I suppose you could say that getting the “hot or not” treatment from a peer means Christine Daniels (above) is fitting into press box culture just like any other female sportswriter. Next up, locker room innuendo!

From Kevin Roderick of LA Observed, quoting Paul Oberjuerge of the San Bernardino Sun.

We were at the Beckham introductory thing at Home Depot Center … and were heading upstairs for the small-scale interviews in the suites … when I spotted a very large woman ahead of me … and it struck me, “Whoa. That’s Mike Penner. Christine.”

Anyway, I feel bad for the guy/girl. From what little I’ve seen of the blog he/she is doing, she (I’m gonna try to stick with the female thing now) seems quite happy. Buoyant, even. Massively relieved to be living as a woman. And that’s fine.

But …

I hate to be judgmental about these things, but Christine is not an attractive woman. Which probably isn’t a surprise when you’re 50 and have spent your in-the-world life as a fairly drab guy. Who has a fairly prominent Adam’s apple (not all of us do) … Who also isn’t exactly petite. Maybe 6-1, 200?

So … she looks like a guy in a dress, pretty much. Except anyone paying any attention isn’t going to be fooled — as some people are by veteran transvestites.

Maybe she just needs better clothes than you can get at Ross… Here’s a hilariously self-aware (and poignant) bit from Daniels’ own blog, also via Roderick (it appears to be offline as I write this).

[Beckham] arrived wearing a silver-gray Burberry suit, surrounded by a phalanx of assistants and yes-people…I arrived wearing a golden-hued top from Ross and a multi-colored paisley skirt from Ames and a pair of open-toed tan heels from Aerosoles, surrounded by nobody…

I would really like to see this sort of full disclosure from Bill Conlin. As well as every Pitchfork critic.