Ambush journalism puts ESPN in negative light

I love ESPN. I love ESPN like a fat kid loves cake. I love ESPN so much that were it to be taken off the air I would probably need to take some time off of everything to go find myself, which would most likely end up with me legally changing my name to Flower Pot and living in a nudist colony.

So that's why I was shocked and appalled by something that I saw on ESPN.com and then later saw it being advertised for E:60.

The event in question is a piece of journalism so slimy, so disgusting, so detestable that I can't even stand to think about it. In fact, I think that I just punched one of my roommates while writing out of pure anger. I'm not sure because I blacked out, but you don't want to see me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

E:60 did an interview between Tom Farrey and Miguel Tejada. The interview was scheduled with a purpose that Tejada was unaware of, the purpose was to embarrass him in front his friends, family and the country.

A native of Dominican Republic, Tejada grew up in the midst of poverty, crime and fear. He grew up in a lifestyle that most of us, and most of the greasy, upper class, slime balls at ESPN could never imagine.

However, unlike most kids in his position Tejada didn't just fall into the trap that he was raised in. He found a way out; he found baseball and he was good. He followed his dreams and eventually got the attention of MLB scouts and through that, found a way to the United States.

But Tejada made one major mistake on the way to where he is now. Most likely through the counsel of his friends, family and "professional" talent scouts who use teenage boys more often and in the same fashion that I use the bathroom, Tejada lied about his age. He shaved two years off of his actual age and claimed his was 17 when he was really 19, which would now make him, GASP, 33 instead of 31.

Tejada made a mistake; he did something wrong. Tejada may have done many more things wrong, as he has recently been in the midst of steroids talk. However, I'm now a firm believer that everyone in Major League Baseball (except Chipper Jones, of course, who has never done anything wrong) has used steroids. Therefore I've decided that steroids are a forgivable offense. Unless you are Barry Bonds, in which case, I still hate you.

E:60 set up an interview with Tejada and proceeded to lead him down a road where he lied about his age, was questioned again, lied again and consequently was handed his birth certificate. Watching Tejada squirm is enough to make you sick and, if you have a conscience, make your blood boil.

To his credit Tejada got up and walked out. He pulled it all off without punching Farrey in the face. Also without mentioning (all you Tejada critics take notice) that his driver's license says his real age. So, don't say anything about how he's hurting the club. You have to have a copy of your driver's license on file to work at The Daily Gamecock. I imagine it is only so much more so a necessity when you are signing a multi-million dollar contract. The Astros knew how old he was.

While Tejada should never have lied, E:60 should have never brought it out like it did. When The Daily Gamecock finds out about any arrests the first thing we do is to talk to the USC Media Relations, we give the source a chance to speak for himself before publishing something about which we don't know the whole history.

We are a college newspaper. ESPN is a national news source. I expect their standards of journalistic integrity to be just a little bit higher than ours. I guess I was wrong.

I'll still watch ESPN but I doubt I will ever hold it in as high of regard as I did before. To me, the network that never seemed to get caught up in the ratings fights and squabbles that other networks are consumed by is now nothing more than a tabloid news source that will do anything to get a juicy story.

Including going after one of the few good guys in a sport riddled with bad eggs.