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. Another Pulitzer winner with New England ties is Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein, who won for commentary. 5 John Feinstein - The Washington Post. We dont need our writers to root for the Sox, but it would be nice if they didnt actively encourage Yankee fans. I know tennis was his main thing, and Ive never been a big tennis fan, but he certainly had the longevity, wrote engagingly about his love, and became a nationally-known figure. Its a similar story over at the Herald, where old mainstays like Gerry Callahan and Steve Buckley continue to occupy top billing. When I asked Cowens how it felt to have finally achieved the goal of winning a title, he said, For me, the fun was in the doing. 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. As an aside, Massarotti in the past has requested that critics not hide behind anonymity: Somewhere along the line, someone needs to devise a system in which people who post comments on the internet are required to provide their real names and, perhaps, places of employment. Shalise Manza Young: Yahoo Sports columnist/former Boston Globe Patriots beat writer Two Writers Slinging Yang 01:06:43 Play Audio Add to Playlist Share Report On the highs and lows of Belichick, Brady and the dynastic Patriots; on whether columnists ever need to admit they were wrong; on the ills of social media and the future of the industry Of all the ESPN analysts, Trey Wingo may be the best of them all. As one of their top NFL analysts, Clayton is always up to date on the biggest happenings around the league. I never really considered McDonough a columnist, but more of an information guy. 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. Now there was a stylist. Ater he retired joe became an official score keeper at Fenway.__My other choices are Timmy Horgan, Peter Gammons and Joe Fitzgerald. Ray Fitzgerald. As a result, the list of young, talented sports reporters who have moved on from Boston media grows longer every year: There's the NHL executive Chris Snow (the Globe ), the NFL Network's Ian. His analysis is always spot on, he never jumps to conclusions and is generally one of the nicest individuals you could follow on twitter. We won, but you didnt lose, Steinbrenner told the Boston players. When the team added stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to go along with Paul Pierce before the 2007-08 season, there was suddenly hope to hang up banner No. Hes an exception on this list because he covers all of the major teams, not just the Red Sox, but hes included because I value his thoughts on the team. While politics, finances and other areas of interest are certainly prominent on Twitter, nothing is as huge as the world of sports. Likewise, a bit more depth of metrics in the Buchholz vs Wakefield decision would have benefited his analysis. They came back to the bar at The Baileys Hotel in London in their Marvin Hagler, Destruction and Destroy T-shirts. As a young reporter at the Des Moines Register (I was raised a Red Sox fan in Iowa by my Malden-born and Manchester, Conn.-raised father), I had access to the sports wire services. Beat writers may blog, chat, and utilize social media now, but after games, theyre still churning out the same kinds of vanilla recaps that have long been a newspaper staple. He also covers NASCAR for the paper. Always made at least one good point in his columns, something that rarely happens these days. I freely admit to liking his old weekend thoughts/notes. Borges, a Globe sportswriter for 24 years who was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year four times and is a regular guest on a local sports radio station, was also barred from broadcast. I had the pleasure of reading him for a couple of decades. 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. 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. Weaknesses: Stubborn and hostile to non-traditionalist thinking. and the Bruins. Peter Gammons WOW!! I just look at this as something for my portfolio of basketball experiences. And I regard this first Celtics championship I was privileged to cover as a highlight in my portfolio of journalistic experiences. Who represents the pantheon of Boston sports columnists? 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. His mailbags are enjoyable, and his columns are informative, but theres little that sets him apart in the way that, say, Finns humor or Speiers diversity does. In case it wasnt already apparent, this is a focus on Boston market writers. Will McD gets the nod here. Leverages his strengths and advantages well. Too many media members, both locally and nationally, are doing things simply because thats the way theyve always been done. Whether its been in print or as a guest on WEEI and such, McAdam has exuded calm in a sea of irrationality. Strengths: Well adapted to modern baseball coverage, both in tone and approach. Not agents or team sources, but the actual players. The phenomenon of reporters seeking revenge on players through the pen is hardly new, especially in Boston. I also liked tim horgan. Having met him, I mistook him as a hoop centric guy, but he quickly correctly me, and said Beisbol been berry berry good to me. The better part of that story, is that we were both sharing a beer. When Bill Russell Wrote for The Boston Globe - Sports Illustrated Excerpt: When Bill Russell Wrote for the Globe In 1969 the Celtics' player-coach, who had a complicated relationship. He has a fantastic sense of humor and is fearless about taking shots at whoever deserves it. Senior staff writer and columnist Kevin Paul Dupont. He knows players, people and teams and whether they'll fit together nicely or not. Some sportswriters just cover the draft or just cover the games, but Brooks can literally do it all. I loved Ernie Roberts column, especially his Thoughts While Shaving segment. The way the local media covers games is stuck in the past, too. 