The Cable Gamer did not know, till she read Jon Friedman's profile in Market Watch, that Fox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino had once been a boxer.
It all makes sense, of course: Charlie's a fighter, as all his rivals can attest. And he is a winner, as his rivals also can attest.
But interestingly, as Friedman points out, fighting gave Charlie an interesting take on life: Hit hard, but don't hold a grudge. Every day is a new day.
But let Friedman, long a Cable Game fave, tell the tale:
When it comes to understanding Charlie Gasparino, you have to remember that the senior correspondent for the Fox Business Network used to be a boxer.
You could make the leap and suggest that Gasparino has the soul of Rocky Balboa, a classic underdog who makes a name for himself primarily by working his butt off. The only difference is that Sylvester Stallone's cinematic hero is soft-spoken, insecure and inarticulate.
By contrast, Gasparino's viewers know that he is articulate and self-confident. In what must be the understatement of the young century, he is seldom soft-spoken.
Gasparino recalled sitting at a bar and watching a former sparring partner compete in a Golden Gloves tournament. He was filled with momentary regret that he had given up on boxing.
"What the hell did I do?" he thought.
His life in boxing "propelled me into journalism," he said when he talked last month for a "Media Matters with Jon Friedman" segment at Michael's restaurant. Boxing taught him to not to hold a grudge against an opponent after he's knocked you down. Journalism is another arena where you can't take things personally.
