Who represents the pantheon of Boston sports columnists? Leaving them off this list would be like leaving pumpkin pie off a list of the best desserts in the world. Excellent radio voice, as well. Marring this reputation, if only slightly, was an incident last season in which Okajima essentially ducked commentary following an ugly appearance, which is reportedly his custom. LOVED reading his work. As reported by the New York Times, the Globe's political writer, Robert L. Healy, and Jack Driscoll, the editor of The Evening Globe, recruited Mr. Barnicle to write a column. Hasnt really added modern statistics to his arsenal. However, if you ever need to know the inside and outs of the draft, look to Kiper to provide some quality information. Strengths: Finns a writer first, which means content well above replacement value. Montville and Ryan. You never get this with Edes, which is a bonus as far as Im concerned. The examples and perspective in this article, Last edited on 10 November 2022, at 21:30, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "James Jerpe Dies; Well-Known Writer; Friend of Sportsmen, Firemen Passes Away", "Bears just can't seem to win with Jimmy or Jay", "Author seeks to link three Belleville murders", "Guillen's validation sealed with a kiss", "Red Fisher: Remembering great friend and Haps legend Dickie Moore, dead at age 84", "Mariano makes it interesting, but isn't it always? Chad Finn, who like Speier and national writers such as Will Carroll, has enjoyed favorable attention from Gammons, is one of the remaining bright lights for me at the Boston Globe. I think that a lot of the anti-Gammo backlash stems from his post-writing career. But while his relationships are none of my business, his coverage, to some extent, is. Gammons and McDonough were great reporters. And while hes not in the camp attacking statistics, neither has he embraced them the way that peers like Speier have. Good God. Bill Simmons, the ESPN media mogul and star columnist, has often complained that he never felt like he, or any young, aspiring writer, had a fair chance to break into covering Boston sports. The good old days are gone as far as Boston columnists are concerned. Simply put, Speiers as good as youll find in this market at present, and if comments like Gammons are to be believed, would stack up well across the pool of national writers. McAdam and several of his colleagues publicly called him out on this behavior, justifying their actions with claims that it was affecting Okajimas teammates. Gammons and McDonough were reporters to me, not columnists. The primary goal for reporters seems no longer to be merely producing great and interesting work. His media outlet, meanwhile, has its share of technology issues, from frequent bad links from Twitter to mobile redirection issues. Not only are his relationships within the organization extensive, his understanding of the clubs history relative to individual players is of real benefit, because much of whats happening with the Red Sox at present is the product of multi-year planning cycles. Priority on this list, with a few exceptions, is given to writers focused exlusively on the Red Sox. Courtside sat 29-year-old fledgling sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy. Strengths: Well adapted to modern baseball coverage, both in tone and approach. Today, the paper's sports section remains synonymous with Ryan, now semiretired, and his fellow columnist Dan Shaughnessy. The Crossword Solver found 30 answers to "former boston globe writer who was voted the", 12 letters crossword clue. If you happen to be a big fan of the New York Giants, Ralph Vacchiano should be your main man. I made these my referee and judges, Hagler said, holding up his two fists. He wrote about some of the famous things he remembered seeing during his years at the Globe, like watching Harvard tie Yale on a 2-point conversion play with no time left on the clock in that famous 29-29 tie in 1968while he was standing in the middle of the field! When Houston did get to Brady, he was 0 for 5 on completions, but those occasions, the site reported, were rare. There are two things that I really like about Evan Silva on Twitter. One of the best things I've seen on Twitter happened by Bowen after Ricky Williams retired. Miller isn't afraid of telling you exactly what he thinks. Sat morning Globe was a must read because of his Sports Page 1 columns on the left. Why did Cafardo give Beckett the edge? Engaging and open to dialogue; hes responded to a couple of mentions on Twitter, which in my experience is rare. Peter Gammons invented the Sunday notes column, and as a baseball writer/reporter, he was peerlessabsolutely peerlessin the 70s and 80s. Definitely worthy of the list. Were