Getting to know Jim O

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(01-29-2018, 08:07 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: Jim recently agreed to be the interview for a change and was good enough to answer some questions that I came up with that I thought would allow everyone to get to know him better, with some fun stuff mixed in as well.

I want to say a big thank you to Jim for taking the time to do this. 

Hope you guys enjoy!


Question: I came across an article titled 'Meeting the other you' where you met another Jim Owczarski in your area in Milwaukee. Given some of the commonalities that you discovered when you met (such as names of wives and grandfathers) - what was your initial reaction in learning all that? Also, have the two of you spoken since then?

Jim: Yeah, that was crazy. Definitely kind of mind-blowing and we went back as far as we could to kind of make sure we weren't related (and that would have been something; we're not). Very strange. The weird thing was he had kind of followed my career from afar and I had known of him, thanks to Google alerts or even just searching your name. We have not spoken since I left Milwaukee for Cincinnati, but we do have an occasional Twitter back-and-forth.

Question: I believe you've mentioned before that golf was your favorite sport to cover, and you've even written for various golf magazines. What is about golf that you find so enjoyable to cover?

Jim: I really like the true play-for-pay part of it, just how stressful and hard it is to make a living. People see the top 2% of that sport but the haves and have-nots are way different than other sports. There are no guarantees. (That said, the have-nots are not really poor guys or people without futures if they quit, but in terms of making it in the sport). I also like the individual nature of it, having to really dig into a guy to get the story because it's all about his performance. Yeah, there's a support structure - but no one is sinking off you to leave you wide open for the game-winning three. Either you choke, or you make it. It's awesome.

Question: It appears that you were already a very accomplished and highly-regarded journalist before arriving in Milwaukee, and then continued to doing impressive work during your time there. How did it come to be that you became the Bengals beat writer for the Enquirer / Cincinnati.com?

Jim: Honestly, they found me. An opening occurred (which I didn't know about), and through word of mouth and the sharing of my work from people I didn't know led the sports editor at the time to recruit me to come down.

Question: If you had the opportunity to venture into another (non-sports) area of journalism, what would you be most interested in covering and writing about?

Jim: I won't be generic and just say "features" because I think most of us would say that. I'd want to get onto the investigative side of things. Make an impact.

Question: Did you play any sports growing up? If so, which ones where you best at and/or enjoy playing the most?

Jim: Baseball (til high school), cross country, basketball and track (through high school) and then golf in college and since. LOVED basketball and high jumping, but blew out the same knee in back-to-back years, so that kind of ended actual participation in sports the back half of high school.

Question: What was you favorite, or most memorable, moment covering the Packers?

Jim: Watching Colin Kaepernick just make the Packers look silly in the 2013 NFC Wild-Card game at Lambeau. That performance was something else. And, while I wasn't in Seattle, just watching the 2014 NFC Championship game against Seattle with all of my Super Bowl flight and rental car information in browser windows ready to hit "book" before Brandon Bostick botched the onside kick. And then, eyes wide, just closing out of those reservations as the Packers were suddenly headed home. That was kind of a strange moment to live through. I heard some pretty stoked Packers fans lost thousands of dollars because they had booked that stuff during the game.

Question: Who are your favorite pro athletes to watch as a fan, both currently and all-time?

Jim: All-Time: Michael Jordan, Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Sanders, Greg Maddux, Ryne Sandberg and Tiger Woods.
Currently: Woods, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Clayton Kershaw.
For a moment in time: CC Sabathia in 2008 in Milwaukee, Mark Prior, Bobby Jenks in 2005, Derrick Rose's MVP season, The Sosa & McGwire home run chase of 1998.

Question: Stranded on a deserted island: You get 3 movie DVD's and 3 music CD's. Who you got?

Jim: "Me Against The World" - 2Pac
"Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" - Wu-Tang Clan
"What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye

"The Big Lebowski"
"Caddyshack"
"A Christmas Story"

Question: If tomorrow, you were given permission to make one binding GM move for the Bengals, what would it be?

