to do it right. Most people don't have the natural talent to do it and they need to training to keep from embarassing yourself. Every company trains their CEOs, but sports teams fail in this area badly. The PR folks for both teams need to do their jobs a LOT better and train these guys.

AJ Pierzynski is the best baseball player interview in this town bar none.

_________________

I think DeRosa is one of the top interviews in terms of athletes in the city.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

He has been okay at times, but he wasn't yesterday. He needs training to keep from going back to the same cliches. If he is one of the best in the city, then all the sports teams need new PR managers who understand the importance of training these guys.

I dont get as hung up on the semantics, he's always very honest, and usually doesnt resort to cliches when answering questions, just assisting them, which is way more important imo. It's not a shock to alot of us athletes arent always the most articulate, but if they give you honest, refreshing, sometimes surprising answers, thats just ok with me. He's also one of the rare athletes you can criticize in an interview and he takes it well and will still come on the next week.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I understand, but DeRosa is a special case. Is he the only Ivy Leaguer in MLB? If he's not the only one, the list is surely small. He is a bright guy and much more articulate than most athletes. CEOs with Masters and Doctorates are also bright people and even they need media training to be effective on radio and TV. Athletes are no exception.