Geno Auriemma Sports Columnist?

If you’ve ever wanted to hear Geno Auriemma talk sports, and by that I mean about subjects other than women’s basketball, you will get your chance Tuesday night at 7 when he appears on CPTVSports new panel talk show “Beyond the Beat.”

The show regularly features host Joe Zone of WFSB-3 and columnists Mike DiMauro of the New London Day and Jeff Jacobs of the Courant. It tapes at Geno’s Fast Break restaurant at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino.

Check your local cable system for the station the show will air.

Geno is a major sports fan, particularly of the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies and Flyers. He’s educated and conversant in all the major sports, even the NHL. And you will hear him talk about baseball, among other things relating to the 2012-13 UConn women, during the 30-minute show.

“When I’m with my friends all we do is talk about sports, and we talk about whatever happens to be the flavor of that week or month,” Auriemma said after the taping.  “The guys I am around are usually never fans of the teams I root for, so it always makes for lively debates. When I am around my Philly friends, we talk about how much everyone kills the players from there, right or wrong.

“All my friends, those my kids are friends with, are all [New York] Giants fans. Philly has always been a baseball town, but the NFL has now become a 12-month sport. It’s such a monster now is that I believe it’s taken over in most cities. We’re Phillies fans, but I can tell you that Philadelphia is not like St. Louis or Green Bay.

“Why is St. Louis considered the No. 1 baseball town and Green Bay the No. 1 football town? It’s because they are in the middle of the country and they [the fans] don’t swear at their players. There no talk shows where they kill guys for striking out or throwing an interception.

“It’s because when a guy like Albert Pujols played for the Cardinals, he could turn around and the tell the fans getting on his case, ‘Hey, yo, do you realize I can just leave this place anytime I want go make a lot of money someplace else. I’m doing YOU a favor by playing here.’ That’s why they don’t bust them on their players.”

Geno grew up reading the great Philadelphia sportswriters and columnists, all known their strong personalities and opinions.

“Would I have been a good sportswriter? Nah, I’d be too opinionated for that,” Auriemma said laughing.

“I’d have to be like Jacobs and DiMauro. I’d have to be a columnist where I could write what I want, the newspaper wouldn’t care, wouldn’t need any facts. You could just say what you want to say and if people don’t like it, you can just say tough [you know what]. I would have been a great columnist. But if I had to follow a team and write about them, it wouldn’t be so good because I’d have to accurate. I’d have a hard time with that.”

By the way, Geno says he’d still take Tom Brady over Eli Manning for one big game.

“I don’t why, but the Giants offensive line is really good and the Patriots line stinks. Brady’s under for pressure than I’ve ever seen,” Auriemma said. “Football has changed so much over the years that if you can’t put up 30 points in a game, you can’t win. You can’t win with defense anymore, unless you get lucky.”