News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins is known for many things in this market – embarrassing himself on Twitter, percentages, eating Smart Ones, hooking up with coeds at the Interurban in the 1980s – but perhaps his most recognizable trait is his unique ability to swing and miss on breaking sports news.
It seems like we're reminded about this every couple of years. I think the last time around was 2014 when Dean reported that according to "trusted sources" Baker Mayfield was granted a third year of eligibility by the NCAA. It was a great news for the OU football program. The only problem is that it was totally wrong. Here's what we had to say at the time:
I don’t have a problem with Dean Blevins screwing something up. This is Dean Blevins. We’re used to it. Part of the fun of listening to him is guessing which of his reports are true and which are totally fabricated. Plus, there’s always the chance he can urinate live on the air.
What irritates me is that Dean doesn’t fess up to being wrong. Trust me, there’s nothing more fun than writing a retraction. Of course, Dean probably thinks a retraction is that sex toy that Rosser showed him the last time they recorded an Interurban commercial, so maybe it’s better that he doesn’t retract.
Well, it looks like Dean is back to his old tricks.
Yesterday, he appeared on the "Total Dominance Hour" with Jim and Al – yes, that's still a thing – and reported that Draymond Green would be suspended for tonight's pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. We know this thanks to sad people who were stuck in traffic listening to The Sports Animal on the drive home.
Here are a few examples:
Yep, Dean Blevins allegedly heard from a "reliable source" that Draymond Green was suspended for Game 4. That's kind of funny, because as we all know, his report was totally wrong:
That's embarrassing. Outside of tweeting about the problems with our melting pot, inventing hashtags like #cuminhandytonight, or urinating on live radio, there's nothing more damaging to a reporter's reputation than getting a big story or scoop wrong. Knowing this, and being the class act that he is, Dean quickly hopped on Twitter to apologize and accept full responsibility for his erroneous reporting.
Check this out:
Uhm, say what?
I've gotten a bit rusty at interpreting Dean's tweets since he blocked us, but I thought you were only supposed to blame hackers when you accidentally tweeted a dick pic. Who knew it could also be used as an excuse to justify bad reporting. I'll have to remember that one.
Actually, I think Dean may have gotten "hackers" confused with a fake Twitter account. If that's the case, is Dean trying to say that his "reliable source" for the Draymond Green report was a fake Twitter account? I would try to keep embarrassing information like that to myself.
Also, why the hell did he @-reply News 9 in the tweet? Did he want seriously want them to re-tweet his confusing statement, or was he simply trying to flirt with the News 9 social media intern? Answers please.
Dean's non-apologetic apology didn't sit too well with Twitter users:
Anyway, I think we've all learned a few things from this report. Here they are:
1. Don't take anything Dean says too seriously. His reporting is about as accurate and reliable as an Aaron Tuttle weather forecast.
2. It maybe time for Dean to give up the whole "journalist" thing. He should leave breaking news to the pros, and instead stick with reading the teleprompter, sharing sports radio hot takes, and talking to Rosser about the Interurban menu.
3. In the NBA, you can intentionally kick a guy in the nuts and get away with it. Then again, you can also urinate while on the radio and get away with that, too.