just here to play a hockey game, Mike Eruzione said. I once interviewed him for my high school newspaper, in about 1966. very nice guy. By Peter Abraham, Bob Hohler, Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Michael. Bowen tweeted what a stiff arm from Williams felt like. There must be someone out there in the sports writers fraternity who remembers The Colonel. Patriots beat reporter and writer for the @BostonGlobe. In most game stories, theres a conspicuous lack of creative analysis, which is compounded by the local medias apparent allergy to the type of advanced statistics that other outlets have used to shine new, interesting light on old sports. . It's great to watch a tactician go to work on a team he loves, and the breaking news and insight that Volin gives is awesome. interesting angles. For those who did not have the pleasure, it was just that a pleasure. Which is to his credit. I loved to read him, and wasted a lot of time perusing the wire for any of his columns that I had missed. And how we would re-double our efforts. He seems to break the biggest stories, have all the inside information and is able to give great insight into the league as a whole. Theres good money, after all, in broadcast. Both funny concepts that were brilliantly executed. ", "Sports News | New York Sports | New Jersey Sports", "Post-Gazette.com - Sports Columnist Mark Madden", "Post-Gazette.com - Sports Columnist Stan Savran", "San Francisco Bay Outdoors with Tom Stienstra", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_sports_writers&oldid=1121166930, This page was last edited on 10 November 2022, at 21:30. Craig Ellenport has been around the NFL for a long time. I cant speak for other fans, but I can say that his conduct there dented his reputation in my view. I swear that is a real article on that website. For some audiences, tainted by his mistake in moving forward in publishing spygate claims without proper substantiation. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . I fondly remember the Will McDounough Sunday column. I dont need the players sugar coated, but neither do I want to be besieged by sordid little details, daily. So it remained 2-0, not 4-0, when Bucky Dent broke his bat on a running fastball from Mike Torrez, then launched a slider into the screen. Senior staff writer and columnist Kevin Paul Dupont. Accepting at face value his contention that beat writers dont root for teams, its nevertheless unreasonable to expect that they dont root for people on those teams. I meant that some of YOU (meaning the readers) might not think he deserves to be considered. Its partially offset by his discovery of the asset that is Alex Speier who heads this list and is clearly cut from the same cloth, but less Bradford cannot be spun as a positive for Red Sox fans. He was middleweight champion of the world, Revisiting some additional key moments, and key figures, in Boston sports history. Send me an email. Analysis is frequently emotionally driven. The Hall of Fame tennis writer and TV commentator Bud Collins, who helped popularise the sport during his decades-long career, died at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts on Friday after a long. Peter Gammons WOW!! It didnt feel that way for Sox fans. Tears, my friend. Boston Globe Magazine Annalisa Quinn. Some potential names you might considerand this is by no means a complete list. If these was one man to follow on Twitter, my vote would go to the legendary Rich Eisen. Jackie McMillan The Lady has her stuff together, especially on that basketball court..Hail Jackie, just keep it going girl! The sun was still above the left field roof, blinding Piniella. My time will be spent elsewhere, on writers with more substantive agendas to pursue. Injuries, contracts, trades and more are all likely to be covered by Clayton via Twitter. He was middleweight champion of the world after stopping Englishman Alan Minter on cuts with a TKO at 1:45 of the third round at Wembley Arena. Its good to have him back from the national beat. He's a highly respected journalist. As for numbers, Abraham will use them, but perhaps not to the extent he should: his dismissal of Miguel Cabreras value, for example, was curious. But the Celtics took care of the Pistons in six, setting up a showdown with their rivals, the Kobe Bryant led-Lakers. He knows everything there is to know about the Giants and tweets about them constantly. The Celtics proud franchise was in the midst of an NBA championship drought. I have little patience, however, for those overtly displaying hostility towards numbers or the sabermetric side of the game. Besides, how can you not recognize a guy as cool as this: http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com/2008/08/infamous-moments-mcdonough-punches-out-clayborn. Im