RIP Jack Lang

[casty33]

Long time baseball writer and executive secretary of the BBWAA Jack Lang passed away overnight at the age of 85.

A lot of you will remember him differently because he was sometimes a difficult man to befriend. But, while he could be a royal pain in the ass at times, I covered the Mets with him for 15 or more years, and I will remember the many laughs we had together.

I just figured the board would want to know. He did cover the NY baseball scene for more than 50 years and was awarded the Spink Award in 1986.

Dan Castellano

 

[21]

Wow....sad to hear it. RIP.

 

[shockey]

casty

as you know, i worked with jack in the '80s. what a throwback. always treated me well. i'd just soak in whatever he, **** young and phil pepe shared with. many tales of an X-rated nature, but man, could you learn a lot about the biz.

a good lesson for all the youngin's in the biz. in the summer of '69, the magical season, i went to a sleepaway camp and was bunked with a kid who was a jack lang freak. he made sure his folks mailed him jack's stories on the mets from the l.i. press every week. "he's the prez of the bbwa!" the kid would gush. i don't know if jack was the prez then, but the kid thought he was. that was my first taste of jack. i was 12.

god bless jack. and all the baseball writers from that era.

RIP, mr. lang.

 

[Armchair_QB]

casty

as you know, i worked with jack in the '80s. what a throwback. always treated me well. i'd just soak in whatever he, **** young and phil pepe shared with. many tales of an X-rated nature, but man, could you learn a lot about the biz.

a good lesson for all the youngin's in the biz. in the summer of '69, the magical season, i went to a sleepaway camp and was bunked with a kid who was a jack lang freak. he made sure his folks mailed him jack's stories on the mets from the l.i. press every week. "he's the prez of the bbwa!" the kid would gush. i don't know if jack was the prez then, but the kid thought he was. that was my first taste of jack. i was 12.

god bless jack. and all the baseball writers from that era.

RIP, mr. lang.

Wow, I wonder what that kid is doing today.

 

[shockey]

casty

as you know, i worked with jack in the '80s. what a throwback. always treated me well. i'd just soak in whatever he, **** young and phil pepe shared with. many tales of an X-rated nature, but man, could you learn a lot about the biz.

a good lesson for all the youngin's in the biz. in the summer of '69, the magical season, i went to a sleepaway camp and was bunked with a kid who was a jack lang freak. he made sure his folks mailed him jack's stories on the mets from the l.i. press every week. "he's the prez of the bbwa!" the kid would gush. i don't know if jack was the prez then, but the kid thought he was. that was my first taste of jack. i was 12.

god bless jack. and all the baseball writers from that era.

RIP, mr. lang.

Wow, I wonder what that kid is doing today.

he's making a lot more dinero than i am, for sure. but i got to be colleagues with his hero!!

 

[spnited]

Very sad news.
Jack was a classic, old-world curmudgeonly baseball writer ... and a great story-teller, and a truly good guy.

Famed in the Shea press box for the line "Danny, I'm gonna need a little help." As Casty well remembers.

I trust there will be a tribute at Sunday night's NY Chapter BBWAA Dinner.

RIP Jack.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Casty, Jack was always aces with me, even when I was a shoulder-lengthed hair alternative weekly reporter. We just got on for whatever reason.
I'm deeply sorry to hear of his death. Please pass my condolences to his family and those in his professional family.

 

[Twoback]

In my one and only year covering baseball, fresh out of college, Jack was kind to me after we were introduced by another baseball writing legend. I've always thought well of him after that.
Mr. Lang had a great career and used to get the honor of calling the Hall Of Fame honorees to tell them they were in. I bet that was a gas.

 

[casty33]

Twoback, I'm told by Jack O'Connell, the man who replaced Lang as the one to call Hall of Famers, that Lang called 44 members to inform them they were in. That's something.

To the rest of you, I'm pleased some of you had good feelings about the man. As I indicated originally, Lang was a difficult person to deal with at times, and could be a thorn in my side. But whatever he did over the years, he did with the good fortune of the BBWAA in mind. Whether it was policing the press box or working on access to the clubhouse, Lang was the man. And, spnited, for all the help I gave him over the years, he paid me back in his own way. When Lang introduced you to a manager, or a GM, or an owner, it provided an 'in' you couldn't get anywhere else. And if you had reason to call Whitey Herzog, or Tommy Lasorda, a week or so after being introduced to them by Lang, they were ready and willing to talk.

That's what I will choose to remember most about Mr. Lang.

 

[shotglass]

I'm sorry for his passing, and sorry for those of you who knew him well.

RIP.

 

[Football_Bat]

I got my start in his biz with folks old enough to be my grandparents, and I appreciate the opportunity.

RIP.

 

[indiansnetwork]

Sad to see such a great person as well as a sports writer die.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Twoback, I'm told by Jack O'Connell, the man who replaced Lang as the one to call Hall of Famers, that Lang called 44 members to inform them they were in. That's something.

To the rest of you, I'm pleased some of you had good feelings about the man. As I indicated originally, Lang was a difficult person to deal with at times, and could be a thorn in my side. But whatever he did over the years, he did with the good fortune of the BBWAA in mind. Whether it was policing the press box or working on access to the clubhouse, Lang was the man. And, spnited, for all the help I gave him over the years, he paid me back in his own way. When Lang introduced you to a manager, or a GM, or an owner, it provided an 'in' you couldn't get anywhere else. And if you had reason to call Whitey Herzog, or Tommy Lasorda, a week or so after being introduced to them by Lang, they were ready and willing to talk.

That's what I will choose to remember most about Mr. Lang.

Deftly put, Mr. Casty.

 

[Pete Wevurski]

Actually, most any call from Jack Lang was good to get, even if it had nothing to do with Cooperstown. He always had a story to tell.

 

[boots]

Jack Lang was a good guy. Funny and at the same time very serious. He made baseball fun. And anyone who has been around him will attest, the man could eat with the best of them. A fun time was whenever Jack, Casty and Vin Scully would get together for one of those good ol boy days at the Shea Stadium dining hall while Shake Down Johnny was manning the soda fountain.
Ah.... those were the days. The youngsters know NOTHING ABOUT THAT!

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Is it true that Shake Down retired and moved away?

 

[CHETtheJET]

casty

as you know, i worked with jack in the '80s. what a throwback. always treated me well. i'd just soak in whatever he, **** young and phil pepe shared with. many tales of an X-rated nature, but man, could you learn a lot about the biz.

a good lesson for all the youngin's in the biz. in the summer of '69, the magical season, i went to a sleepaway camp and was bunked with a kid who was a jack lang freak. he made sure his folks mailed him jack's stories on the mets from the l.i. press every week. "he's the prez of the bbwa!" the kid would gush. i don't know if jack was the prez then, but the kid thought he was. that was my first taste of jack. i was 12.

god bless jack. and all the baseball writers from that era.

RIP, mr. lang.

Wow, I wonder what that kid is doing today.

meet ronnie blum.

 

[boots]

I know this is about Jack but is The Count still alive?

 

[casty33]

No, boots, sorry to say that Joe Durso died of cancer about three years ago.

 

[goalmouth]

Sorry to hear. Another of the guys I looked up to back when, along with Jim Ogle, the Kleins, Casty, etc.