RIP Bobby Fischer

Jeremy Schaap reporting live here in Podunk, at the funeral of one of my biggest story subjects ever. I thought about what the day would mean to me and well, it almost seems like the death of my career. Ten years ago...

 

I agree with you. Schaap does have a knack of telling very interesting stories.

True story: When I was in college, two basketball players were kicked off the team immediately following a game I was covering. They laughed at a teammate who was dunked on. I mean, he was given a Jenna Jameson-type facial on an alley-oop. Well, I went to talk to the coach about the "suspensions" the next day and I brought up the subject. I said I saw what happened on the bench and I saw the look he gave the players and then, poof, they were gone. He said he didn't know what I was talking about. I went back and forth with him trying to get him to say something and finally, he came very close to giving me a great quote, but stopped himself. The coach told me, "You know, you remind me a lot of Dick Schaap's son. What's his name? Oh yeah, Jeremy. You ask a lot of hard questions and are not afraid of much. You'll do well for yourself as a journalist."

One of the best compliments I got to this day.

 

I haven't reread it yet, but plan on doing it sometime this weekend. Rereading it was one of my first thoughts after seeing the news alert in my e-mail.

Over/under of times ESPN reshows that Schaap piece this weekend? Every Sportscenter and on ESPNews every hour?

 

More like Searching for Bobby Fischer's Next of Kin

 

Found him!

 

I wonder how this will be played in papers around the country. Bobby Fischer, for many, was a cult figure.

rb

 

Now there's a man who really did hate himself.

 

Well, there goes my hope of Jeremy doing an interview with both Bobby Knight and Bobby Fischer in the same room.

If you think Anderson Cooper has a lot of cojones...

 

The second sports book I ever read, after the Babe Ruth Story, was about the Fischer-Spassky match. And I didn't even play chess.

 

And for those interested, here's a link to "Bobby Fischer's Pathetic Endgame," Rene Chun's story featured in BASW 2003. I think it's a pretty fascinating read.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200212/chun

 

Talk about a good tombstone farewell remark.