The Best Damn Interview, Period

If you happened to be watching “The Best Damn Sports Show, Period” yesterday night at 9:15 p.m., you would have seen two of Harvard’s finest.

Senior quarterback Neil Rose and sophomore quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick were interviewed from Dillon Field House via satellite by hosts Chris Rose, Tom Arnold and D’Marco Farr yesterday afternoon for Fox Sports’ humorous talk show. The feature showcased the easy-going relationship between Rose and Fitzpatrick despite the season’s ongoing quarterback controversy.

“Honestly, it was the best experience of my life so far,” Fitzpatrick said. “Neil and I were joking around and just having so much fun with it.”

Tom Arnold dominated the questioning with jabs at Harvard’s image. Asking which player had the higher SAT score (Fitzpatrick, 1580) and whether girls like Reese Witherspoon actually existed at Harvard (to which Rose replied “I wish”), Arnold showcased the original wit that he has past displayed in films such as Carpool and The Stupids.

“I actually really enjoyed getting teased on the show about all the stuff people would tease Harvard guys about,” Rose said.

Fitzpatrick was even preparing to taunt Arnold with “Roseanne” jokes if the Harvard ribbing got too strong.

“I had some comebacks lined up but decided not to use them,” Fitzpatrick said.

The five-minute segment showed video footage of Rose and Fitzpatrick borrowed from AT&T3’s televised broadcasts of Harvard home games. While Arnold commented on Fitzpatrick’s Hawaiian shirt and relaxed attitude for a player in a “controversy,” the sophomore explained that the starting job currently belonged to team captain Rose.

“He’s my mentor on the field,” Fitzpatrick said. “We hang out a lot and get along real well. There’s no controversy.”

Sports Information Director John Veneziano informed Head Coach Tim Murphy of the interview opportunity. Murphy then relayed the message to his quarterbacks who jumped on the chance to be a part of the show.

“I’m such a big fan of the program,” Rose said, who wore a blazer and t-shirt rather than his native Hawaiian apparel, to the dismay of Fitzpatrick. “I felt so lucky for being a part of it and Fitzy, as always, was hilarious.”

Fox Sports found a recent article in the New York Times detailing Harvard’s two great quarterbacks and immediately became interested in pursuing the story.

“They were really interested in why someone would come here to play,” Rose said.

The two QBs will be back in action this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at home against Columbia.

—Staff writer Alex M. Sherman can be reached at sherman@fas.harvard.edu.