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. Will McDonough and I flew with the team and often played racquetball with the players. Its a pleasure having him cover the Red Sox. When Houston did get to Brady, he was 0 for 5 on completions, but those occasions, the site reported, were rare. It appeared the series would be tied at 2 when the Lakers took an 18-point halftime lead in Game 4 in Los Angeles. If you're an NFL fan, here are 50 sportswriters that you simply must follow on Twitter. Sharp, witty, outspoken. Since he was one of the best to ever play the game, he has loads of knowledge about what really goes on inside the world of the NFL. She's covered the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics. In a perfect storm of Boston Sports, he made his big splash just as Fred Lyn,n Jim Rice and the rest of the 75 cast were making theirs, just as a young TV-38 gambled on putting on 80 games instead of the dozen that the VHF stations would show, just as a then-fresh Dick Stockton was giving a slightly cynical air to play by play. 17. and the Celtics . Still miss that Sox postgame show he, Upton Bell, and Joe Fitzgerald used to do on 38. It set the stage for Kevin Garnetts (pictured) Anything is possible! yell after winning the Celtics first title since 1986. He and his fellow Boys of Winter played the greatest one in Games history and I wrote about it from the overflowing press box. All due respect to the guy b/c hes good at what he does but hes not an all-time great. As a former NFL player, Matt Bowen has the great ability to give you information regarding what NFL players are thinking. Right Bruce? Andrew Brandt has been around the NFL for quite some time. Whiny, petulant, entitled, self-importantno, it's not Boston fans we're talking about, it's Boston sportswriters. Clockwise from left: Marvin Hagler; Dave Cowens and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; a crowd; Kevin Garnett; the 1980 Miracle on Ice; and Dave Roberts' iconic steal. Good or bad, it doesnt matter, he wrote on his website, Boston Sports Media Watch. He cites sources, gives insight and has great knowledge about the game of football. Which is to his credit. Dave Cowens was renowned for his intensity, but he played with particular passion in Game 7 of the 1974 NBA Finals versus the Milwaukee Bucks because he felt he had let his team down with a 5-for-19 showing in a losing Game 6. also an author. 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. 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. By bringing them up and even attempting to denounce them, Im simply feeding the monster and adding to the buzz., That monster, it should be noted, was born out of something fairly benign. Like Murray Chass and other traditionalists, Cafardo is aggressively old school, with his antipathy towards modern analysis regularly on display. Hes got the talent to do the job, clearly, but is either unable or unwilling to reconsider his perspectives in light of new teachings. Before you check out The Onion Sports Network, I must warn you that the majority of their articles are false. As I stood beside him on that February night, it occurred to me: Barrier-breaking journalist Lesley Visser is seen covering Patriots training camp in 1976, her first year on the beat. He's always got the inside information on who to start and who to sit for fantasy football leagues. His property, Boston.com, is amongst the most egregious abusers of pop-under advertisements of any property on the web. McDonough and Gammons for super inside knowledge. We all love rumors about the NFL, and who to better bring them to you than the rumor central for media giant ESPN. While Jay Glazer has moved more towards the MMA side of the world, he is still one of the top reporters in the business. And I write for a living. Brownes coverage is credible if non-differentiated. Quotes were the chief information-dispensing device of other NBA writers. Id like to create a list of the best all-time sports columnists here in Boston. Analysis is frequently emotionally driven. I cant speak for other fans, but I can say that his conduct there dented his reputation in my view. 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. Ryan probably sneaks on the list for consistency, if nothing else, but Im just a fan of his writing style. I thought she brought the human interest angle into her columns. If you've ever got a question about the NFL, send it over to him and he'll likely reply with the answer you are looking for. 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. I don't know how this man gets any writing done with tweeting so frequently, but it happens. Ray Fitzgerald (just gave my copy of his terrific Champions Remembered to my twelve-year-old nephew). But thats probably as it should be, and the relevant point is that hes not afraid of numbers, or of learning more about them. Rehashing games, for example, is something that can be done by a variety of third parties: its non-differentiating for writers. He was the first Boston sports columnist that I truely adored, and the Globe has been the same since he left. 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. Maybe you have your reasons for putting Gammons on the list. All the Boston teams did back in 2002 often in spectacular fashion. 1) All 3 are globies back in the days of the best sports section in the country. Whenever you have enough respect to garner the nickname "The Rev," you know you are good at what you do. his willingness to back up the truck for Gonzalez occasionally skews towards fan and away from hard evaluation. As an example, Im not including those who divide their time between baseball and hockey like Joe Haggerty (CSNNE) or Joe MacDonald (ESPNBoston). Third, want to pick someone current so I pick Reynolds from the ProJo because he reminds me of Roberts although several of his Saturday pieces relate to RI only folklore. Rich Gossage walked Rick Burleson with one out. Matthew Berry is Mr. Fantasy Football for ESPN. So, a focused Cowens responded with a stellar 28-point, 14-rebound game as the Celtics prevailed, 102-87. Gregg Rosenthal has been in the world of the NFL for quite some time and as such, he provides great insight. Sat morning Globe was a must read because of his Sports Page 1 columns on the left. 