NY Times exodus to SI continues

Maybe it wasn't mentioned because most journalists understand that it's entirely irrelevant how many people they lose. People read it because it's the Times. It never has been and never will be dependent on the star power of its writers; each is a cog in something bigger than they are and everyone knows it. Periodically the paper loses Pulitzer Prize winners for various reasons and it makes no difference, so it would be a ludicrous waste of money to get into a bidding contest to keep sports writers. I've always found Selena's columns very entertaining and I'll miss reading her in the NYT, but in a month or two, readers won't even notice she's missing. Consider that they rarely hire established top columnists from other papers to immediately fill these spots. Selena started as a beat writer. She made the most of the opportunity, but it was the NYT that made her into a star and not vice versa.

 

YOU'RE HIRED!

 

Crouse or Juliet Macur would be excellent choices to fill Selena's shoes.

Damn, now I have to renew my SI subscription....

 

I think the last columnist who came to the Times with a reputation was Red Smith. It was 1971. He was 66 years old. A perfect fit, both the man and the newspaper profiting.

 

Today's newspaper managers would have bought Red Smith out 10 years before he landed at the Times, snuffing a glorious career with miles to go. Then they'd go back to wondering where their readers have gone. And another generation of sports fans and journalists would have missed his work entirely.

 

Juliet Macur is excellent, but I would miss her longer takeout pieces if she moved to columnist. Did you read any of her features from Iraq? Wow.

 

I wasn't sure about Araton.

 

Yes, sir, Harvey was a good hire, young and strong, but Red came with a national reputation based on 40 years work, some of it at one of the best written newspapers of all time.

 

Yes, because Gary Smith, S.L. Price, Tom Verducci, et al would be no reason to renew.

 

I'm fickle. Those guys are great, but sometimes you take them for granted ... Like the Simpsons. Still a great show, but it's been on so long, and there are so many re-runs on, there's not the same ``must-see TV'' quality to the Sunday night show.

 

How about Johnette Howard to the NYT, from Newsday? Now, that would make sense.

 

That's a great call. And Newsday could not replace her and take another step towards becoming a Double-A newspaper.