not naive enough to expect something erudite and grounded to ever sell well on a volume basis; Mencken, better than any of us perhaps, understood this. Egan, who was nastier than Borges without the knowledge. All-Pro tight end Russ Francis, nursing an injury, wasnt going to play much, so he brought his guitar to Tampa. I freely admit to liking his old weekend thoughts/notes. You're likely to get a big kick out of his tweets. Tim Horgan is without question the greatest sportswriter of all time. Now there was a stylist. Hes opinionated, but rational. My parents made me a Red Sox fan, but it was Peter Gammons that made me a baseball fan. Occasionally over-rotates, a la Olney, on human interest stories. Ryan replied, "I'll tell 'em what they ought to know!" So, a focused Cowens responded with a stellar 28-point, 14-rebound game as the Celtics prevailed, 102-87. Todd McShay is the other draft wunderkind for ESPN. What makes him so enjoyable to follow is the way he interacts with his fans. Sports, Doug Farrar has everything you could want from a journalist. There are few people on Twitter who are as in-the-know about the NFL as Adam Schefter. he used write lists, very funny and informative. How did Hagerty make this list? Strengths: Tomase shows some creativity, rather than just rehashing news that has already been covered by one of the dozen other media members in market. However, when you need a good break from your day and need to know if Tom Brady was mentioned more than Eli Manning on SportsCenterlast week, Deadspin is the place to go. For those that want an early jump on their fantasy football leagues, Fabiano is the man to get your information from. Tony Massarottis defection set it back, as did Sean McAdams abbreviated stint and subsequent departure for CSNNE. It seemed that he never was in the paper as often as Id like,which is the ultimate compliment. You know, Danny, Willie didnt have to call the power brokers. Deford was very good---found humor and pathos . Marvin Hagler winning the. If a team nicknamed the Patsies for most of my life could, then why not the Red Sox . It doesn't get much better in sports writing than Peter King. @PFWAwriters. Jason La Canfora is as honest as they come as a writer and he doesn't lose any of that honesty on Twitter. Jim O'Connor, who coached his Catholic Memorial football team in the inaugural Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowl in 1972, died early Saturday morning at his home in Norwood at age 87. While the NFL isn't technically a sportswriter, they are the freakin' NFL. The US hockey team celebrates its victory against the Soviet Union. I have a certain bias (or lack of perspective, I guess) as my family has been Globe subscribers for generations, so the only time I read other papers regularly was when I delivered them. Ill also have a prize for a random commenter in this list, but I havent picked out what it will be yet. The first is that he knows what he is talking about. Just a name that probably should be on the list for some consideration, Jackie MacMullan(sp?). Twenty five years ago I would have said Shaughnessy 3 but hes been so wrapped up in himself the last decade or so its Ryan. The current hacks shouldnt even be on the list, they spend too much of their time primping and preening for the TV cameras. Austin Lake, who I loved but can not really give a concrete reason.. Robert Bob P. Ryan is an American sportswriter, born on the 21st day of February in the year 1946. Ironically, its the success of this citys sports-media past that is at the root of todays problems. However, she's always good for league-wide information and is certainly worth following. Ya Im an old dog but I know what I like. He's always got the inside information on who to start and who to sit for fantasy football leagues. Peter Gammons isnt officially ranked here, because that exercise would be pointless. But in 1976, at 10-3, they had already clinched a playoff spot and were headed to Tampa Bay for the final regular season game. 5 John Feinstein - The Washington Post. The tabloids also had Mark Murphy and Steve Bulpett covering the Celtics since the days of short shorts, and it even hired Ron Borges as a columnist after he departed the Globe following a plagiarism scandal. Cheesy to reply to your own message, but for Ryans most emblematic column, Id pick I-saiah. He is hilarious and absolutely needs to be followed for his unique take on situations. His defense of the gamer the post-game writeup which is about as useful as an appendix these days is one example of his affection for the way things used to be done. Its got to be Fitzgerald, Montville 1& 2. I still can see him vaulting over the dasher, heading