Could be Columnists

I could understand why you wouldn't want all people to aspire to this. But why is it an illegitimate goal for some? What's wrong with being entertaining and informative from a different viewpoint.

 

I understand the exercise, but to release a list like that which has many, many writers who are, or have been columnists even at major papers like the KC Star, Seattle Times, Baltimore Sun, makes Kindred look pretty stupid.

I love when a legend gives props to young writers, and I'm sure Kindred's motives are pure, but he probably should have put more thought into this before putting it out.

 

Who the fuck is David Hough for the Sun-Times? David Haugh of the Trib, however, is a pretty good columnist.

 

I'm going to go tell Mellinger that someday he can be a columnist.

 

Might help if you read the column again and read the late entries on the "Columnistosaurus" thread. I tried to clarify this on that thread. The column said some of the people on the list "may be" columnists, some "may be" over 40 (by a touch). I have admitted the more precise verb would have been "are." Both my sources and I knew there were columnists on the list. The point of the column was that not all young talent at newspapers has migrated to ESPN and lesser websites (yet).

 

Actually, the excerpt said:

So if that's not what the column said, then Romenesko sure took you out of context! Because what you typed above, and what you typed right there, sure seem to be at odds.

 

I let it sit for a while when you posted that, but I'm not buying it. You said, "So I asked four well-connected friends who know these things to help me make up a list of 20-under-40 at newspapers who could be columnists." If you asked me for my top 3-year-old colts and I gave you a bunch of 5-year-olds and even some mares who'd already been bred, you'd say sorry, Frank, not what I'm looking for, but maybe you have some good picks in the AL East.

You're a Triple Crown winner and some newspaper company should have paid millions to have you stand at stud (hey!), but in this particular Grade III race at National Sports Center Downs, the top three finishers were Mailed It In, I Can't Get No Editing and More Like Bill Simmons Than I Think. Fact-Checker Charlie stumbled out of the gate and broke his bullshit detector, and was humanely destroyed.

 

That was beautiful. You should be a columnist.

 

You bet. If Frank can supply me with his name, DOB, references from four well-connected newspaper veterans, and a certified letter from his newspaper's publisher that he is an employee who is not a columnist but would really like to be one if any old fart ever dies and leaves a slot open, I'll get him on the next u-40 list.

 

Yep, snide is definitely the way to go here.

 

(Supposed) journalism name/luminary/bigwig/award-winner/God/wordsmith/Ruler of the Known Universe comes here, disseminates wisdom, reacts to disagreement with a "How DARE you!!!!!!!" attitude.

From Whitlock to Kindred, an SportsJournalists.com tradition.

 

So, if you were mentioned on the list, do you, like, put it on your resume? What if you're an under-40 sports writer at a paper where one of your coworkers was on the list? Do you hide in shame and not expect a raise any time soon?