I left out the story Tom told me about the last interview he ever did. It was with John Salmons, on the phone in the parking lot of a restaurant. He was already working for Monk at the time and he said Salmons was reacting basically like you describe Nate did, short, uninterested (and uninteresting) answers. He said he was so frustrated he decided to just give it up so he could focus on his other writing, where at least he wouldn't have to deal with that kind of roadblock to doing good work. I liked the story but didn't want to end on a negative note. But it shows the other side of this kind of writing. There is a real vapid element to a lot of sports writing, and I think players who are accustomed to it play into it by regurgitating the same old stock answers all the time.
I suppose now that I think of it this happens in a lot of media, not just sports. Even in tv shows, etc.
