Bernie looking again in Chicago

An old acquaintance and an elegant, witty writer. I hope somebody figures something out for him:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/archives/2010/01/22/bernie-lincicome-seeks-a-role

 

Agreed, SF.

Don't know the man personally, but I enjoyed reading him and Bob Verdi in the Tribune when I was growing up.

Both are still good writers with a good sense of humor.

 

I won't dispute that he's a great writer, but I just couldn't get into reading him regularly with the Rocky Mountain News. I tend to like a more humorous approach to sports and that's something that didn't seem to be his strong point.

Regardless, I hope he finds a place to land. Doesn't sound like he's looking for much other than a once or twice a week column that someone will actually print--instead of just posting online.

 

A challenging case, I'd think. Bernie is a tremendous wordsmith at a time when that doesn't rank high on a media list of preferred skills. He was an acquired taste during his 16 year run in Chicago because he wasn't a reporting-driven columnist in the least. Used fewer quotes in his pieces than almost everybody. And I'm not sure he was a fit for the typical shot-and-beer Chicago sports fan. Besides, if Bob Verdi is being shown the door from the Chicago scene, I can't imagine that market would be in a rush to hire a different semi-retired "gentlemen" sports columnist.

I agree with the writer of the piece that Bernie seems to have more to offer, and to have moved on, from newspaper sportswriting. Maybe he could reinvent himself in a second career like Robert Lipsyte has done with that "aging" show he does for PBS. Somebody needs to serve that growing and often shunted-aside demographic.

Old enough to retire, financially secure enough to retire -- and you can't stomach retiring? There are, needless to say, worse problems in life. Go read the dictionary. Work with the shelter dogs. Join Big Brothers. Or crank out a novel or 12. To each his own, of course, but how many of us would simply do what we always have done -- if we had the cash to not do it?

 

Lincicome is my favorite columnist of all-time. I'd read a column of his on menstruation if he chose to write one.

 

There have been old-codger writers that just kept hanging on even though times have passed them by. Lincicome's situation is totally different. He is a savvy wordsmith who is caught in a world turned inside-out. It's not so much sad as it is just plain weird. Sports are still being played, reported, and analyzed, and one of the best in his profession is just out there, his words floating around in cyberspace. It's like Captain Kirk is warping through space on his next adventure and suddenly his starship and crew are gone. Poof. There's still life support for him, but nowhere to go.

 

Sid Hartman anyone?

I always enjoyed Lincicome. Much better writer than Skip Bayless ...

 

Like day and night.

 

Lincicome was my favorite columnist growing up, hands down. As others have said, he was tremendous in turning a phrase. ... Never was a good fit in Colorado, though. Sports fans there didn't appreciate his cynical humor, and there were times I thought he stopped working as hard as he did in Chicago. Here's to wishing him the best at whatever comes next.

 

This "new media" punk can kiss my 53-year-old ass.

Fuck him.

Bernie's one of the best sports columnists this business has ever known.

Not a bad guy, either. Gotta get to know him, and that ain't easy, but he's got a good sense of humor.

OK, gotta get back to work in New Orleans.

All the best to you, Bernie.

 

Michael Miner ain't exactly a "new media" punk. Dude's as much a Chicago institution as Bernie ever was.

 

The Trib promoted a beefed-up sports section last year only to lose Rick Morrissey to the S-T. I'd say Bernie would be an excellent hire.