C.J.: Bud Grant's not wild about cellphones, boa hunting

Article by: C.J. , Star Tribune
Updated: February 17, 2012 - 6:36 PM

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The children of former Vikings coach Bud Grant want the Hall of Famer to carry a cellphone.

Wanting isn't getting, as some say.

"My kids make me have a cellphone but it's home. I carry it when I go out somewhere, only for an emergency. But I noticed last night that it's not charged up. I haven't used it in a month," said Grant.

He wasn't expecting an emergency the day we met at his Winter Park office for a wide-ranging interview that yielded three videos (www.startribune.com/video). Attached here is the video that concentrates the least on football.

Thoroughly gracious and witty, Grant even gave me advice on how to get the best answers to questions.

In another video, to be posted Sunday, the avid outdoorsman briefly addressed my question about whether he'd be interested in Burmese python hunting in the Everglades, should Florida decide to legalize such an activity.

"I like ethical hunting. I don't know how they would hunt the python. If there was a way that you could experience all of the Everglades and hunt python, I might be interested," he told me. "But to go out there just to say I killed a python, get my picture taken with it -- no, I'm not interested in that."

Grant is not convinced by media reports that the pythons, former pets turned loose when they grew too large, have done as much damage to raccoon and rabbit populations as is being claimed. "I'd like to see them out there in the wild. I don't know if I'd like to kill them," he said. "But if they were a predator doing harm, yeah."

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.