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Best Columnist Ever...

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by jgmacg, Jun 27, 2006.

  1. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    Alexander Hamilton
     
  2. Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    ...and James Madison, and John Jay.
     
  3. DyePack

    DyePack New Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    That doesn't stop anybody.

    Right, Fenian?
     
  4. Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    ...guhguhguhguhguhguhguhguhguhguh...guuuuuhhhhh!
     
  5. friend of the friendless

    friend of the friendless Active Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    Ms Jones,

    Best of Myles opened my eyes. Have everything than the man ever did -- The Poor Mouth in Gaelic even. Two bios. The works. A guy with the Globe and Mail has completely cribbed his act (The Brother, no less). Despicable that he passes himself off as an original.

    Mr Hecht,

    Columnists whose rep/appeal baffle me ... Barry would be at the top of the list. As a category, are humourists supposed to be not funny?

    What I've read of Runyon's short stuff would have him in this category. Povich gets points for attendance. I have a Grantland Rice collection but it doesn't age well. Blackie Sherrod would be up there tho'.

    YHS, etc
     
  6. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    The short stories were Runyon's shining hour. His daily output was not nearly so distinguished.
     
  7. hondo

    hondo Well-Known Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    I notice the political bent of some you results in all columnists being libs.

    That said, I love Royko, Breslin and Hiassen (liberals with common sense, unlike anyone currently employed by the New York Times or Washington Post).

    How is it that none of you have mentioned Hunter Thompson? Again, love the writing, even if I disagree with the flame-throwing politics.

    The best conservatives: George Will, William Buckley, Thomas Sowell.
     
  8. sportsed

    sportsed Guest

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    Neither am I. I still love Rich but I can't read him for free.  :(

    Edit: I loves me some: Leonard Pitts, Kevin Maney, David Pogue, Walter Mossberg, Jack Shafer, Charles Krauthammer (gets the worst part of my day out of the way early), Jonah Goldberg (can't stand his views ... I like his columns for whatever reason, though).
     
  9. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    The problem with this type of thing is that almost all of them lose something after a while, they have a decade or so of great stuff and then it's mostly reputation. I was reading Royko pretty consistently toward the end of his career and he wasn't doing much for me. I did have a couple books, a collection of columns, and I could see what the fuss was about.

    If you had read Lupica at his best, no question he was one of the best sports columnists ever, arguably the best ever, for oh, about 15 years, although John Schulian was my personal fave during that era. I caught Red Smith toward the end but have a library of his stuff, enough to have seen his best stuff and be extremely impressed in hindsight. Scott Ostler, you don't hear much about him now, but when he was in L.A. before going to The National -- he could make me laugh out loud in ways his colleague Jim Murray couldn't. Murray was great, but the one-liner after one-liner didn't give me a chance to breathe, let alone laugh. George Vecsey was real good two decades ago; he could paint you a picture.

    Dave Barry was brilliant in the 1980s. If you read that selection of columns that won him a Pulitzer, you'd agree. It included a piece on his mom's suicide that was one of the most strangely moving columns I've ever seen in a newspaper. I stopped reading him eventually even though every paper I've worked for since his prime has run his column, which pains me a bit because I worked in Miami during his prime and he was just a real good guy to work with.

    Bob Greene (the sex fiend!) was just about unreadable by the end, but in his prime he could bring it. I bought a few collections of his columns during the 1980s. I was a big fan then.

    So I don't know about "best ever." Currently I think Leonard Pitts is the best.
     
  10. Herbert Anchovy

    Herbert Anchovy Active Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    Will is a great read when he doesn't have a stick up his ass.
     
  11. printdust

    printdust New Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    The Austin American Statesman will review this thread for the next great sports columnist. Get your plugs in now.
     
  12. Ben_Hecht

    Ben_Hecht Active Member

    Re: Best. Columnist. Ever.

    LJB: "Oh, Nanceeeeee . . . 19 of your red suits are back from the dry cleaner's . . . "

    NR: "Oh, thank you, Georgie . . . put them in the closet, won't you, now? . . . "
     
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