Jim: I have a real hard time with this type of stuff because I'm not conditioned to come up with fantastical scenarios, or Madden trade machine type stuff, so I'll go with what's "easy" and do-able.

That said it can't just be "one" move: I'd sign Baltimore center Ryan Jensen and Tennessee linebacker Avery Williamson and draft the guard and/or tackle at No. 12 who can start on the first day of camp i.e. Kevin Zeitler, Russell Bodine, Eric Steinbach and others.  

It's not sexy, but saying "trade Dalton/sign Brees!" just isn't a real thing.

Question: Be honest, did you get hosed by Jeremy's judging abilities during the dance-off with Paul? Also, how many muscles did guys pull and/or strain?

Jim: Nah, I choked. Totally. I had better in me and blew it. And I remain an athlete so I definitely felt real good physically after the fact!

Question: Is there something in today's NFL that you feel strongly should be changed, done away with or improved solely from a fan perspective?

Jim: Well, fans do view things a bit differently than I do but I think there are two things:
1. Fix this disciplinary situation. Everyone is tired of the suspensions and the court cases and players not playing for, sometimes, commissioner over-reach.
2. Fix the officiating/flag throwing. God it's a pain in the a--. Officials are human but these rules literally change every offseason and sometimes in season. Streamline this, simplify this, and just let them play.

Question: Why did you decide to pursue a career in journalism? If that hadn't worked out, what other career path do you think you might have chosen?

Jim: Basically, once I realized I wasn't going to be 6-5 and play in the NBA, I decided to be a sports journalist. So…early in high school. Other career path? Honestly never thought about it. I'd be writing somewhere, somehow though.

Question: Having spent years in Chicago, Milwaukee and now Cincinnati...what are some things that you've enjoyed most about each place? 

Jim: This could take all day!

Chicago: Honestly, it's world-class, so you can do and see anything and everything - music, food, the arts, sports, museums, outdoor events. I mean, all these places are home but the Chi is the hometown, so to me, you can go there as a tourist/visitor and just find anything that suits you.

Milwaukee: The food scene has gotten a lot better in the last decade, so you can get a lot of good eats and of course the local beer / cocktail scene is really cool. Also, go see a show at The Rave/Eagle Ballroom. Historic venue. I'm also a music guy, so Summerfest remains a must-do every year.

Cincinnati: This one is a bit harder because I spend so much time at PBS and traveling in relation to our coverage, but I've come to really enjoy the vibe of Vine St. in OTR. I also have come to enjoy Reds and Bengals game day on The Banks, and of course the Freedom Center and the zoo.

Question: You received a fellowship to cover the White Sox in spring training during your senior year at Northern Central College. What was that experience like and were there any lessons learned that carried with you?

Jim: It was career-changing. I learned I couldn't cover MLB - the days are too long and too much travel - and laid the foundation for how I've approached every day since. I received the Richter Fellowship for pitching an idea that was out-of-the-box, a project that told the stories of guys who no one else would want to talk to. It was about looking for other angles, asking different questions, and then putting together a story that made sense and was compelling.

Question: If you were tasked with starting an NFL team from scratch, and could pick any current GM, head coach, QB and defensive player not from New England, who would they be?

Jim: GM: Rick Spielman
HC: Mike McCarthy* (If I can't have Hoodie, I've got to go with a HC I feel can work with the QB)
QB: Aaron Rodgers
Defensive player: Von Miller

Question: What do you generally like to do for fun when you get some downtime?

Jim: Play golf (if I've got that kind of down time) and basically spending time with family and friends (and doing things with them - i.e. going to concerts, shows, events). Sounds cliché, but in the grind of football season those people take the short straw for half the year, so making that up as best I can when the season is over.

Yep, I screwed up and should have nominated him for a prestigious Bengal Board award. It is awesome have an insider in the forum, but Jim just seems so down to earth, intelligent and classy. Thanks for contributing Jim and great interview Holic. The mods also do a great job as well.