Jenkins: "To Say Andy Dalton is Better than Sam Baugh Is Fraudulent"

I have been searching for a reason to do this, and the Friday Morning Football Chat presented a good chance to bug iconic sportswriter, Fort Worth-lover and TCU fan Dan Jenkins.

Mac Engel: Who is your favorite interview?
Dan Jenkins: Jack Nicklaus. You couldn't shut him up when he got started. He'd tell you everything you'd ever want to know. I never had a guy who was as cooperative as Jack. Arnold was cooperative, but he wasn't as insightful as Jack.

ME: Who is your favorite interview regarding college football?
DJ: Darrell Royal. He was a great friend, a great coach; he was funny and informative.

ME: Anybody you never interviewed but wanted to?
DJ: Not really. I was never a Vince Lombardi lover. I went to Green Bay one time to talk to him and he made me wait four or five hours outside of his office only to give me eight minutes of nothing. I saw him once years later at a bar New York and told him about it he said, 'Oh Dan, I would never have done that.' The hell he didn't.

ME: Thoughts on Tiger ...
DJ: I spent three or four years trying to get a one-on-one (interview with him) for Golf Digest, which was paying him $1 million a year and I worked for. He would never make the time. I never had any sympathy for him. There is nothing racist about it; he made my job hard. I always liked the people who made my job easier. I'd always tell people, 'If you want to use me, use me.'

ME: Do you think he'll regain his standing at the top of the sport?
DJ: Golf is mental. Jack said, 'I never missed a putt in my head.' That's the truest thing I've ever heard. You can't make a putt if you've got other things going on in your head. Tiger is coming back. Most of the success is grounded in the fact he hasn't had anybody to beat. Look at the runnerups and the list is pretty sad. It's nothing compared to what Jack or Ben Hogan had to beat.
Tiger is the greatest putter that ever lived. He's not the greatest shot maker; that was Hogan.

ME: What is your favorite course you've played?
DJ: Pine Valley. It's the one course you can play one time and remember all 18 holes.

ME: You ever re-read any of your own work?
DJ: Never. I read a lot of people, but not me. Maybe I should because that way I would start to avoid recycling. ... I never did write a line I didn't believe. I despise political correctness and what it's done to newspapers and society. I take no back seat for my contempt for it. It's become the enemy of humor.

ME: It feels as if people are waiting to be offended.
DJ: They stand in line. It's big moments in small minds. I blame college professors; a bunch of fuzzy headed intellectuals (naughty word) who started to re-write the language and newspaper editors fell in line with them.

ME: Did you ever see the day when TCU football would be nationally prominent again?
DJ: I wasn't sure if it was ever going to come back. This is the third glory days we're in right now - the '30s, the '50s and now. I don't know how good they really are.
It didn't take us long to get arrogant. Now we're going to win the national championship every year. It's ridiculous. I think we'll find out Saturday if we're really good or not.

ME: Do you still go to games?
DJ: The home games. I've been a season-ticket holder even when I was living in New York. I've been on the 40-yard line for forever.

ME: Andy Dalton is now the winningest QB in TCU history, ahead of Sam Baugh
DJ: You need a six-pack of asterisks around that. Sam played both ways, and sometimes all 60 minutes. What Andy has done is great, but they are different records. It's a big lie to say Andy is better than Sam Baugh because he's not. Sam is the best quarterback that ever lived.

ME: Time to pick some games. No. 1 Baylor at TCU, Bears are getting 21.5
DJ: That is too many points. I don't want to pick against TCU, but if you had a gun to my head I'd say take Baylor and the points.

ME: Texas at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders are getting 3 points
DJ: I like Tech. Texas is nowhere near as good as it was last year. I'm probably wrong, but I like the home field and their quarterback and I know Tommy is a good coach.

ME: Arkansas at Georgia; the Hogs +3
DJ: I like Arkansas. I like their quarterback.

ME: Kansas at Southern Miss; Jayhawks +4
DJ: I don't even want to know who wins. I'm sorry they're playing this game. I'm happy for Turner Gill, he's a fine Fort Worth lad. I'd say Kansas but who cares?

ME: North Texas at Army; UNT +5
DJ: Tha'ts hopeless, isn't it? Root for Army and be patriotic.

ME: Ohio at Ohio State; Bobcats +31.5
DJ: Ohio State. Ohio must be horrible.

ME: Thanks so much for your time.
DJ: Anything I forgot just make up.

- Mac Engel

Comments

[rockytop]

Pick Baylor? Old man, dementia has set in.

[Tom]

Do you always misquote your interviewees in the headline? Jenkins never said that. This is just another instance where where "Mad Mac" attempts to drum up traffic by posting outright lies.