Furman Bisher's final column

[Steak Snabler]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

 

[dixiehack]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

So you're the one who bought the other copy of James Kirby's "Fumble."

 

[Steak Snabler]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

So you're the one who bought the other copy of James Kirby's "Fumble."

Yes, great book. Notable for not fawning over Bryant, unlike all the other books about that era of Southern college football.

 

[hondo]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

 

[hondo]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

Gee, what a shock ... one columnist during the Bryant era didn't kiss the old *******'s ass.
**** him and his houndstooth hat and his Golden Flake money and his Junction Boys (he would have gotten arrested for that crap right now) and his stockpiling football players on track and swimming scholarships and creating three generations of agnst for Alabama fans who think he's going to rise again. Thank God for Furman for not falling under the spell.

Enjoy your "retirement" Furman. Class act all the way. You always had kind words for any hack who wanted to chat or ask advice.

 

[Clerk Typist]

Met Furman at the Masters when he was president of the GWAA. What nobody's mentioned is that he sounds just like Foghorn Leghorn, the cartoon character. But he writes like a dream. And you just know that he'll pop up from time to time in the AJC. I hope.

 

[Drip]

Met Furman at the Masters when he was president of the GWAA. What nobody's mentioned is that he sounds just like Foghorn Leghorn, the cartoon character. But he writes like a dream. And you just know that he'll pop up from time to time in the AJC. I hope.

I say, I say, you've hit that one right on the head.

 

[da man]

As much as I respect the man for doing the job for so long and the institution that he is -- and believe me, I respect that -- count me among the non-fans of Bisher's writing.

I grew up in the Atlanta area and got to the point that I just couldn't read him anymore. I've recounted on other threads here that right before the Kentucky Derby, he invariably wrote a lame column in which he "interviewed" one of the horses (sometimes more than one, if I recall).

Oh, and I remember one night after a basketball game, a few reporters (including Furman and myself) were interviewing a coach and Furman began making statements about the team and the game and asking the coach, "Isn't that right?" The coach agreed with the statements. The next morning, Bisher quoted the coach making those statements in his column. The coach might have agreed, but he didn't say that.

OK, I'm sorry. Probably not the forum for that story. And, again, I very much respect the fact the man accomplished 30,000 times more than me in his career. And I understand many, many people loved to read his stuff. I'm just not one of them.

 

[DCaraviello]

You look at the long list of major events he covered, the light, efficient tone with which he often wrote, the way he became a defining presence for a newspaper, a city, and a region -- Furman Bisher is the kind of sports columnist we all aspired to be.

 

[Paper Guy]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

Dude, jesus, calm down. I didnt attack the guy (or you). I simply said I didnt like his writing. What is your problem??

 

[Ben_Hecht]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

Gee, what a shock ... one columnist during the Bryant era didn't kiss the old *******'s ass.
**** him and his houndstooth hat and his Golden Flake money and his Junction Boys (he would have gotten arrested for that crap right now) and his stockpiling football players on track and swimming scholarships and creating three generations of agnst for Alabama fans who think he's going to rise again. Thank God for Furman for not falling under the spell.

Enjoy your "retirement" Furman. Class act all the way. You always had kind words for any hack who wanted to chat or ask advice.

Anyone thinking Bryant was a saint must be wearing crimson-colored glasses.
The broad evidence more than indicates
he cultivated multiple personal habits which were in no way admirable. However, whether those habits translated
into making the SEP hack job come out anywhere near the truth is thoroughly
debatable.

But Bisher always had a hardon for Bear. So did the hierarchy at the SEP at the time, for some reason (would love to hear the inside of THAT particular story).

 

[Steak Snabler]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

Gee, what a shock ... one columnist during the Bryant era didn't kiss the old *******'s ass.
**** him and his houndstooth hat and his Golden Flake money and his Junction Boys (he would have gotten arrested for that crap right now) and his stockpiling football players on track and swimming scholarships and creating three generations of agnst for Alabama fans who think he's going to rise again. Thank God for Furman for not falling under the spell.

Enjoy your "retirement" Furman. Class act all the way. You always had kind words for any hack who wanted to chat or ask advice.

Anyone thinking Bryant was a saint must be wearing crimson-colored glasses.
The broad evidence more than indicates
he cultivated multiple personal habits which were in no way admirable. However, whether those habits translated
into making the SEP hack job come out anywhere near the truth is thoroughly
debatable.

But Bisher always had a hardon for Bear. So did the hierarchy at the SEP at the time, for some reason (would love to hear the inside of THAT particular story).

Just for you, hondo:

 

[hondo]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

You've only been reading this guy for the last year? Yeah, get some perspective on his work first. (He's been writing for 60 years, not one.) Then form an educated opinion. If you hate it after that, so be it.

Well, he's not the only one. Lots of old-time Alabama fans hate Bisher due to some perceived hit pieces he did on Bear Bryant back in the early 60s (apparently at the behest of Bobby Dodd).

Bisher wrote a story basically calling Bryant a dirty coach who taught dirty play (most due to the Darwin Holt-Chick Graning cheap shot incident in the 1961 Alabama-Georgia Tech game). He also contributed heavily to the infamous SEP story on the 1962 Georgia-Alabama "fix." (Frank Graham Jr.'s byline was on the story, but Bisher's fingerprints were all over it).

