An 'MBC Award' is where it's at, baby

Hollywood has the Oscars, Broadway has the Tonys and Bristol, Conn., has the ESPYs; now in honor of my three years as part of The Daily Pennsylvanian's sports staff, I have compiled my own set of awards for West Philly, entitled: The Miles Blake Cohen Awards (MBCs). The categories are in no particular order and while some are quite serious, others are just a joke. Receiving an MBC for most serious editor/writer during my three years at DPOSTM: Jordan Smith, once a perfectionist, always a perfectionist. Receiving an MBC for the most amount of time as a sports editor in some capacity: Scott Miller. Give the man some credit, he pulled 40-50 hour weeks for two straight years. Now that is a lot of time in a building with no windows. Receiving an MBC for the editor who spent the most time rewriting an article to make it better: Eric Goldstein. As editor, he spent many hours trying to cure my enormous grammar problems, but will never live down the day he left the following words in one of my articles: "(is this right Jeff)" 02/06/96. Jeff was his co-editor. Receiving an MBC for best sports layout not only during my three years but in the history of the DP: Scott Miller, "Speeding into The Future." The 1996 baseball preview was, as college hoops wizard Dick Vitale says, "awesome baby." Receiving an MBC for best sports feature: Matt Wurst, "Some stories didn't include a victory." This Penn Relays article is one that all journalists, not just those writing sports, should read in order to view an outstanding feature. Receiving an MBC for best sports column: Jordan Smith, "Publicity machine at work in sports" (09/18/97). A slightly cynical approach, this column is Smith's finest and is an excellent model of how to merge sports and Penn politics. Receiving an MBC for most controversial column: That would be me, Miles Cohen: "Lyren simply failed to step up." I don't think I will ever live that article down. Receiving an MBC as the sports writer with the most potential: '95-'96 Scott Miller, '96-'97 Matt Wurst, '97-'98 Eric Moskowitz. Receiving an MBC for the sports editor that tried the hardest to suck: Mike Hasday. Luckily for the rest of DPOSTM, he didn't try for too long. Receiving an MBC for the sports editor most likely to quit after one semester: Miles Cohen. As Smith would say to me, "You have to get your priorities straight, Miles. The Castle is for freaks." What can I say, I am a freak. Receiving an MBC as the sports editor/writer most likely to be misunderstood or not understood at all: Mawk Edelman. The Long Island accent is a killer. Receiving an MBC for sports editor most likely to eat half a cheesesteak and then leave the other half in a safe place under his desk for six months: This one was no contest, Eric Goldstein. By the time I cleaned up the sports office, the Billy Bob's steak sandwich under Goldstein's desk had actually glued itself to the floor. Receiving an MBC for the sports writer most likely to complain about anything: Matt Wurst. The sun rising in the morning was just the beginning for Wurst, who mastered the ability to whine about everything. Receiving an MBC for favorite coach to interview: Without a doubt coach Mike Toop. During every interview it was a lock he would intimidate the hell out of you and then make you laugh. Receiving an MBC for the top three athletes I had the pleasure of covering: 1995 women's track co-captain Angie Jimenez, 1998 football captain John Bishop and 1998 co-captain of the men's basketball team Jeff Goldstein. And finally, receiving an MBC for the sports editors most likely to turn DPOSTM from a good department into great one: Josh Callahan and Kent Malmros. These guys know how to do their job and have fun at the same time. Now if only they can shape up the photo department life in DPOSTM world will be perfect. · And that concludes the first-ever (and most likely the last) MBC awards. The past three years as a sports journalist have been filled with many exciting and frustrating moments for myself. I'll miss the DP and all its quirks. To all my co-writers and editors, plus all the athletes and coaches that have put up with me, thanks for three years of unforgettable memories.