Detroit Free Press Columnist Drew Sharp Performs Terribly On The O’Reilly Factor

Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp was invited on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show (to talk about Rush Limbaugh’s publicity-stunt bid to maybe take on an ownership role with the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams) and, after little more than a few minutes, it was pretty obvious why: Sharp was completely overmatched and woefully (and stunningly) underprepared for this debate with O’Reilly. As a native Detroiter, it pained me to see how pitiful Sharp performed against O’Reilly. It was like Drew was totally unprepared for O’Reilly to defend Limbaugh as aggressively as he did (duh) and it seemed Drew could barely muster a couple of examples (in an ocean of many) of Limbaugh’s racism and use of race to divide Americans.

Consider this from The O’Reilly Sucks Blog:

The next segment was about Rush Limbaugh possibly buying the St. Louis Rams, and O’Reilly wants to know why people have a problem with it. Earth to O’Reilly, maybe because Rush Limbaugh is a massive racist, and most of the NFL players are black. You have to be deaf dumb and blind not to know why people are opposed to Limbaugh buying the Rams. O’Reilly reported that the NFL players union is opposed to it, and he had sports writer Drew Sharp on to discuss it.

Sharp said Limbaugh is a partisan who a lot of people hate because of his statements and his racism, Billy said that’s your opinion. Then O’Reilly defended Limbaugh and said his research staff can not find any racist statements made by Rush Limbaugh. And that he has the best staff in the business so if they can not find it he never said it. Then Billy played the clip of what Limbaugh said about Donovan McNabb and said that is the only thing he could find about Limbaugh. Hey O’Reilly, what about the Barack the magic negro song, that’s racist pal. O’Reilly denied Limbaugh is a racist, and said there is no evidence of it, which is just ridiculous.

And this Drew Sharp was terrible, he had nothing, he should have had the racist quotes from Limbaugh. Billy said it was not fair to disqualify Limbaugh from buying the team just because he says provocative things, as he denied all the racist statements he has made. The one or two examples Sharp used were disputed by O’Reilly, and Drew had no comeback, so he was terrible. The man was totally unprepared, and O’Reilly dominated him.

It’s hard to argue with a lot of what Steve wrote in this blog. Drew looked just plain awful and it was painful to watch O’Reilly smash him without even so much as breaking a sweat.

It was like the free breadsticks you get at some restaurants before your main course comes.

It reminds me of the old days when pro wrestling was on TV and the one guy would be standing in the ring with no music, plain tights and a jacket from deep in his closet. His opponent, the star, comes out with a flowing robe, fancy tights, a manager, a hot-looking valet, music and beats the crap out of the scrub in like three minutes (just in time for a commercial).

Drew Sharp was there to make O’Reilly look good. And, wow, did he play his role out well.

As for racist statements from Limbaugh, if O’Reilly’s research team can’t find any then that speaks volumes about how incompetent and/or biased they are (or how ignorant they are to what the word “racist” means).

Sharp’s column:
http://www.freep.com/article/20091013/COL08/91013044/1089/Column-on-Limbaugh-sparks-tiff-with-Fox-s-O-Reilly

Drew Sharp Was Anything But With Michael Vick Column In Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp is a smart man who understands how the media game is played. As a columnist, Sharp and numerous others across this country look for ways to distinguish themselves from a crowded group of competitors hungering for the same thing: a major national platform. Over the years, Sharp has found his angle: He is angry, he takes on the challenge of writing about controversial topics and he goes against the grain with columns that are almost always negative and bashing athletes, coaches, owners and even fans.

This all brings me to Sharp’s column about Michael Vick that was published on Saturday by the Detroit Free Press. I briefly pondered a rebuttal of sorts on Saturday, but something held me back (not exactly sure what it was). But, I changed my mind when I saw CNN’s Howard Kurtz provide Sharp with a platform on the Sunday morning CNN show “Reliable Sources.” Drew went on and, in essence, parroted most of the same lines he had written about in his column about Vick (that included a small taste of the controversial situation that now involves Louisville men’s college basketball coach Rick Pitino.

Here are a couple of excerpts followed by my thoughts:

Philly threw Michael Vick a Milk Bone. Here’s hoping he chokes on it.

This only reaffirms why I ceased being a sports fan a long time ago. It wasn’t worth the duplicity. There should always be a more honorable aim than winning at any cost. Vick’s getting a second NFL life is but another example of our society’s morality of convenience.

If that makes me a “hater,” so be it. At least I know I’m not a hypocrite.

I’m hoping that those who staunchly preached a second chance for Vick will exhibit the same compassion when the next 29-year-old black man leaves federal prison following an almost two-year sentence but can’t run a 40-yard dash in 4.4 time, chuck a football 70 yards or sell a $100 jersey.

Yes, Drew … you are a “hater” as you put it, but that is besides the point.

In general, our society is in favor of second chances for a good number of people who run afoul of the law. I would imagine every day people are released from prisons and get second chances. I highly doubt people like Drew Sharp know or care about many of these people and I doubt even more Drew Sharp would take an opportunity to write about the average person who comes out of prison and is given a second chance. If Michael Vick or some other person emerged from prison and went to work at a fast food restaurant or as a custodian, I doubt Drew Sharp would care, talk about the morality of convenience or winning at all costs. But, the fact that Vick is expected to again achieve fame and financial riches bothers people like Drew Sharp and many others who want to continue to gleefully pile on and further demonize Vick who has paid his price (his debt to society if you will) for his role in heinous crimes against animals.