Who is the smartest sports writer?

Geoff Calkins maybe? Harvard Law degree, I think.

Gary Smith?

Sally Jenkins?

Some unknown pulling $25K a year somewhere?

When I get on these boards, I'm constantly impressed by the depth of knowledge that the people in this profession have. It is almost jarring how far in opposition it stands to the newsroom stigma of us as a bunch of cavemen who know batting averages but not public policy, Phil Fulmer but not Philip Roth.

Who impresses you? Not talking about strictly "best writer" here or anything that specific. More like, who have you run across or read that makes you say, "That guy/gal could have done anything he/she wanted."

 

Me.

 

I'd say Ace, but that fucker can't even get on in Cleveland!

 

Not me. I think I'm pretty smart, but there are some people on here who could smart circles around me or smart me under the table.

 

Then wouldn't your handle be IGotAnswers?

 

Not a sports writer anymore but Kornheiser is incredibly intelligent. Frank Deford has to be on this list as well. John Feinstein...

 

This gets interesting, because as in many fields, "intelligence" in this field means more than one thing.

In this corner, Booklearnin' . . . and in this corner, Streetsmarts.

Tony K. and Deford are both more Book than Street.

Much prefer a balance of both, and have worked to achieve a
legitimate balance, within.

 

Does George Will count?

 

My brother-in-law is a Mensa member, and there are things I see him do that just shock me as being very "no common sense."

This is just an impossible question to answer.

 

The smartest sportswriter is one who got out of the business before all of this nonsense began.

 

Your short list starts with those smart enough to have left the business a couple of years ago, before they were asked to leave...
That's the cynical answer.

 

Halberstam. Even dead, he's smarter and tougher than all of us.