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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2009 > July > 02 > Entry
Who is this ‘Chuck Lidwig’ dude, anyway?
THE DAY THE CHICKSTER
BECAME ‘CHUCK LIDWIG’
===LUDWIG AT LARGE alert: Happy Birthday to my BFFs — Clark Kellogg (age 48!) and Bob Von Gries. Studs among studs. True princes in gym shoes.===
Funny story from Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp 1999 at Georgetown (Ky.) College.
I had been interviewing quarterback Jeff Blake for two years (1997-98), so I figured he knew my name and affiliation (Dayton Daily News).
I was dead wrong.
The Bengals beat writers have always had excellent access to players at camp.
We interview them coming off the field. And we interview them walking from the locker room … up-Up-UP the steps to the Thomas and King Leadership and Conference Center, which houses the cafeteria and meeting rooms.
That year, the Bengals decided to enact a rule. You could still grab players comin’ & goin’ for brief chats. But if you wanted a more lengthy one-on-one interview with a certain player, you had to ask Bengals public relations director Jack Brennan first.
Brennan would then approach the player and the two would work out a time that was good for the player and writer to meet.
So one day, I decided I needed a “one-on-one” with Blake, who was the clear-cut starter during Akili Smith’s rookie year.
Brennan told Blake that I wanted to interview him.
Blake responded, “Who is this Chuck Lidwig?” And Blake shot down the interview.
Couple days later, while walking from the locker room to lunch at the conference center, I approached Blake and asked for an interview.
“Sure,” he said. “Meet me outside after lunch.”
I interviewed Blake for a half hour, and he was great.
Brennan told the “Chuck Lidwig” story to me and the other beat writers, and we all got a kick out of it.
That gag still comes up from time to time. I’m glad, too.
Nobody ever wants to be forgotten.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By Uh..........
July 2, 2009 4:28 PM | Link to this
crickets chirping…………………. Thanks for wasting a minute of my life I can never get back.By Chick Ludwig
July 2, 2009 4:58 PM | Link to this
You’re welcome. But I’ve got a funny feeling Psychostats in WI is gonna love it. Thanks for reading. Cheers, ChickBy psychostats
July 2, 2009 9:25 PM | Link to this
And then there’s cousin Flip Lidwig, crew chief at Okeana Straitjacket Factory… Just be thankful that Brennan wasn’t looking for biographical material — Hey Jeff, got any “funny facts” for the media guide?By BVG
July 3, 2009 1:39 AM | Link to this
Chick, Thanks for the B-Day wishes and kind words good friend. Halfway there!(-: Great evening with family and best friend…Grandson Lucas John Schroer… Continue with stories from the past. Good reading! See you in Georgetown. WHO DEY!By ironmyke
July 4, 2009 8:58 PM | Link to this
This reminded me of the long string of weak, forgettable Bengals quarterbacks after Boomer. And Blake wasn’t the worst.By Tom
July 5, 2009 10:47 AM | Link to this
Ohhhh, haaa haaaaa! Whewww! Let me catch my breath! I fell out of my chair, dang that was funny. Whewwwwwww.