Updated: RIP T.J. Simers

[Songbird]

Surprised there isn't a thread.

T.J.'s been posting on socials about his brain tumor for several weeks.

Here's part of a post last night on FB:

Got the tumor news I was expecting, so going to Vegas next week and don’t give a rip what I lose. Taking a hospital bed, wheelchair and hoyer to Vegas; what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The whole family is coming because losing a chunk of my brain wasn’t enough, I need help on who to bet on. Please don’t say UCLA. I want you to have credibility. Come on, I need a sure-fire winner. Don’t make me read a pics column by Plaschke. I don’t have much time but I know Plaschke isn’t gonna save the day. I wonder why he hasn’t called to do a tear jerker.​

This is from a February 21 tweet:

 

[Azrael]

I send TJ the best regards of the household, and wish him well.

 

[BTExpress]

From a story nine years ago during his lawsuit against the LAT.

https://www.courthousenews.com/sports-writer-testifies-stroke-led-to-firing/

He told jurors that he had "dark thoughts" recalling his father's suicide after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and his mother's death. Simers described himself as a "tough guy" who was used to going "toe-to-toe" with athletes and said that the stroke left him feeling vulnerable.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Well, this is awkward.

Expect SJ to take a haircut as a tenth of posts get deleted criticizing the ailing athletic authority.

 

[dixiehack]

I mean, assholes also get tumors. I hope he recovers, although that doesn’t sound like it is in the cards. But that doesn’t erase him treating people like dirt.

 

[HanSenSE]

TJ is a good curmudgeon, a dying breed in a day when evehas to have a hot take. And while he'd take on the likes of Frank McCourt in not a nice way, especially after the Bryan Stow incident, a few days later he'd write about some of the desperately ill kids at Mattel Children's Hospital that would put you on the brink of tears. And if you can find it on YouTube, the dialog he hosted with Vin Scully and John Wooden is a must-see for any SoCal sports fan.

 

[WriteThinking]

Based on my own few direct interactions with him but also a lot of observations and listens from a close vantage point in the office, I always thought, well, like reporter when it came to Simers, and believed his writing was kind of a separate thing from who he is.

So, I never had too much problem with him, and only wish him well now.

 

[Small Town Guy]

RIP.

x.com

 

[HanSenSE]

Assuming his obit will be on Page 2?

(Mods, do we need a header update?)

 

[MileHigh]

Never dealt with him directly when I was at the OCR. But I read him all the time when he was at the LAT. His Wooden-Scully event was great. I got tickets for my parents as a Father's Day gift and they loved it. Will update the thread.

 

[HanSenSE]

Never dealt with him directly when I was at the OCR. But I read him all the time when he was at the LAT. His Wooden-Scully event was great. I got tickets for my parents as a Father's Day gift and they loved it. Will update the thread.

Here's a link to the event. An amazing night.

 

[clintrichardson]

I enjoyed reading his stories. RIP.

 

[ChrisLong]

Never dealt with him directly when I was at the OCR. But I read him all the time when he was at the LAT. His Wooden-Scully event was great. I got tickets for my parents as a Father's Day gift and they loved it. Will update the thread.

My feelings were negative about him. As a beat writer, you spend a lot of time cultivating relationships with players, coaches and administrators. Then he showed up and blew it all apart. He transformed their attitudes into "**** the media," so all of the groundwork we established was gone.

As a Night Editor at OCR, I had my shields up from the beginning. There was only one time we had an issue. I did the first read on his column and had to change something to conform to our style. It wasn't anything major, no big deal. I told him and he started arguing. I said that style is style, end of discussion. He said that according to the L.A. Times style guide that Bill Dwyre wrote, this is how it is supposed to be done. I said that we have a lot of smart, talented newspaper journalists here who wrote our style guide. If he wanted to bring in Dwyre to rewrite our style guide, he was free to do so.

I am sorry he has died. **** cancer. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I hope he can Rest In Peace, which he apparently wasn't able to do when he was alive.

 

[Mr. X]

Obituary from The Daily News.
Former OC Register, L.A. Times sports columnist T.J. Simers dies at 73.

 

[MileHigh]

Obituary from The Daily News.
Former OC Register, L.A. Times sports columnist T.J. Simers dies at 73.

Nicely done by Todd.