I must be old, because this column was great (Phil Taylor: The Day Cool Died)

Wish I'd written it.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141763/index.htm

 

Nice.

 

Might be the best back page column SI has had since Reilly left, at least of the ones I've seen. Had some intelligence, some wit, and best of all, a clear point.

 

It's well-written but I don't necessarily agree with it. I like seeing the athletes jump up and down like little kids. I can only take so much Pete Sampras and Bill Billichek.

 

I liked it, and I agreed with most of it.

 

It's fine when players show emotion -- when warranted. This column reminded me of a game in the early '90s between the Cardinals and Redskins. Late in the game, Larry Centers catches a short pass over the middle, jumps up, signals first down, does the whole look-at-me BS. Player on the 'Skins walks up, gets Centers' attention and points to the scoreboard. At the time, the Cardinals were trailing by aout 5 TDs. Centers' "emotion" was self-absorbed idiocy, as much of it these days.

 

I'm not defending that. There's too much of that. I just don't blame people for doing it when warranted, ie. Garnett jumping up and down after winning the championship.

 

Garnett is closer to Sampras on the celebration spectrum.

 

That was the dude's lead.

 

Ya, I know, I read it. But Garnett is generally a dull player, so his celebration, to me, came off as forced. Certainly not Cool.

 

I didn't like the column. I thought it was cliche.
I've read - and written - a hundred eulogy (here lies) columns and I thought this was pretty typical of the formula, only INSERT NAME HERE.
Not a great effort.
Of course, I also don't like those the "good old days were better" columns.

 

Yeah. Thought I'd read that construction recently, searched Esquire:

http://www.esquire.com/features/this-way-out/obits0507?click=main_sr

Esquire also had an obit lead in 2001. Probably they didn't invent it then, either.