A Look Back

By Candice Ebling

Scott Morganroth has been in the media business for over 40 years, and loves every minute of it.  He is the one that normally does the interview, so I decided to change it up on him and now he is the one answering all the questions. 

Q:  Out of all the sports you have covered, pro or college, which is your favorite sport to cover and why?

A:  NFL. Because you only have 16 regular season games during the year, all the games are like an event, margin of error is so small due to the window to make the playoffs with each loss.  You can spend so much time preparing, game film and all it takes is one unfortunate play to drastically change the outcome.

Q:  What is the most exciting game you covered and why?

A:  When the Detroit Lions beat the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys 20-17 in overtime on ABC Monday Night Football back on September 19, 1994 at Texas Stadium.  This was one of the best NFL games I've ever seen.  Going into the game, the Lions were 13 point underdogs.  Barry Sanders put on a show by rushing 40 times for 194 yards out dueling Emmit Smith, who had 29 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown.

I remember the Dallas Cowboys let writers go onto the field with 10 minutes left in regulation time, so I was on the field for the last 10 minutes and all of overtime which the Lions won with 20 seconds left in that overtime. I also enjoyed interacting with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders while I was on the field. 

I'll never forget the night before staying at the Lions hotel that I spoke with Lions executive Chuck Schmidt and I asked him if he really thought that his team could really beat this Dallas team being such heavy underdogs.  His response was, "Scott I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised by what you see tomorrow night".  Boy was he right.

Q:  What is your favorite place to cover a game and why?

A:  The Pontiac Silverdome.  I called this place home for many Sundays in my career and got to enjoy watching Barry Sanders run all over the field, setting records, and giving defenses a headache that just wouldn't go away.  I have spent numerous Thanksgivings on that field as well.  I also had a chance to take a picture of myself with Gordie Howe in the press lounge while recovering for a shoulder injury.

Q:  Bucket list of places you haven't covered a game at and want too?

A:  Fenway Park in Boston, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Madison Square Garden in New York, and last but not least Wembly stadium in London.

Q:  When you interview players, coaches, and personnel associated with sports, do you prefer to prepare all your questions or do you think on the fly?

A:  It's a combination of both.  I like to have a basic idea and some interviewees can be so candid and they lead me down a path for me to see how far I can take some topics with them.

Q:  Who was your favorite interviewee?
A:  Tommy Lasorda, back in 1981 at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Hollywood Florida.  I had the opportunity to interview Tommy Lasorda of the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.  I was only 18 years old at the time and I sought guidance from New York Daily News writer Phil Pepe as to how to approach Lasorda.  He told me write a few questions down and Tommy will talk, and indeed he did.  To this day, I owe a debt of gratitude to Phil Pepe for taking the time on giving me interview pointers.

Q:  Most proud Interview?

A:  Muhammad Ali.  I had a chance to spend a week with him at Allen Park Gym in North Miami Beach back in 1982 and he was doing an exhibition fight and he just talked about his career.  I was in awe of him and he was gracious with his time.  And I would proceed to become good friends with his trainer Angelo Dundee and that would lead to more boxing stories and memories.

Q:  Interview you wish you had gotten?

A:  Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears.  For as physical of a player as you were and you loved to hit and punish players, Was Chuck Hughes passing the most gut wrenching play you were involved in?

Q:  Bucket List of Interviews you'd still like to Interview:

A:  Tony Dungy, Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Herman Edwards, and Michael Jordan.

Q:  Name some of the greats you've interviewed:

A:  Coach John Wooden UCLA Basketball, Detroit Tigers Announcer Ernie Harwell, Larry Bird Boston Celtics, Coach Don Shula Miami Dolphins, Coach Howard Schnelllenberger FAU Football, Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing, and Chuch Wepner Boxing.

Q:  Out of all the interviewees, who surprised you and was the most down to earth player or coach?

A:  Barry Sanders

Q:  Out of the 4 major sports, I know you've covered all the teams in the NFL and in MLB, how many teams haven't you in the other sports?

A:  In NHL there 10 teams that I haven't seen, much attributed to expansion teams. As far as the NBA, I haven't seen 5 teams played

Q:  Finally, How did you get your start in the media business?

A:  My father owned a sporting good store and he employed a manager by the name of Sam Greenblatt.  One year on my birthday, Sam asked me if myself and a friend wanted to visit WXYZ Sports Talk in Detroit.  I said yes.  At that time talk show hosts was Ron Cameron and the producer was name George Eichorn.  I had a lot of fun doing it and George asked me if I wanted to come back and the rest is history.  Now 40 years later, George and I are best friends and we are still working together.

Candice Ebling is a member of the Detroit Sports Media.