Bryant sued the Saturday Evening Post for defamation of character and won a six-figure judgment.

Gee, what a shock ... one columnist during the Bryant era didn't kiss the old *******'s ass.
**** him and his houndstooth hat and his Golden Flake money and his Junction Boys (he would have gotten arrested for that crap right now) and his stockpiling football players on track and swimming scholarships and creating three generations of agnst for Alabama fans who think he's going to rise again. Thank God for Furman for not falling under the spell.

Enjoy your "retirement" Furman. Class act all the way. You always had kind words for any hack who wanted to chat or ask advice.

Anyone thinking Bryant was a saint must be wearing crimson-colored glasses.
The broad evidence more than indicates
he cultivated multiple personal habits which were in no way admirable. However, whether those habits translated
into making the SEP hack job come out anywhere near the truth is thoroughly
debatable.

But Bisher always had a hardon for Bear. So did the hierarchy at the SEP at the time, for some reason (would love to hear the inside of THAT particular story).

Just for you, hondo:

He can go pound sand too.

 

[hondo]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

Dude, jesus, calm down. I didnt attack the guy (or you). I simply said I didnt like his writing. What is your problem??

Because you admitted you had only read Furman for one year, and felt that was enough to pass judgement on a 60-year career. Know what you're talking about.
And I wasn't the only guy who called you out on this. Check back on page 1

 

[Paper Guy]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

Dude, jesus, calm down. I didnt attack the guy (or you). I simply said I didnt like his writing. What is your problem??

Because you admitted you had only read Furman for one year, and felt that was enough to pass judgement on a 60-year career. Know what you're talking about.
And I wasn't the only guy who called you out on this. Check back on page 1

That's right -- I admitted that I havent been reading his columns for the past 100 years. Does that mean that I can't possibly pass judgment on what I *have* read?? How does that make sense?

In the past few years, Bisher -- from what I've read and no I havent read absolutely everything -- sucked. Just because I havent read his stuff from the 60s doesnt make my point any less valid and doesnt give you the right to tell me to sthu.

 

[Steak Snabler]

I recognize Bisher's career legacy, but I think we can all agree he hung on too long and became largely irrelevant as a columnist. By the end, he no longer had his finger on the Atlanta sporting pulse, so to speak, and hadn't for many years.

One memorable example is the column he wrote this past May, in which he lamented that the Braves' farm system isn't what it used to be. Never mind the fact that this year, the organization produced both Baseball America's preseason No. 1 overall prospect (Tommy Hanson) and its midseason No. 1 overall prospect (Jason Heyward).

http://blogs.ajc.com/furman-bisher-blog/2009/05/02/braves-talent-on-the-farm-has-dried-up/

 

[hondo]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

Dude, jesus, calm down. I didnt attack the guy (or you). I simply said I didnt like his writing. What is your problem??

Because you admitted you had only read Furman for one year, and felt that was enough to pass judgement on a 60-year career. Know what you're talking about.
And I wasn't the only guy who called you out on this. Check back on page 1

That's right -- I admitted that I havent been reading his columns for the past 100 years. Does that mean that I can't possibly pass judgment on what I *have* read?? How does that make sense?

In the past few years, Bisher -- from what I've read and no I havent read absolutely everything -- sucked. Just because I havent read his stuff from the 60s doesnt make my point any less valid and doesnt give you the right to tell me to sthu.

He's 90. What do any of us do better at 90 than we did at 40? You made a judgement of his career based the past few years (in your first post, it was one year you had been reading him ... which is it?).
And if none of us had a right to tell someone else to stfu, this board wouldn't exist. I think it's your turn to lighten up.

 

[Writer33]

ugh...am i the only one who hated this guy? maybe it's because he only came into my life in the past year or so (and admittedly, I've only paid attention when he wrote about the braves) but he always seemed to have *the.worst* columns.

If that's all you had to offer on the subject, you should have just shut the hell up.

Dude, jesus, calm down. I didnt attack the guy (or you). I simply said I didnt like his writing. What is your problem??

Because you admitted you had only read Furman for one year, and felt that was enough to pass judgement on a 60-year career. Know what you're talking about.
And I wasn't the only guy who called you out on this. Check back on page 1

That's right -- I admitted that I havent been reading his columns for the past 100 years. Does that mean that I can't possibly pass judgment on what I *have* read?? How does that make sense?

In the past few years, Bisher -- from what I've read and no I havent read absolutely everything -- sucked. Just because I havent read his stuff from the 60s doesnt make my point any less valid and doesnt give you the right to tell me to sthu.

Try this one on for size.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/bisher-i-saw-him-159002.html?cxntlid=daylf_artr

 

[partain]

Can't say I ever read his stuff as I had no ties to the Georgia sports scene that provided the inspiration for much of his writing. But I'll always remember him through the Bisher stories in Lewis Grizzard's book, If I Ever Get Back To Georgia, I'm Going to Nail My Feet To The Ground—a book that while somewhat outdated should be required reading in all college journalism departments.

 

[bigbadeagle]

"I saw him take his first breath in life and I saw him take his last."

Say what you will. But there was a time when the man was one of the best going. You want proof, look at the line above.
God knows how many columns, gamers, sidebars, etc., I've written in 20-some odd years. Nothing as good as that. Nothing.