With the Red Sox off Monday, here’s a quick Kevin Youkilis fix to get you through…for at least three minutes anyway.
The Boston first baseman was interviewed by longtime Seinfeld producer/writer Peter Mehlman as part of Mehlman’s comedy web series, “Peter Mehlman’s Narrow World of Sports.”
Youkilis does a surprisingly good job at playing the straight man for Mehlman’s brand of humor which is less Kenmore Square and more Upper East Side of Manhattan. If you’re a Seinfeld/Larry David fan though, you’ll probably like it.
Interestingly enough, Mehlman was a sportswriter from the Washington Post and several magazines for a number of years, so he’s got some background in sports. Having never written a formal script before, co-creator David offered him the chance to write one for Seinfeld and after submitting a short column he had written for the New York Times Magazine, Seinfeld himself brought him on board and the rest is history.
Some of the episodes he’s written or co-wrote? The Hamptons, The Sponge, The Visa and The Yada Yada stand out among a slew of memorable episodes.
So yes, kids: sportswriting can lead to a job writing award-winning and historically significant TV. Keep on plugging away, Bill Simmons. Someday, it’ll happen.
Josh Nason is the main writer and publisher of Small White Ball, a New England-based sports and media blog on the MVN Network. Reach him at josh [at] smallwhiteball.com or on Twitter.
