Deadline Artists

http://www.amazon.com/Deadline-Artists-Americas-Greatest-Newspaper/dp/1590204298

Jon Avlon, one of the boob's book's editors is on Morning Joe promoting this right now. Looks like it could be interesting.

But, two things stand out in my mind. One is that John was a speechwriter for Giuiani when I worked at City Hall. He went by "Fipp" and not John, so it's sort of funny to see how he's reinvented himself.

Second, is that I still sit back in amazement when they turn to Barnicle to discuss how much better journalists were back in the old days. Barnicle, a guy who made up stories is constantly lamenting the current state of journalism. Drives me nuts.

 

hahahaha boob's editors.

 

Fuck. Must have had something else on my mind.

 

How many big columnists are really deadline artists? Like actually sweating out deadlines? Most have a schedule say 3 per week on set days now right?

 

Well, producing on demand three or four days a week still takes something. Interesting list, and might be a book I need.

 

There are a few people on that list I wouldn't have included (Herbert being one glaring example), but
for Barnacle to be in there is an embarassment to the profession, in my view . . .

It was nice for my handle to get the recognition he deserves . . .

 

Barnicle was a great columnist and a great newspaperman.

Yeah, he screwed up.

But then again, I think Pete Rose should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

More than once.

Just because Royko's (physically) dead doesn't mean anyone has the right to rob him blind.

Mike B. couldn't clean Royko's clubs.

 

I'm convinced Barnicle is on the list because he's friends with John (Fipp) Avlon and so Avlon could get on Morning Joe to promote the book.

Barnicle said something like, "when you approached me with this idea," to Avlon during the interview.

Barnicle's a hack, and now he sits back reminiscing about the "good old days" when newspaper men were so much better.

 

I just got this book. It's fantastic. In addition to the legendary columns, it also has everything from the full Poor Richard's Almanack, Mark Twain's "The Danger of Lying in Bed" and a Toronto Star piece by Hemingway about the Chicago gang wars.

The sports selections:

"Casey at the Bat," Ernest Lawrence Thayer, SF Examiner
"The Four Horsemen," Grantland Rice, New York Herald Tribune
"Louis Knocks Out Schmeling," Bob Considine, International News Service
"Seabiscuit: The Gamest Thoroughbred," Grantland Rice, New York Tribune
"Iron Horse Breaks," Shirley Povich, Washington Post
"The Graziano-Zale Fight," Jimmy Cannon, New York Post
"Death of a Racehorse," W.C. Heinz, New York Sun
"Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," Red Smith, New York Herald Tribune
"Fisk's Home Run in 12th Beats Reds," Peter Gammons, Boston Globe
"Reggie Jackson's Three Homers," Red Smith, New York Times
"Muhammad Ali," Jack Newfield, Village Voice
"A Slugger, Right From The First Tee," Jim Murray, Los Angeles Times
"Webber College: Best Team You Never Saw," Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press
"Why Is Baseball So Much Better Than Football?" Thomas Boswell, Washington Post
"Who Has Won and Who Has Lost?" Bob Greene, Chicago Tribune
"For Timeless Player, It Was Time," Thomas Boswell, Washington Post
"Her Blue Haven," Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times

Murray's column on losing his eyesight was also in there under Local Voices, so there may be other sports-connected.

They were also somewhat liberal about the definition of a column. Some of them take up barely one printed page of the book; "Her Blue Haven" goes for eight.

But again, this is a terrific book to keep around the house.

 

A distinguished list, no doubt. But how many of those were written on a deadline?
I'd rather read a book of the best game/event columns.

 

Really? I agree the title of the book was misleading, but there's no way I'd rather read an entire book of on-deadline stories than some of the best columnists in newspaper history taking time to craft their best columns.

Also, Boswell's Ripken column is good, but the lede drives me crazy every time I stumble across the story: "Cal Ripken, and his inspiring streak of 2,632 consecutive games, ended tonight in the one way that few within baseball expected."

Cal Ripken ended?

Find the full column here.