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Best American Sports Writing 2018, Jeff Pearlman guest editor

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Songbird, Dec 29, 2017.

  1. Screwball

    Screwball Active Member

    I'm not sure he is saying he doesn't care about sports. I believe he is saying that he can't bring himself to care about the repetitive daily grind -- incremental injury updates, getting to the ballpark at 2:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game, enduring August and September when the team you cover is 20 games out of first place. None of that stuff would figure to appear in a BASW selection anyway. It's hard work, and I think Jeff appreciates it. It's not for him. If you can make a living in sportswriting without having to worry about the day-to-day grind, more power to you.
     
    Tweener likes this.
  2. Hermes

    Hermes Well-Known Member

    I hate the daily grind, too. It's why I'm not a sports editor anymore. What concerned me was all the stories he mentioned weren't really sports stories. They were about people who play or coach or work in sports. I understand being bored to death by the nuts and bolts of sports, but the examples he gave were largely stories about people.

    If you're tired of people, you're in trouble.
     
  3. LanceyHoward

    LanceyHoward Well-Known Member

    Why not ask the question? You might get an interesting answer. I would be interested to know how a baseball writer with 20 years of experience, which means he has covered about 3,000 regular season games, maintains his interest and enthusiasm.
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2018
  4. Have you guys listened to Pearlman’s “Two Writers Slinging Yang” podcast? He’s had some good guests on, and they talk writing.
     
  5. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    One of my few criticisms of Slinging Yang is that Jeff tends to suck the oxygen out of the conversation and he needs to lower the tone of his voice; way too fucking loud; pull your mouth away from the microphone, Jeff lol.

    The one with Chantel Jennings was interesting for the 25-30 minutes I listened.
     
  6. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    I think Biff will do a nice job.
     
  7. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    "Biff" is never not funny.

     
  8. In earlier episodes, it seemed he talked more about the craft of reporting and writing, which I appreciated. ESPN’s Doubletruck podcast talked about the reporting/writing process under a previous host but switched to banal discussion recently.
     
  9. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Is Jeff going to do this when authors he chooses for the book don't send a Thank You letter?

    Screenshot_2018-01-07-02-42-10-1.png
     
  10. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    In my experience, the routine of the job, "the daily grind" if you will, is one of the things veteran successful beat writers like most about their jobs. They find fulfillment in obtaining and presenting information to readers, which when you think about it is kind of the point of all journalism, even if the information falls into the patterns Perlman finds tedious. I found it tedious sometimes, too (trade deadlines, ugh!) but I had boundless respect for the many excellent beat men and women I worked with at the Herald. They were the sirloin on the plate. My job as columnist was to be the best side of onion rings or creamed spinach I could be.
     
    Tweener and 3_Octave_Fart like this.
  11. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    Lancey, I don't get the sense Pearlman is interested in having his mind changed on much.
    From his blog and his occasional acting out in public, he seems like a strident type.
    And I agree with Gee that there is beauty in the details, and hundreds of those details add up to something greatly satisfying in covering a season.
    I mean this guy got worn down at age 35 by plum gigs, after leaving the foodie beat to do so.
    Imagine Jeff covering a directional school or the Bruce Coslet-era Bengals and see how he feels afterwards.
     
  12. BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo

    BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo Well-Known Member

    I realize I have about 60,000 posts on a message board and, ahem, a few Tweets to my names, but is there a thought Jeff doesn't share online?
     
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