When Arthur Ashe Went To Dinner With Howard Cosell

Bob Page, former MSG Network sports anchor and host: “We could tell Howard Cosell stories for a long time. My late colleague Al Trautwig worked the Olympics with Howard on ABC-TV. Arthur Ashe worked with them too. They were all seated at a restaurant table. Young waitress comes over. Al told me that Cosell started the conversation with, ‘Young lady, do you know who this IS? It’s the great Ahthah Ashe!!! Do you know how large black men’s (blank) are?!’ The waitress was flabbergasted and turned a bright shade of red. As I think you know, Cosell had a drinking problem. Maybe too many Bloody Marys at lunch that day?Crude and rude … that was also Cosell.”

Imagine if Howard Cosell, who called some pro tennis matches for ABC in the 70s, was around today behaving like this? Imagine what Billie Jean King would say? Imagine what Mary Carillo, Pam Shriver, Andy Roddick, Jon Wertheim and Ben Rottn would be saying?

Howard probably would be sued for sexual harassment and suspended or even exiled from broadcasting.

“I idolized Howard Cosell,” Page said. “He was a big influence on my own career. I never DREAMED that one day I would replace him on his national radio sports commentaries at ABC in New York; never dreamed I’d work with him there. And I never dreamed he’d be such a dick in person.”

Bob Page was a sports reporter and anchor in Detroit from 1974 to 1988. In ’88, he moved to New York and was anchor of MSG Network’s Sports Desk. He was also Howard Cosell’s successor on ABC Radio’s Speaking of Sports.

Arthur Ashe · Howard Cosell

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