Mondo Softball

Recently, I was invited to pose as a know-it-all -- not just the attitude, but one who supposedly “knows” -- before an audience of political writers, writers-in-training and would-be writers. As it’s still a month away, I’ll have time to gather my scattered thoughts about the art of punditry, as well as what aspects of my media background I should be willing to offer up as evidence of my credentials as a bona fide observer of the human condition -- a commentator.

Anyway, I’ll write more about this gig next month another time. Meanwhile, I’ve been rummaging around in some old files I’ve been meaning for almost four years to clean up and organize. They were retrieved onto a floppy disc from a computer that went bonkers. So, in that process I ran across an old piece that sportswriter Paul Woody wrote on a cable TV show I produced/hosted back in 1990. While this piece probably won't do much to buff my dubious image as a semi-sage, it is fun to remember the free-wheeling adventure Mondo Softball was 16 summers ago. Here's a sample of Woody's piece:

"...Rea isn't the host of 'Mondo Softball.'

"The host is Mutt deVille, a man of mysterious origin who always wears a baseball cap, sunglasses and softball jersey. Mutt deVille [depicted right] is Rea's alter ego. Mutt deVille was created by Rea as a pen name for the sports writer in SLANT, the twice-monthly newsletter of commentary that Rea publishes, writes and edits. DeVille initially existed to give some diversity to the pages of SLANT, 'and to create the illusion there was a staff of writers,' Rea said. But the more Rea wrote as deVille, the more he liked it.

"'My name, and my approach to things, like anyone who stays in his hometown long enough, carries a certain amount of baggage with it,' Rea said. 'I could move more freely as Mutt deVille.'"