Before they were famous hacks

I remember growing up reading Plaschke, Gene Wojo and Bernie Lincicome (even Albom -- for better or worse, you have to admit the guy did OK for himself -- had a stint at or around that time, I believe) in the fort lauderdale news/sun sentinel. this was before they were all huge names. What other staffs had great young guys that have gone on to be huge stars.

 

Go back even further, and I believe Blackie Sherrod had assembled an all-star cast of guys at the old Ft. Worth paper (which included a young Dan Jenkins)

 

We had a thread ages back that listed all of the guys from The National during its brief existence...

It was an amazing list.

 

Here's the National where-are-they-now list we compiled.

The knowns
Frank Deford - SI, NPR, REAL Sports etc...
Van McKenzie - Orlando Sentinel
Vince Doria - ESPN
Susan Kamb - Director, ESPN.com (according to Asian-American Journalists web site)
Rick Jaffe – fox sports
Rick Sayers – ee, erie times-news
Tim Tucker - ajc
Rob Fleder - si
Dave Kindred - sporting news
Lee Gordon – chicago tribune
Reid Laymance – ase, boston globe
Dave Tepps – palm beach
Pete Wevursi – oakland tribune
David Granger - esquire
Steve Clow – la times
Bobby E. Clay Jr. - si
Chris D'Amico – newark star-ledger
Mark Godich - si
Michael Knisley – ESPN.com Page 2 (was: Sporting News? Broadcasting?)
Kathleen McElroy – ny times
Al Vierra - binghamton
Dave Whitehorn – ase, newsday
Norman Chad - ESPN/Syndicated humor columnist
Scott Ostler – sf chronicle
Charles Pierce - boston globe magazine
Steve Buckley - boston herald
Gordon Edes - boston globe
Terry Egan - middletown
Tom Friend - espn the magazine
Jay Mariotti - chicago sun-times columnist
John McGrath – tacoma news-tribune
Al Morganti - WIP/ESPN
Steve Pate – Oakland (Mich.) Press
Ray Ratto - san fran chron columnist
Bud Shaw – good enough for cleveland
Gary Caruso – chop talk
Sam Donnellon - Philly Daily News
Larry Dorman - calloway
John Feinstein - bookin'
Ted Green – LA, tv producer
Ed Hinton - orlando sentinel (trib co.)
Johnette Howard - Newsday
Jeffrey Marx - author
Chris Mortensen - espn
Lester Munson - Sports Illustrated
Peter Pasquarelli – espn the mag
D. Tom Patterson - Record of San Joaquin County (Stockton, Calif.)
Peter Richmond - gq
Lyle Spencer – mlb.com, padres
Ian Thomsen - Sports Illustrated
Ed Werder - espn
Charles Chandler – charlotte observer
Jeff Horrigan - boston herald
Tom Keegan – ex-ny post, ex-espn 1050 nyc
Keith Dunnavant – NYC-based freelancer/author
Mike Towle - books
Jim Carley – Houston freelancer
Dennis Dodd - cbs sportsline
John Czarnecki - Fox Sports
Lisa Dillman – la times
Ken Gurnick - MLB.com
Steve Lowery – oc weekly
Eric Sondheimer – la times
Dave D'Alessandro - Newark Star-Ledger
Ian O'Conner - westchester
Lenn Robbins - new york post
Mark Fainaru - SF Chronicle
Sheldon Spencer – ESPN.com editor
David Steele - Baltimore Sun
Athan Atsales – ase, la times
Cindy Boren – washington post
David Cooper – ESPN.com
Tim Guidera - savannah columnist
Mike Huguenin - Orlando Sentinel
Alex Kimball – ase, la times
Jim Luttrell – ny times
Robin Melen – me, westchester journal news
Paul Mitchell – journalism instructor, nevada-reno
John Moore - Denver Post theater critic
Mike Moretti – newark star-ledger
Humberto Perez – chicago sun-times
Mark Wollemann - strib
Steve Marcus – deputy se, Baltimore sun
R.L. Rebach – bergen record
Craig Winston – ESPN The Magazine

The unknowns
Don Demaio -
Joe Walpole -
Paul Palazzo -
Ken Carpenter -
Karl Gude -
Carmin Romanelli -
Kim Cunningham -
Elizabeth Comte -
Richard Shook -
Tony Moton -
Rod Goldblum
Reid Grosky -
Mark Hohmeister -
Frank Kelly -
Richard McSweeney -
Larry Mirladi -
Jim Pavia -
Howard Courtney -
Scott Robson -
Reid Walmark -
Jeffrey Griber -
Barry Hauptman -
Mike Helfner -
Chris Lentine -
Sam Paulthasnoanon -
Aaron Radin -
Jason Rescigno -
Laurence Tobin -
Nancy Eato -
Reid Brown -
Amy Catalano -
Heather Eatman -
Jonathan Massie -
Frank O'Connell -
Michelle Papertsian -
Terrea Shaffer -
Amy Stahl -
Michael Viggiano -
Nick Dolin -
Liz Greco - si
Sean Plottner -
Solomon Chester Jr. -
Danielle Cumbo -
Art Monaghan -
Jake Weinstock –

The questionables
Mike Smith – AP news writer, Indy?
J.E. Vader – out of the biz? Sonoma-based author-freelancer?
Mark Vancil – Rare Air book publishing?
Gary Ferman - Media director, PGA Tour? CaneSport?
Hilary Kraus – spokesman-review?
Tim McManus – journal-register in pa?
Robert Dominguez – ny daily news?

 

I don't think the National really fits the original theme of the thread. Its staff wasn't young guys and gals given a big break by a superscout editor. It was a staff put together to be an All-Star team, with All-Star salaries to match. That's not a knock on the phenomenal talent Deford assembled. Just want to point out Blackie's staff and his were an apple and an orange.

 

For some reason I've always had the idea in my head that Augusta was a similar place where stars are born, but off the top of my head the only one I can think of is Posnanski. Are there others or am I crazy?

 

Wow, I've heard of none of these people.

 

Come again? You read through that whole list of former National staffers and couldn't pick out one? You need to read more, man.

 

it's not necessary to know all the names on that national list, but if you are interested in sports journalism and interested in becoming a better writer/reporter, it might not hurt to familiarize yourself with frank deford, dave kindred, charles pierce and john feinstein. then there's a whole other subset of talented writers, then another subset and so on.

 

Feinstein a great writer?
I'll pass.
"Season on the Brink" provided a great look at one of the most interesting characters in sports, but I wouldnt call him a great writer. He gets access no one else gets, but I've never read anything of his and thought, wow, that's great writing. What's more (a phrase he uses too much), he repeats himself like a broken record. By the 200th page of "The Punch" it was like, all right, we get it already, Rudy worked hard for everything he got; and yes, there's more to Kermit than the punch.

 

And this back-and-forth relates how to this thread topic?