Who’s your columnist #1
Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday Jan. 27 class.
You must include the URL of the column so that others can read the column, too.
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Pictured at right: ESPN‘s Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy (Eric Vitoff will be following Simmons this semester).
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:30 am
If you’re viewing this comment, you’re in the right place for posting your first sports columnist comment and URL.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Brendan Murphy
Comm. 371 Sports Reporting
Title: Favorite Columnist
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010302110.html
My favorite sports columnist is Michael Wilbon from the Washington Post. Michael Wilbon is involved with print and online journalism, radio and is co-stars with sports journalist Tony Kornheiser on the popular television show “Pardon the Interruption.” I have a great deal of respect for his ability to be successful in the multiple media facets of sports. The above URL link is a a writing sample displaying his ability to analyze sports and present information in a pyramid-style, while keeping it simple. His articles are clear, precise and demonstrate his sports knowledge, which has led to a long tenure of credibility. In addition his sports broadcast (television show) combines an insight of a fan and the commentary of a professional, which leads to an interesting broadcast.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
In his Jan. 22 piece entitled “One final toss for The Dooze,” Bill Simmons tells the life story of his recently deceased golden retriever, Daisy. From time to time, Simmons writes personal pieces like this one that only minimally involve sports.
He talks about how he and his wife first got Daisy when they moved out to the West Coast from Boston, how Daisy loved to play with tennis balls, and the important role that Dasiy came to play in the lives of his two young children.
Although sports are at the center of Simmons’ work, he writes often about his family and his views on many aspects of life. He makes his regular readers somewhat familiar with the Bill Simmons outside of his work with ESPN. It is because of this tendency that he genuinely engages me with the occasional story that does not involve sports.
This was the first article I have ever read in which I tried to notice usage of AP Style. For example, I noticed how he used the numeral “10” when talking about a “10-foot wall.” I look forward to noticing more examples of AP Style in his work so that I can better apply it to my own work.
Here is a link to the article.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Ben Libby
I plan on following Bob Ryan, Boston Globe’s main sports columnist. Growing up in Boston, I’ve always been an avid reader of the Boston Globe. Featured on the front cover of several daily sports sections, Bob has a certain style to him that connects with readers and keeps them wanting more. His devotion to Boston and his knowledge of it’s traditions and historical events, make him a respected writer in the Boston media world.
January 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I decided to follow Rick Reilly for the semester. I feel it easy to simply report a sports story. The Cardinals beat the Eagles, Donovan McNabb threw an interception and Kurt Warner threw a touchdown. What Rick Reilly does is take the names and the facts and turn them into real people. He adds a human dimension to people who are all too often judged purely on their athletic ability.
In Reilly’s column this week, he writes about Larry Fitzgerald’s father, Larry FItzgerald, Sr. The elder Fitzgerald is a sportswriter in Minnesota and will be covering the Super Bowl that his son is playing in next week. It’s a classic Reilly story. Take a larger-than-life wide receiver, who is shattering postseason records and show readers the man under the helmet.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3848921
January 25th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
In his most recent review, Daily News columnist John Harper discusses the Mets’ options for filling the gap left open in their starting pitching rotation. First on the list of potential candidates is Ben Sheets, a consistently talented yet accident-prone athlete. Harper goes on to list the pros and cons of signing either a short or a long term deal. He includes the risk involved due to Sheets’ long history of multiple injuries, and compares it to other possible options (such as Oliver Perez or Randy Wolf). I thoroughly enjoy reading his columns because he couples his direct style with vast amounts of information that leave the reader well versed on what is going on backstage in MLB.
His most recent article can be found at: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/columnists/harper/?page=0
January 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I will be writing about CBSSportsline.com’s Gary Parrish this semester. He is a columnist who covers college hoops.
In his column, “No mouthing off: Missed Memphis FT brings quality win,” Parrish breaks down the closing moments of yesterday’s Memphis/Tennessee game.
Tyreke Evens, a freshman at Memphis, was told to miss a free throw on purpose, so Tennessee would have to hope for desperation three to tie or win. Evans argued, and Calipari said he almost punched him in the mouth for it, but the rookie went to the line and did what he was told.
