Ian O'Connor on Loopy and other topics

O'Connor was interviewed on The Big Lead and came off very well, I think. Candid, self-deprecating, intelligent. One of the most interesting parts was his relationship with Lupica:

http://thebiglead.com/?p=5414#more-5414

While passing each other in locker rooms, Mike has congratulated me on my book, on getting Steinbrenner on the phone. We’ve had many a cordial conversation. Sometimes we can talk a full 10 minutes before I notice his first glance over my shoulder looking for someone more important to engage.

I’ve seen him bring his sons to games; he appears to be a pretty damn good father. In fact, I didn’t just learn how to be a columnist from Mike. I learned a few things about being a dad, too.

Now onto the other stuff: Yes, he can be childish and incredibly paranoid. He did routinely rip me, and Kriegel, while he was at Newsday and the Daily News was using the two of us to fill his old back page. Kriegel was the lead columnist, and I was in the two hole. Mark’s an immense talent, but neither one of us could ever match Mike’s presence on the back page, and I think we both knew it. Why Mike felt the need to forever belittle our work I’ll never know.

There’s no point in going down the list of legendary Lupica tantrums, or of expanding on the obvious: The culture of Lupica, fortified by many enablers, ultimately wears down the other columnists on staff. I suspect that was the case with Kriegel and Lisa Olson, another great talent. I know it was one reason the money looked greener to me when I had a chance to leave.....

I don’t care that he makes a boatload of money; God bless him for cutting whatever deals he could cut. We all do the same. And I don’t care if he decides next time not to spend those 10 minutes chatting with me before hunting down bigger small-talk game.

Mike’s an A-Rod, and I’m a Melky Cabrera. I’m totally cool with that. I just with the guy had a little more Dave Anderson in him.

 

Interesting, and frank, read.

 

I know people rip TBL, but I like much of the stuff on there. The interviews with journalists are almost always interesting.

While not posted on here, Ian also said some nice things about Luppy. It wasn't a total rip job.

 

Hey, read my post again. I included some of the good things he said about the Loopster.

 

This would have sufficed.

 

"I wish the guy had a little more Dave Anderson in him"....has there ever been a sportswriter in the nyc area who didn't feel that way about lupica, and then some?

 

Hey . . . y'know . . . that would require . . . (fill in word, here) . . .

 

What am I missing? I don't get it.

 

Having a soul.