The Beginning Of A Journey

By SCOTT MORGANROTH

Sports has been a part of my life ever since I was a little boy and being raised in Detroit, MI., I’ve been fortunate enough to have grown up in a town with four major teams. Watching my father play softball in Oak Park and later open up a sporting goods store named All Pro Sporting Goods in the same town was just the beginning of a passion.

     Thanks to his involvement, as a youngster, I was fortunate enough to have played baseball for six years, basketball and hockey each one season. Being a youngster, I always enjoyed watching these games and my Aunt Tina Caplan was an inspiration to pursue a dream as a Play-By-Play announcer. I would turn the volume off and do the Red Wings play-by-play. I idolized Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell and Red Wings great Bruce Martyn. I’d go to Tigers games alone and did play-by-play in the bleachers at Tiger Stadium.

     But the transformation from being a fan to getting involved in the media began in 1979 when Sam Greenblatt, who was the manager of my father’s sporting good store. used to be a frequent guest on WXYZ’s Sports Talk with Ron Cameron. 

     Sam and Ron used to discuss amateur hockey which was huge in Michigan. My father and Sam asked me if I wanted to visit the station and watch the show in person. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.

     The star of this show turned out to be my best friend George Eichorn. We formed an incredible bond that has now lasted 30 years and our work with the Detroit Monitor has led to unbelievable memories together.

     Both of us are members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. We’ve covered the Detroit Pistons, Lions, Red Wings and Tigers. This has allowed me to create other friendships as well including one with Harwell and the late Joe Falls of the Detroit News and Free Press.

     While it would take me forever to list all the great sports assignments,  some which stand out are three Super Bowls, the Final Game at Tiger Stadium in 1999, the NBA Finals, 1984 USFL Championship Game, Spring Training, numerous Auto Races at Michigan International Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Miami/Homstead Speedway, an NHL All-Star Game, a few Orange Bowls in addition to writing about the Lions during the Barry Sanders era and the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” Championship Years.

     When Eichorn and I pursued other radio opportunities together and I moved to Florida to do remote reports, the 1981 Lynda Carter Maybelline Tennis Tournament in Deerfield Beach, and Baseball Winter Meetings in Hollywood, began a new journey in my sports career. 

     My first major interview was with Tom Lasorda of the World Champion LA Dodgers. Former New York Daily News Columnist Phil Pepe helped me prepare for it. My late uncle Fred Cullen gave me the time off from his roofing company to cover this event at the Diplomat Hotel.

     In Florida, Eichorn introduced me to Tony DeMarco. Early in my journalism career, DeMarco took me under his wing and was a big mentor. DeMarco worked for the Hollywood Sun Tattler and the Miami Herald.

     In addition to radio, I have been affiliated with the following organizations.

      I was Sports Editor for the Broward Community College South, Pembroke Pines, Fla., “The New Horizons” for three years. I worked at the Hallandale Digest, Tampa Tribune, Reds Vue Magazine in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently work with the Deerfield Beach Observer. 

     In 1984, the same year the Tigers won the World Series against the San Diego Padres, I won an award for Best Sports Reporter for Junior College Newspapers. My adviser Betty Owen informed me in Tampa.

     At the Digest, I worked with one of the greatest people I’ve ever known in Peter Bluesten. Peter was more than an employer; he was a father figure, mentor, who was loved by all those whom he came in contact with. 

     When I couldn’t go back home to Detroit, Peter treated me as family and invited me for Thanksgiving Dinner as well as other holidays. He supported all of my educational endeavors and we can all hope to meet a man of his caliber. 

      If there were more Bluesten’s in todays “work force,” employee loyalty would be much higher because he treated everybody as family!

     My first editor at the Deerfield Beach Observer Ric Green created a position to cover Florida Atlantic University and I’ve been reunited with former Miami Hurricanes Coach Howard Schnellenberger. If FAU’s academic program had been further developed, I might have been an Owls alumnus in 1986. Instead I graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa and had a blast covering sports events for the Tribune.

     The photos which will be posted on here are just proud memories of the great people I’ve come in contact with.

     The purpose of this Blog is to write about subjects which I have passion for. I’m not here to sensationalize or slander individuals reputations.  Back in 1982 another former colleague named Andy Liscano, who worked for NBC’s Channel 7 in Miami taught me two valuable things.

     First, work as hard as you can and out work your opponent or competition.

     Second, always be different. The things we took pride in at Channel 7 is since our sports cast was before the competition, we worked harder to find different story lines by being creative. I repeat different story lines! That’s my goal here in this Blog is to take far fetched ideas and make you readers think and perhaps learn something. 

     Liscano’s philosophy would enable him to get promoted to the No. 2 media market in the country Los Angeles and he was one of the main reporters for the 1984 Olympics.

     While I don’t expect everybody to agree with everything I say, I certainly encourage any feedback and will reply back ASAP.  Your ideas are welcome.

Things you might want to know and how it all began.