Best baseball writers?

[Michael_ Gee]

Every person mentioned on this thread is an outstanding journalist. I would be remiss if I didn't stick up for my old paper's baseball troika, Jeff Horrigan, Tony Massarotti, and Michael Silverman. They each have different strengths which complement each other wonderfully.

And of course I love Tyler Kepner. He went to my prep school alma mater, Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del. In point of fact, he had his own baseball newsletter when he was 13. When I was at the Phoenix, I arranged for him to get a tour of Fenway.

Gosh, I'm old.

 

[BarbersGmen]

Verducci's overrated. I finally finished the SI baseball preview issue last night and my head still hurts from all of the numbers they throw at you. I know he didn't write every team's preview, but his style is pervasive throughout. When I'm reading him I try and count how many different numbers he can use in a single sentence or paragraph. He uses too many odd stats. Check out this doozy on the Padres:
"Over the past two years, for instance, San Diego played more games decided by one or two runs (163) than any other NL team; at the same time the Padres won the most games by one run (59) and by two or fewer (87) and had the highest winning percentage in one-run games (.584)." He could have simply said Trevor Hoffman keeps the Padres in ball games.
I'm sorry, saying Joe Blow hit 23 of 46 from the left side of the plate on the road doesn't mean anything to me. It's not writing - its stat regurgitation. I get OB+S but gimme a break with batting average on balls in play.
I finished the baseball preview with a lot of information, but not feeling I learned much about any of the teams. And I don't think I'm alone.

You're not. I love baseball stats as much as the next person, but my head was swimming after that too.

 

[write then drink]

Every person mentioned on this thread is an outstanding journalist. I would be remiss if I didn't stick up for my old paper's baseball troika, Jeff Horrigan, Tony Massarotti, and Michael Silverman. They each have different strengths which complement each other wonderfully.

And of course I love Tyler Kepner. He went to my prep school alma mater, Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del. In point of fact, he had his own baseball newsletter when he was 13. When I was at the Phoenix, I arranged for him to get a tour of Fenway.

Gosh, I'm old.

was that the prep school where Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell met?

there can't be many prep schools in Delaware

 

[playthrough]

Love Hal McCoy. I am a Reds fanboy so I'm biased, but he pulls no punches with the team. His weekly e-mail column/mailbag is hilarious.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Dear writethendrink: There are more prep schools in Delaware than you might think. Enough to form a conference anyway. Tower Hill was a country day school-prep without overnights. The two musicians you mentioned must've gone to one of the two boarding schools, Sanford (where Walter Daivs did his PE year before North Carolina, and did a number on my brother when the latter tried to defend him) or St. Andrew's (where Dead Poets Society was filmed).

 

[miamiheraldchick]

Troy Renck mentioned in the same galaxy as Verducci and Eades?

Someone is nuts.

Check this random selection from Renck:

Port St. Lucie, Fla. - Scott Rolen is in a hurry. Rain falls outside, promising a severe storm. He wants to leave Tradition Field. Doesn't need an interruption, so the interview request is poorly timed at best.

"Scott, you got a second?" I ask.

"Let's see, I can talk to you or get to my wife and child. What should I do?" Rolen responds.

Ah, the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, a team that wears rings because they are adept at making tough decisions. The Cardinals won the World Series after winning just 83 games last season. They staggered into the playoffs, teeth-gnashing and criticism echoing in their skulls.

The Mets, Dodgers and Padres made trading deadline upgrades. The Cardinals, undercut by a thin farm system at a time when young players are the game's currency, remained perched, unchanged.

A month later, the baseball establishment was swallowing its tongues as the Cardinals upset the Detroit Tigers for their first title since 1982.


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Logic of the lead escapes me.

And we have teeth gnashing and tongues being swallowed in the first few paragraphs alone.

Yikes........

 

[Thanks for comin' out]

T.R. Sullivan

 

[Moondoggy]

The guy at the Cincy Post kicks ass.

The new guy or the old guy from last year?

the old guy

That's Marc Lancaster. He moved to the Tampa Trib this year. You're right, too. He's very good.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

yes he is

 

[fmrsped]

I'm not Paul, nor do I work at The PD, but Hoynes' Indians coverage is very good.

As a Bucs fan, I've grown to like Kovacevic as well.

 

[boots]

I should have included myself but I see that others named me.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

that's funny... last year boots gets on me about how he's a big-time nfl writer

football and baseball beat? guy is amazing. just amazing, and worthy of all our admiration

 

[boots]

that's funny... last year boots gets on me about how he's a big-time nfl writer

football and baseball beat? guy is amazing. just amazing, and worthy of all our admiration

Got my BBWAA card to prove it. No need for admiration and we never said we were big time. We left that for others.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

i'm just basking in the glory that is all of you

 

[boots]

i'm just basking in the glory that is all of you

ok

 

[henryhenry]

I've enjoyed reading Barry Svrluga (Wash Post). It's tough to make the gawd-awful Nationals interesting, but he does.

pronunciation?

 

[accguy]

pronunciation? Just like it's spelled.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I've enjoyed reading Barry Svrluga (Wash Post). It's tough to make the gawd-awful Nationals interesting, but he does.

pronunciation?

Sur-LOO-ga, I think, on the pronunciation.

I'll chip in a vote for Barry. He did outstanding work in Raleigh during his stint with the News & Observer.

 

[Oz]

Baseball season means Joe Posnanski for me. Yeah, he's a columnist and not a beat guy. Still, he's a must read here.