Watchdog

Professionally, sportswriters must keep a safe distance from public relations people and never take what comes out of their mouths at face value.

Personally, sportswriters often end up liking and respecting the p.r. people who help them do their jobs and serve readers.

An example: Fox Sports director of communications Tim Buckman, who has handled much of my New York-based whining on behalf of his L.A.-based superiors.

Buckman will be leaving the network after almost eight years at the end of next week - three days before the BCS title game and four weeks before the Super Bowl - to move from New York to California for a new gig at Callaway Golf.

Thanks for all your help, Tim, on behalf of SportsWatch/Watchdog and their readers. I hope you and Big Bertha are very happy together.