Watching and listening (I don’t know what was better, if watching or listening) last Sunday‘s exciting Spain-US reminded me of that good showman of Andrés Montes. I cannot get him out of my head. In a good way, though many criticized him. He was bold, yes. But, how can we say, innovative. I also remembered, mind you where it started from, this media sector so beaten up, so diminished, I am talking about i.e. those press photographers and photojournalists, that on Friday gave Pep Guardiola a letter asking to allow them to maintain at least those 15 minutes for taking photos of his players while training. They ask for nothing more, nothing less. It isn’t them, they say, that Guardiola fears but rather his opponents’ TV cameras. That, apparently, are an army. From Madrid, of course. A real danger. 

It is somewhat curious that while some are opposing resistance in order to protect themselves others, like the Spanish basketball team and his coach Sergio Scariolo, are opening up to modernity, to television, to the fans, to the basketball lovers, to the show. They are open to the point of even carrying a microphone on their shirt’s collar so their instructions during timeouts are heard on TV. I must admit Sunday’s one was a wonder of technology and something we should thank about not only laSexta, but also good Scariolo, that supports his directions with a fantastic coaching whiteboard, whose sale allows non-profit Fundacion Cesare Scariolo to care for children suffering from leukemia and lymphoma. It may be that, being alive our sharp tongued and daring Andres Montes, we wouldn’t have heard anything, because my favourite commentator would have superimposed his voice to master Scariolo’s in each and every timeout. Without doubt. The luck we have is that Mel Otero, Epi, and López Iturriaga (wonderful couple of stars!) let the coach talk and be heard. And thanks to their silence we could realize on Sunday that the chess player Scariolo does not lose his nerves even when there are 16.9 seconds left to play and we lose 85-86. They arranged a play, discussed, exchanged high fives, of course, supported each other, wished each other luck, smiled, the feel was so good that little mattered that Ricky first and then Rudy failed their shots. They tell me that FIBA could forbid such microphone in the World Championship. It would not surprise me. Its leaders are as ancient as FIFA’s. A bunch of boring guys, to say it all.