* * *
I usethe rest of the morning to roam around downtown, picking up some food for dinner tonight and another bottle of wine to restock what I knew I’d be drinking. Now it’s just after three p.m. and as I wait for Jade to return home, I snuggle into her oversized couch, bare feet tucked under my butt, and tip back my wine glass to finish the remaining drops before replenishing. I need to consider my options carefully for my second attempt at acquiring an interview.
As a broadcast journalist and show producer, it’s par for the course to chase down leads and eliminate obstacles. Journalists and broadcasters are trained in the relentless pursuit of the scoop. With someone like Marek, who is already media shy—or maybe just abhors interviews—I need to find the right approach and tactic for getting this exclusive. I know for a fact he has shunned personal interviews in the past and has only granted access to the big-time media players.
Which I am not.
But I do have grit and I’m undeterred with everything on the line to lose. My first attempt may have ended in a failure, but as Jade reminded me, I get up, dust myself off, and find a way to get my shot.
Grabbing for my laptop on the coffee table, I perch it on my lap to do a quick search on anything related to Marek Talbert. I don’t want to ask about the old news…I want to know what’s coming down the road for his team. How is he going to steer his ship in the right direction this season?
Marek’s in a very precarious spot. Other GMs with national franchise teams who have had more losses than wins two consecutive years in a row often find themselves with a shoe up their ass pushing them out the door.
That could be the tactic I use to get him to interview with me.
Scouring through the details of his Wiki page, I jot down some additional notes that may or may not prove useful. Or maybe I’m using them to clear up my own curiosity about the man who offered tickets to a perfect stranger as a courtesy and apology.
Any other businessman in a hurry wouldn’t have looked twice or inquired if I were okay. That right there tells me he has a good heart.
On top of that, what’s even more notable about this morning’s run-in is that Marek didn’t take the opportunity to hit on me. Even when I gave him the opening to join me for coffee, he didn’t take it. Sure, he was busy and had a meeting to get to, but I know plenty of other players, coaches, and yes, even top management who would’ve capitalized on that offer and suggested we get a drink later, when they’d also try to get in my pants.
Believe me, as a female in this business, I’ve seen it all. This job is not for the overly sensitive or faint of heart. It’s a constant tightrope walk of balancing the fine line between building a rapport with a player and being careful not to overstep it.
Marek kept himself firmly planted on the far end of that line.
Maybe he didn’t find me attractive?
Gah. Move along, idiot. That’s not what you came for.
Okay, let’s see. I scroll through his Wiki page again.
Born: December 12th.
He’s a Sagittarius, my second clue as to the type of man he is. Based on my knowledge of astrology, it means he’s competitive in every aspect of his life and is an extremely obsessive perfectionist. Which means it’s a good career fit, making him a great businessman and GM. He’s also very generous with those he’s close to, and he is an individual who wants to help others.
My heart twinges. Will he help me by granting the interview?
I continue reading. It says Marek was good enough as a college ballplayer and he could’ve easily been drafted after his freshman year. But Marek stayed in school and graduated with honors before he was drafted to the Louisville Lions.
It appears Marek only played professionally for a few short years and, by age twenty-five, he returned to graduate school for sports management, later becoming the head coach to one of the worst teams in the league—the Detroit Demons.
This is where he took the spotlight and shined. His leadership and coaching skills became the bedrock for his career, and he was touted and revered as the next Pat Riley, even giving a TED Talk on winning and leadership.
With Marek’s help, the team turned things around his very first season there, getting the team a spot in the playoffs. But Marek didn’t coach for long. He accepted an offer a little over two years ago to come to Seattle and become the GM for the new Pilots franchise.
It makes sense if you’re a guy like Marek with a head for business, but I note down my question about why he left the sidelines for an office position.
I click on the personal link at the bottom of the Wiki page, curious to know if I can piece it together. Is he married? Single? Family guy? Playboy? Not that it matters to me one bit, but any information is useful information.
Hmm. Married. Jasmine (née Delacroix) Talbert.
No children.
Oh, wait…what’s this? Divorced.
There are a few more insights about his philanthropy and board member stuff, but I admit, now that I’ve taken that bite of the apple, I’m more interested than ever to find out about his divorce.
Yes, it’s superficial and unnecessary, but Marek is an enigma. He’s mum about his private life and that just makes it even more of a tease. We all want what we can’t have.