The outcome: Memphis missed a free throw, and Tennessee missed a desperation trey, and Memphis won.
Last season, Memphis missed from the charity stripe by accident and lost in the national championship. This season, they are missing free throws and winning.
Parrish knows the sport in and out, which is the main reason I chose him. His writing style allows the reader to always stay interested, and his random facts he is able to gather makes for a great piece every time.
I hope anyone who has not read his columns will do so, especially if one is interested in college basketball.
Here is the link to Parrish’s column: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11297719.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Andrew Schaffer
The columnist I will be following this semester is Nicholas K. Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press. He is a columnist and also a blogger.
Nicholas uses quotes very well in most articles and blogs to tell the story. I feel that quotes are possibly the best way to get the story across because they come directly from what you are reporting on!
http://www.freep.com/article/20090120/BLOG21/90120080/1048/SPORTS
In this blog, “Lewand lays out what he’d like in new Lions exec,” Cotsonika reports on the mindset of the Detroit Lions President, Tom Lewand, as he continues to try to find the help that they so desperately need.
January 26th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Tom Verducci began submitting his must-read columns to Sports Illustrated before I started grade school. Prior to joining SI Verducci spent 10-years covering sports at Newsday, serving as the publication’s lead national baseball columnist.
While I think that the New Jersey native still does his best work on his laptop, Verducci has also begun providing analysis on television. Just this month Verducci was hired to do studio work for several shows on Major League Baseball’s brand new network. I’ll be following his work this semester.
In his most recent column Verducci wrote about a plethora of the top remaining free agents in baseball. In the column Verducci displayed the attribute that I respect most about him. He never just writes piece about “free agents who can’t find homes.” Instead he says “these guys can’t find an employer and here is why.”
“Free agents have been smacked down by a double whammy,” Verducci wrote. “The chilling effects of the economic recession and the industry-wide trend of placing more and more value on young players under control.”
To read the column in it’s entirety check out the link below.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/01/20/free.agents/index.html
January 26th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Diana Friedman
I am going to follow sports columnist Thomas Boswell this semester. What I find particulary interesting about Boswell is his ability to analyze as well as report. He brings political and social issues into some of his articles, as he did in his recent article “Big and Rich.” In this article, he draws a fascinating parallel between the excesses of steroid use in baseball to the excesses of Wall Street. I look forward to following his columns throughout the semester, looking at his angles on sports while incorporating politics and the economy.
“Big and Rich” can be found at the following URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012103912.html
January 27th, 2009 at 2:26 am
I’m going to have to follow the ever amusing Woody Paige from the Denver Post. You more likely recognize him from the ESPN show Around The Horn. He’s the crazy one.
I’ll admit, I’ve never read a single one of the man’s articles, but based on his on daily on screen performances (and the recent head coaching drama in the Broncos organization) his column should be worth my time.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Colin
I will be following Leonard Shapiro from the Washington Post. He mainly covers the NFL and golf, and has a weekly column on television and radio coverage of sports. I like Shapiro because he covers local broadcast and says what other columnist won’t. He covers college basketball also and is a published author. His style of writing is very persuasive and he usually takes one side of a story and runs with it. He be a interesting columnist to follow because he covers a variety of sports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032402695.html
January 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Joe will be following Thomas Boswell.
Here is a link to his most recent columns at The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032402520.html
I like the way he is opinionated but at the same time he is respectful and he backs up his points well with facts and numbers. Boswell isn’t afraid to ask hard questions and he is very knowledgeable and passionate about sports.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:46 am
I have chosen to follow boxing columnist Micahel Rosenthal this sememester. Michael Rosenthal is an associate editor of The Ring magazine.
Every Wednesday you will be able to read a new column on The Ring Magazine Online Blog: http://www.ringtv.com/blog/
Rosenthal writes on everything from breaking news in the boxing world, to feature articles, to historical lists of the best fighters of this or that weight class.
Significant boxing matches occur infrequently. This makes it interesting to see how a columnist keeps readers coming back.
On February 1, he is going to post a video in his discussion of the 10 best european heavywights (oxymoron?) of all time.
June 4th, 2014 at 2:53 am
Who’s your columnist #1 | Sports Journalism