Former NYC sportswriter Bob Drury about his career in newspapers and magazines

An interesting interview with Bob Drury about his journalism career and how he went to writing about sports for newspapers to writing about everything for glossy magazines such as Men's Journal and GQ:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/73430-a-fans-notes-an-interview-with-journalist-bob-drury-1/

It's long but it has some great newspaper stories from the 70s and 80s.

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Re: Former NYC sportswriter Bob Drury about his career in newspapers and magazin

This is a hilarious anecdote from the interview with Drury:

"When I got back to New York there was much back-slapping and whiskey toasts and an offer from Lisker to take over the Giants beat. I remember telling my girlfriend that this newspaper racket, most especially sportswriting, was like pissing up a rope and not getting wet. I did the Giants for a couple of years, with a lot of college basketball after the season. I loved it. Fighting with Ray Perkins. Playing hoop with Phil Simms. Getting smashed with Lawrence Taylor. I remember once there was a rumor that Dick Young, the columnist for the rival New York Daily News, was about to break a story about the Giants being riddled with reefer smokers. I was screwed.

Murdoch, and by extension Lisker, hated nothing more than to be beaten on a story by the Daily News. I never heard Lisker call it the Daily News. It was always the “scumbag News”. And beaten on a gossipy story about sex, drugs or alcohol by the scumbag News was even worse. But I was buying reefer from the starting free safety and/or the back-up halfback, and smoking after practice with about half the team. There was no way I could write the story, and Dick Young was going kneecap me. (Do you know what an IRA Sixpack is? Three in the knees and three in the elbows.)"

 

I read this thread too quickly and thought gingerbread was talking about herself, 'buying reefer from the starting free safety.' Oops. :-X

 

I thought the same thing. Perhaps some quotation marks would clarify that?

 

Phew, it wasn't just me? I'm reading it and thinking, 'man, that girl has some tales to tell!'

 

Fixed.
Drury has led quite the life.

 

I can't believe there hasn't been an NFL team in the last 35 years that hasn't been "riddled with reefer smokers." After all, these guys come from colleges.

 

Sure, but how often do the beat reporters get high with them after practice?

 

I understand that, but it was apparently a big deal that Dick Young was going to write a story about the team's tokers.

 

By then Young was Archie Bunker without Archie's redeeming qualities.

 

Mr Kindred,

Stifle.

o-<

 

I saw Dick Young in his last years, and I learned from him. What I learned is don't become bitter and mean and resentful because the world has changed. Either adapt or stay home.