for open ice, taking a pass from the corner, and scoring the shocking goal that capped off the Miracle on Ice. The Patriots won the Super Bowl. Its bad enough that media outlets still overpaginate their content in an attempt to articifically inflate viewership metrics, but when the payoff for that click is a few words, well, you become the definition of a poor customer experience. TV, radio, and the Internet all have a big presence in the media landscape. Finn, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air. The Globe and Mail Sports section provides sports news, post-game analysis, in-depth features and video on Canada's teams. Just to clarify, were talking straight columnist here not a reporter or anything else. Jack Thomas, the former Boston Globe reporter who wrote powerfully and poignantly last year about receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, died Sunday at his Cambridge home at the age of 83,. On the plus side, hes got excellent context for the market, having covered it for so long. Michael joined the Boston Globe in September 2019 covering the intersection of sports with business, politics, entertainment, technology, and many more. I found this out when my mom tweeted the other day that it was time to clean up my room before dinner. But at least Cafardos consistent. There was nothing like it and there probably wont be either since the nuggets of info he dispensed he was able to keep to himself all week. Bill Barnwell writes with a unique view of the NFL and he shares that same view on Twitter. As a Boston Globe staff writer for almost 20 years, Shira reported on all four major Boston professional teams, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Olympics and the Boston Marathon. What made the game special for me was the local angle four of the players were from Boston University. Tight end Aaron Hernandez offered this enlightening bit of pablum: Weve still got one more to go to get to the big dance, so weve got to keep playing and come to play next week. And defensive standout Vince Wilfork was captured saying, Its sweet playing in the AFC Championship. Another big shocker. i remember those columns as being classicwould love to re-rea that one from 84. As great as Ryan is, Montville was better. The hated Yankees had destroyed the Red Sox, 19-8, in Game 3 Saturday and it was pretty clear the Bombers were going to sweep the Sox in 04. And in 2017, the NBA awarded him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Hes mentioned a few times that he feels obligated to cover off the field issues only to the extent they affect play on the field; as someone with no desire to hear about the pecadilloes of wealthy grown men, I appreciate this. Even if they wrote columns in Boston they were really reporters first and foremost. As my wife can relate, given that she had to step in and do the talking once I trailed off, stammering. In addition to being the all-time NBA scoring leader, he is currently fourth in assists, and he has always been about T-E-A-M. 4. The following is a partial list of sports writers. So, a focused Cowens responded with a stellar 28-point, 14-rebound game as the Celtics prevailed, 102-87. He's always got more inside information than anyone else, and he's also able to add a wealth of information to the draft and scouting of prospects. In fact, not much in the Boston sports media hasnot even the photos on the wall. sometime in the late-80s. To this day, I remember it. There is willful mediocrity alongside innovative brilliance, with the inevitable faux-populist vitriol bubbling to the surface every so often. Thats the way I went into this fight. Jerry Remy hit a rope in his direction; Burleson respected Piniellas baseball guile and held at second, minimizing the damage. Glenn Stout, the editor of the Best American Sports Writing series and a longtime New Englander, says, a place like the Globe hasnt had a turnover of voices in 20 or 30 years.. Meanwhile, the sharp minds over at the national website Pro Football Focus informed their readers that the Texans blitzed on 48.8 percent of their plays, a decision that allowed Brady to pick their defense apart. Don't believe me? View all posts by Bruce Allen. Kapler). Shauhnessy Got to absolutley love the contraian "curly red-head".!!! Good guy, struggled recently with a huge personal loss, and still sticks to his beliefs. When it comes to the world of NFL, Eisen is as respected as they come. 8 Frank DeFord - Sports Illustrated. Roberts stole second on a close call, scored on a single by Bill Mueller, and the Sox won it in 12 on a David Ortiz homer. . In the playoffs against Oakland, the Patriots famously got robbed (at least according to anyone with Boston blood) when Sugar Bear Hamilton