Memories of Rick

My Monday got off to a keen start.

John kept a sick Sprite home for the day and I had the luck of actually reaching the office before I finished my coffee, a rare feat which made the drive that much smoother added to the fact that I wasn't battling a three-year-old for -and losing- control of the radio/ dvd player. Already, a wonderful beginning to a beautiful day.

Then, taking a quick break from the daily toil, I clicked onto ABC News to see this.

Let me take you back, folks. Back to the late 80's, in my Girl Scout days, being shuffled forward by our pack leader Andrea, meeting a young television news reporter by the name of Rick Sanchez at one of the local events in my city, which was still considered a "town" back then. I had the honor of shaking his hand and being told, by his truly, that I was lucky to be meeting him since someday he was going to be a big deal.

I hated him right away. In fact, my mutterings as he walked off to preen for the camera may have been, "What a jerk."

And it only took twenty-something years for his prediction to come true.

From the "lowly" field reporter spots, he finally made the coveted anchor chair on WSVN Channel 7 a few years after our meeting (which he remembers, of course), however, the station he was working for was more known for it's "sensational" take on the news. (The color yellow was frequently associated with their coverage.) They could have matured their content since then, but I stopped watching long before I left Fort Lauderdale, so I shouldn't be quoted on that.

When Hurricane Andrew came about in 1992, devastating the Miami/ Homestead area, everyone else was hunkered down in their spots of safety listening to Brian Norcross, a meteorologist on the local CBS station, who actually became widely known, and regarded as a hero, for his coverage during the storm and all the help and much needed comforting voice that he offered to Floridians who were literally one mattress away from complete exposure to the storm as their homes caved around them.

Lucky us, the only channel that came across in our home was WSVN and Mr. Rick Sanchez, who was the network's choice to run this coverage. I'll never forget watching with my dad, laughing my fifteen year old fool head off as he proclaimed sometime in the middle of the night, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the middle of a major earthquake."

Really?

I've watched his career move from WSVN to MSNBC to CNN, not with interest, mind you, but only when his name would come up in the headlines for making some big mistake or mispronunciation here and there, like that one time? when he mistook the Galapagos Islands for Hawaii? yeah, that was fun..,  always going back to that momentary greeting when his big hand took my small one and promised me he would be the biggest thing ever and I was so lucky to be standing in that spot at that time.

Lucky lucky me.

Well, Rick Sanchez got his wish. He is a big deal now. Making headlines over all the major news sites, except the one he just got fired from. Really big deal.

Somehow, I don't get the feeling that this was the big deal he wanted to be known for...

(Being Jewish, some people may believe my being tickled about the rise and fall of Rick Sanchez is because of his comments about Jews not deserving to be considered a minority group. Actually, no. I believe his comments, as ignorant, and stupid, as they were, were trying to make the comparison that his background was more tragic than Jon Stewart's, and it just came out REALLY WRONG. But seeing as this guy has his own personal history of tasting shoe leather, it was past time he was called out for it.)

Comments

[Michele]

The bigger the ego the harder they fall.

[Jan]

What a douche canoe. Letterman's Top 10 List "Rick Sanchez Excuses" was pretty good - #4 was "Trying to impress Mel Gibson."

[Mama Badger]

Nothing says, "I'm headed for failure" like proclaiming your future success.

[Becca]

And let us all say Amen. Love!

[Captain Dumbass]

I could never fathom how that man got where he did, or how CNN could keep putting him on the air day after embarrassing day.

[Alaina]

Yeah, I don't quite get why he decided to attack John Stewart either...I mean, yes, he's Jewish and all, but really? He's a comedian and his show is satire.

I say good riddance to Rick....

[TJB]

I literally LOL'd at this. I remember his earthquake snafu, I had forgotten all about it till reading this! Ahh, good memories! He was always a douche, I met him when I was younger, he actually interviewed me at a JCC in Miami during a purim carnival. Don't remember much, just that he thought, no wait, he knew he was the biggest deal around. Meh... good riddance to bad rubbish...

[VandyJ]

Pride always goes before a fall--and he set hiumself up perfectly. Laugh all you want. He deserves what he gets.

[bex]

That's it! I read almost every post on your blog (even though I don't always comment) and occasionally you mention that someone says you should write a book and you say, "no, I don't have anything to write about that's fitting for a book." But you could so totally totally write for Jon Stewart. It never occurred to me before - but when I clicked on the link and saw his beautiful mug trying not to laugh (obviously at your witty spry) it all made sense.

(And NO - not just because you are both Jewish.)

[Carol]

What goes around comes around. I love it!

[robin]

Karma, baby, karma.

[Peg]

Karma, she's a bitch and it looks like she bitch slapped Rick, right? LOL Don't you just hate smug egotistical people?

[Heather]

It's a shame that folks use the media to spurt out there hatred into the world. One less mean person spreading hatred.

[Gretchen]

That is wild! Imagine a grown man saying that to a Girl Scout. Crazy! It's funny, Jimmy and I were both saying that we both couldn't stand the guy and were glad he was gone. Now I feel even more justified in my feeling!