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Berry Tramel on Barry Switzer turning 70...

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by chazp, Oct 7, 2007.

  1. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    Really enjoyed this column. I've enjoyed Tramel's work for years. It reads at times like a feature, at times like a column.

    The link....

    http://newsok.com/article/3140939/
     
  2. Tramel is great.
    No, I'm not him, though I wish I could write like he does.
     
  3. BigSleeper

    BigSleeper Active Member

    Switzer can take it. He's a man. He's 70. ;D

    Seriously, that's a really fine piece.
     
  4. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    I gotta say that "Bootlegger's Boy" remains one of my favorite sports biographies/autobiographies.
     
  5. In Cold Blood

    In Cold Blood Member

    Really well done.
     
  6. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    I join you in that, "I wish I could write like he does," group.
     
  7. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    Hard to believe he was done with college football at age 51.
     
  8. Fourth and 8

    Fourth and 8 Member

    No disrespect to Tramel, but Switzer MAKES a good story. Just the way he is. I remember catching him in Norman at halftime of the OU-TCU game going down the elevator...TCU was winning. The elevator was stopping at every floor. He's looking impatient.... and turns and said "and I was going to get down to the lockeroom and tell Stoops to insert the @#$@# wishbone because whatever the hell that was they showed the first half, it sure aiin't an offense."
     
  9. wannabeu

    wannabeu Member

    Really good column. Nothing knew for Tramel. Like many have said before, I wish I could be as good a writer as he is. I've met him a couple of times and he's a nice guy. He's much better than his counterpart, who we have already talked about at length in the Gundy posts.
     
  10. Writing about Switzer is like putting a ball on a tee -- he's one of my favorite people to interview, ever -- but Tramel did a great job, too. I enjoyed it. Nice job, Berry. They don't make coaches like they used to. (See Gundy, Mike.)

    Which begs a question. There was another thread on here about how appropriate it is for metro newspapers to hire columnists from outside, because they don't tend to know the back stories of these people. There's no way someone from outside nails the Switzer column like Berry did. He knew exactly what to leave out and put in, and the column just flowed. There's something to be said for that.
     
  11. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    I agree he's better than his counterpart, but she'll be better known for a while.
     
  12. wannabeu

    wannabeu Member

    She will be better known for a little while, but it won't be because of her outstanding work. I wouldn't want to be known for what she has become popular for in recent weeks. I would rather be Tramel -- write great articles and not become the story instead of writing a crappy column and being kown as the reporter the coach yelled at.
     
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