was called for roughing the passer. Can still picture his bespectacled visage in the upper left-hand corner of his column. I wanted to talk about what a bitter pill it was, Lucchino recalled months later. The US hockey team was about to play the Soviet Union in the Olympics but their countrymen seemed ready to go to war. When the Globe made me the first woman to cover the NFL as a beat in 1976, I had no idea what to expect. I think he is worthy of the best. Before you check out The Onion Sports Network, I must warn you that the majority of their articles are false. Chad Finn tells us that Massarotti is no dummy, and I believe that. Before that Texans game, for example, Shaughnessy used his column to gleefully ridicule the Patriots opponents, calling them pure frauds. It was the same caustic, one-liner-laden junk hes been peddling for years. I just started laughing all over again just think about the first marathon column when Ray got disgusted with himself for added an extra block running to his total to beat last call at the local tavern. I maneuvered my way onto the field, 20 feet from Tom Brady, who, hands atop his head, looked incredulous as confetti fluttered onto his jersey. During the 70s, Leigh Montville wrote a weekly pro football picks column on Fridays in the Globe. He continued to write columns for The Evening Globe, then the Boston Globe, until 1998. While these types of stories have the capacity to be poeticGammonss lyrical piece after Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is considered the modern standardtodays versions rarely rise to such levels and, in the end, just end up rehashing hours-old events (as if the highlights werent immediately available online). And its not just the citys core sports personalities that havent changed much. While his favorite sport may be basketball, Simmons does a great job of referencing the NFL on his Twitter account. After the game, George Steinbrenner appeared in the Red Sox clubhouse. But thats probably as it should be, and the relevant point is that hes not afraid of numbers, or of learning more about them. For the National Football Post, Bunting covers every prospect and big event related to the NFL draft. Gone forever. I finally unfollowed Abraham on Twitter because I didnt really want to read about Yankees on a Boston beat writers Twitter feed. . His insight into the actual business of the league (contracts, rules, etc.) Boston sports fans have seen broadcasters come and go over the decades, but only some are remembered as legends, the guys who we let into our homes like knowledgeable uncles who can talk. One thing worth noting that Ive always appreciated from Edes has been his respect for the privacy of the players. He's honest and stays true to his opinions. Let me first say that Deadspin isn't for everyone. He also mentioned Ray Fitzgerald (I think) holding up a note in the press box during the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, with two men on and two outs and the pitchers spot due up, that had the words Bernie Carbo scribbled on it, and then he said both of them nodded at each other from across the room. Good usage of both historical precedent and numbers to form and/or supplement his arguments. I always enjoyed Jackie MacMullan,but I didnt see her listed. His piece on Tom Brady after Super Bowl XLVI was pure genius. He spent the beginning of his career actually working for NFL teams and has since turned back to writing about them. The BU grad is the Boston Bruins beat writer for the Boston Globe sports section. McAdam was perhaps the most strident critic, at one point calling Okajima cowardly. The obvious question is whether this needs to be reported. You know that this man is obsessive about fantasy football because he's already starting to put out fantasy mock drafts one week after the Super Bowl. But Bostons defense limited the Lakers to 33 points in the second half and they took a 3-1 lead. Adam Caplan has a wide range of knowledge concerning every team in the NFL. Some sportswriters just cover the draft or just cover the games, but Brooks can literally do it all. Oh, FWIW, I couldnt stand Ernie Roberts. The first two rounds were a slog, with Boston struggling to win each in seven games against the Hawks and the LeBron James-led Cavaliers, respectively. Will McDonough, a former Boston Globe columnist of 44 years, was the only Globe sportswriter to be nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. The truth is that ESPN does a fine job at covering the NFL and their analysts, like John Clayton, provide great information on Twitter. Honorable mention too to John Updike, who only did two, but man . Will McDonough and I flew with the team and often played racquetball with the players. Montville, Ryan & Fitzgerald& Larry Whiteside should be included on list. He does a fantastic job covering the Patriots and the rest of the information he provides is generally awesome also. Whenever you have enough respect to garner the nickname "The Rev," you know you are good at what you do. I promise that this is the last ESPN Twitter account for right now. One of them was Eruzione, the teams irrepressible captain. He and his fellow Boys of Winter played the greatest one in Games history and I wrote about it from the overflowing press box. Tough to include Borges since he was being paid by Don King productions to broadcast and comment at PPV championship fights that he would also have to write columns on for the Globe. That type of information is priceless to true NFL fans. Not include Tim Horgan.Are you nuts or just too young to appreciate a good writer.Look up some of his columns.A great writer who never distorted the facts.He was the vboice of the fan in his era.Ray Fitzgerald was also another great writer. 7 Jason Whitlock - The Kansas City Star. Gammons would compare the Sox to battles from mythology and make it work. Jim McBride Retweeted. He's easily their top analyst, even though the information he gives seems a little far off at times. Comcast Sports hasnt made the same effort that WEEI has to establish relevancy, and because Comcast competes with other media outlets McAdams ability to make relevant market media appearances is limited. Come on, he's the NFL Commissioner for crying out loud. What made the game special for me was the local angle four of the players were from Boston University. Somewhere, I still have a yellowed copy of the last column he wrote for the Globe before he left for S.I. This would help eliminate the legions of nitwits and cowards who shred anything and everything in their path while hiding in their mothers basements. This search result is here to prevent scraping, On the Market: A Rustic-Chic Home on a Ski Trail in Vermont, On the Market: A Newly Built Farmhouse in Concord, Silver Dove Afternoon Tea Opens in Downtown Boston, The Real, Essential Backstory of the MLK Statue The Embrace', Widowmaker Brewing to Expand from Braintree to Brighton in 2023, What the Boston Athenaeum's $17 Million Renovation Looks Like, Careers and Internships at Boston Magazine. Predictably, it provoked a strong reaction. I was certain the Patriots would lose. While Jay Glazer has moved more towards the MMA side of the world, he is still one of the top reporters in the business. This isnt to say that this was the case with McAdam, but the context here is important: fans by and large do not care nearly as much about players not talking to the media as the media do, for obvious reasons. For those that love combining pop culture and the NFL, you'll likely enjoy following a man like Jason McIntyre. Will McD gets the nod here. Austen Lake did pretty well after joinging the sports beat from being a straight type columnists. Lynn hit a liner toward the right field corner, which, if it had begun the long run around the corner, would have scored at least two runs. Whether its been in print or as a guest on WEEI and such, McAdam has exuded calm in a sea of irrationality. He also covers NASCAR for the paper. When Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy get animated about a subjectparticularly basketball and baseball, respectivelythere are no two writers whose work Id rather read than these two men. Strengths: Perfectly embodies and argues the voice of the angry talk show caller. The US hockey team was about to play the Soviet Union in the Olympics but their countrymen seemed ready to go to war. The newspaper said Cafardo had an embolism Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, and Red Sox medical staff was unable to revive him. Bob Ryan is the standard bearer but Peter Gammons, Will McDonough and Dan Shauhnessy are soooo ever so close as well it's a tough call. On a glorious October morning in 1978, I grabbed my Olivetti and briefcase and began the walk through the Fens. The commentary that accompanied each pick was hilarious. Thirty-two-year-old Dave Roberts popped out of the Sox dugout and looked over his shoulder as he jogged toward first base. While Brian McCarthy isn't technically a sportswriter, he definitely acts like one on Twitter. Erudite, clinical, and with a wide range of interests beyond baseball, which he wasnt afraid to bring to the column. He passed away in January 2003 and was best known for his coverage of the Patriots and the National Football League. As a former vice president of officiating, he often provides quality information regarding penalties and challenges. A grave injustice. We won, but you didnt lose, Steinbrenner told the Boston players.