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. While Benjamin Volin mainly tweets about information regarding the Miami Dolphins, the information he does give is purely genius. What more could you ask? His analysis e.g. But Bostons defense limited the Lakers to 33 points in the second half and they took a 3-1 lead. I have little patience, however, for those overtly displaying hostility towards numbers or the sabermetric side of the game. Clockwise from left: Marvin Hagler; Dave Cowens and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; a crowd; Kevin Garnett; the 1980 Miracle on Ice; and Dave Roberts' iconic steal. }Customer Service, Vice President, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives, Senior Assistant Managing Editor, Express Desk, Senior Assistant Managing Editor, Production, Senior Assistant Managing Editor for Audience Experience, Senior Assistant Managing Editor for culture, talent, and development, Assistant Managing Editor, Hiring and Development, Manager of Programs and Operations, Opinion, Love Letters Columnist and Features Writer, Director of Visual Strategy for Globe Opinion, Editor, Sunday real estate and realestate.boston.com, Assistant Business Editor for News Innovation, Senior editor for multimedia storytelling, Editor of the Great Divide education team, Editor-at-large in Globe Opinion, former editorial page editor. 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. Weaknesses: The opposite of prolific, the cost of Finns higher quality content is less of it. But the Celtics took care of the Pistons in six, setting up a showdown with their rivals, the Kobe Bryant led-Lakers. My first paid journalism gig was writing about high school sports at the Globe, and it was the perfect way to learn how to do the job of a sports reporter. The list is sort of subjective, so I didnt include Peter Gammons, as I think of him more as a baseball writer than a general columnist, while Will McDonough did mainly focus on football, but wrote columns about all sports as well, so hes on the list. As the editor of Shutdown Cornerfor Yahoo! . There are two things that I really like about Evan Silva on Twitter. I mean, seriously? Montville, Ryan & Fitzgerald& Larry Whiteside should be included on list. Case in point, his recently launched Minor Details podcast. 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. After the game, George Steinbrenner appeared in the Red Sox clubhouse. The . True, its more often basic metrics like OPS+ rather than, say, xFIP or WAR, and he remains skeptical when it comes to the accuracy of modern statistics. he used write lists, very funny and informative. The Crossword Solver finds answers to classic crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. 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. In that year, Sabathia threw 40 and a third more innings than Beckett with a better ERA and a better strikeout to walk ratio. Columns are written, statements are made simply to generate buzz. Particularly those that trace him back through the Herald to the Eagle-Tribune. Hes opinionated, but rational. Its not every day that one of your heroes not only lives up to, but exceeds your expectations. Case in point is his focus on pitcher wins as the metric by which pitchers should be judged. The BU grad is the Boston Bruins beat writer for the Boston Globe sports section. There are times when Albert Breer gives more information about his personal life than you want, but it's definitely worth hearing about his latest ski trip to get his inside NFL information. The playoff run was tougher than the teams 66 regular-season wins might have suggested. Michael Silverman is an American journalist and sports business reporter. He was one of the best baseball writers on the Herald. 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. It seemed that he never was in the paper as often as Id like,which is the ultimate compliment. One of Ray Fitzgeralds best columns had nothing to do with sports, but was about his daughter recieving a doctorate degree. Now you have to wrestle with whether what youre doing is interesting, Speier said, or a bit of a nuisance., Its not as though the local sports press exists in a total time warp. Marvin Hagler fights Britain's Alan Minter on September 27, 1980, at London's Wembley Arena. We're talking about one of the best in the business. The second thing I like about him is his commentary to what other people say. One of them was Eruzione, the teams irrepressible captain. Ryan replied, "I'll tell 'em what they ought to know!" ", "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. On a glorious October morning in 1978, I grabbed my Olivetti and briefcase and began the walk through the Fens. The extra staffing is important to help the paper fulfill what Sullivan says is its mandate in this digital age: to serve the Web and print at the same time.. I would no doubt vote Haggerty, Haggerty and then Haggerty. On the plus side, hes got excellent context for the market, having covered it for so long. A professional sportswriter should be speaking to the talk show callers rather than arguing as one of them, in other words. 7 Jason Whitlock - The Kansas City Star. Thirty-two-year-old Dave Roberts popped out of the Sox dugout and looked over his shoulder as he jogged toward first base. Former Boston Globe sports writer and foreign correspondent Steve Fainaru, now with the Washington Post, received the International Reporting Pulitzer for his stories on private security contractors in Iraq. #ada-button-frame { As my wife can relate, given that she had to step in and do the talking once I trailed off, stammering. Snyder held the flag high and promoter Bob Arum stood and began to sing God Bless America and everyone in the room maybe 25 people stood and sang with him. . If you want to see some of Zerkle's crazier side, I recommend you follow his alter-ego, @PUNTE. 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. what, no mention of Joe Giullotti? Meanwhile, the Globe has continued to employ a number of longtime veterans, like Cafardo, who seem to have hung around forever. The last two writers' elections produced just one entrant to Cooperstown David Ortiz and that stingy trend is expected to continue By Peter Abraham, Bob Hohler, Dan Shaughnessy, Michael. One single writer and the subtle, self-contained perfection of the game itself, of course was all it took to turn a rooting interest into a lifetime of obsession. He was football coach at CM for 19 years and although his '72 team lost to Swampscott High, they rebounded to win Division 2 titles in 1973 and 1978. The Globe and Mail Sports section provides sports news, post-game analysis, in-depth features and video on Canada's teams.