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What Sportswriter Did You Want to be When You Grew Up?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by LanceyHoward, Dec 10, 2017.

  1. DSzymborski

    DSzymborski Member

    Peter Gammons. When I found out some years ago he was familiar with my work, I grinned a lot, unbecoming of the jaded asshat that I am.
     
    Doc Holliday and Tweener like this.
  2. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    Add another vote for Paul Zimmerman.
     
  3. SpeedTchr

    SpeedTchr Well-Known Member

    Hugh McIlvanney
     
  4. Tweener

    Tweener Well-Known Member

    Bob is super nice guy, from my experience with him. One thing I noticed watching him was that everyone seemed to know who he was, and they opened up to him so much easier than they would have to some random reporter. He could get a really cool anecdote out of one question because of that.
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2017
    JimmyHoward33 likes this.
  5. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Oscar Madison.
     
  6. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    Thoroughly jealous of this. Would love to read it. Probably my favorite writer ever.
     
    Bronco77 likes this.
  7. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    I've never read much Wilbon, but I'm not going to give you crap about him. I'll even buy your opinion.

    I've got a very good friend in Las Vegas that swears by Wilbon. Says he was one of the best and most passionate writers around during his days in newspapers.
     
    Tweener likes this.
  8. Bronco77

    Bronco77 Well-Known Member

    Probably five or six "Best of Royko" books were published over the years, but the one I have is titled, "Sez Who? Sez Me." Might still be able to find it online through Amazon, Google Books, etc. If you do acquire it, the chapter with his sports columns is called "Jocks and Jerks." Some of the subjects (these columns were from the '70s and early '80s) included Billy Martin, Charlie Finley and the aforementioned fishing column.
     
  9. Doc Holliday

    Doc Holliday Well-Known Member

    Thanks, I'm going to look for it!
     
  10. typefitter

    typefitter Well-Known Member

    Charlie Pierce is the first writer I can remember making me think: Oh, you can do that? I want to try to do that.
     
    Double Down likes this.
  11. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    He's not wrong.
     
    Doc Holliday and Tweener like this.
  12. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Great thread.

    I really wanted to be Marty Brennaman, then after one very bad college soccer broadcast I figured I'd go to Plan B, which was writing.

    Grew up reading the terrific 1980s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kindred, Mortenson, Bisher and a dozen other all-stars in sports, plus the great Lewis Grizzard. Went to college in Indiana and got a Chicago Tribune subscription just for their sports section and Royko, who was nearing the end but still had a good fastball.
     
    Doc Holliday likes this.
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