I loved to read him, and wasted a lot of time perusing the wire for any of his columns that I had missed. I covered every postseason game. And while hes not in the camp attacking statistics, neither has he embraced them the way that peers like Speier have. sometime in the late-80s. She's been covering sports for The Boston Globe starting in 1982, then Sports Illustrated, then on to ESPN. One of them was Eruzione, the teams irrepressible captain. Help Select The Best All-Time Boston Sports Columnists, View BostonSportsMediaWatchs profile on Facebook, View 100226618267166606506s profile on Google+, A Fathers Day Miracle (for NESN to run again and again), Infamous Moments - McDonough Punches Clayborn, Distraught Arnold Wishes He Left WEEI When He Had The Chance, Remembering Tony Conigliaro the Sportscaster, Where Are They Now - 1510 The Zone Personalities, Tom Coughlin's Encounter with Bill Belichick after Super Bowl XLVI, #6 The Death of Will McDonough (and others), Formula 1 Presents Unique Opportunities for Disney Advertisers, ESPN Continues All-Women Led NBA Game & Studio Broadcasts in Celebration of International Womens Day on March 8, NCAA Womens Ice Hockey Post-Season Play Takes Center Ice on ESPN Platforms, LaLiga, Bundesliga and Eredivisie on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, Mar. #ada-button-frame { 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. For being such a respected writer, King has quite the sense of humor on Twitter. 5 John Feinstein - The Washington Post. There had been four previous winners from the Boston chapter of the BBWAA: Peter Gammons,. Let me first say that Deadspin isn't for everyone. The sun was still above the left field roof, blinding Piniella. At present, the Herald looks to be largely treading water, doing just enough to keep from drowning but not enough to adapt itself to an increasingly competitive market. Chris Mortensen has been around the league for a long time which makes him a wealth of information. I miss reading her. Witness the limitations of its technology infrastructure. I swear that is a real article on that website. Priority on this list, with a few exceptions, is given to writers focused exlusively on the Red Sox. 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. what, no mention of Joe Giullotti? As the lead NFL writer for Bleacher Report, Josh Zerkle has established himself as a unique talent in the writing world. Just a name that probably should be on the list for some consideration, Jackie MacMullan(sp?). Dan Kadar is a rather underrated individual on Twitter. While controversy does little for me personally, however, Im cognizant of its role in selling newspapers. 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. His knowledge of the sports world could not be challenged, Ray Fitzgerald- The Grandaddy of them all. 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. Ryan would be my call at number three, but Ive always looked at him as a great analyst someone who can break down a game. Boston Globe Sports. Dont know if I could pick a third, but if I had to, it would be Egan or Ryan. It didnt feel that way for Sox fans. Not thrilled to say it, but Borgess boxing writing probably should be up for consideration. He's a highly respected journalist. He also loves his mom, which is a great thing. When Houston did get to Brady, he was 0 for 5 on completions, but those occasions, the site reported, were rare. Type 1 diabetic. The good old days are gone as far as Boston columnists are concerned. Injuries, contracts, trades and more are all likely to be covered by Clayton via Twitter. Ryan probably sneaks on the list for consistency, if nothing else, but Im just a fan of his writing style. We're talking about one of the best in the business. TV, radio, and the Internet all have a big presence in the media landscape. was discovered last seen in the May 21 2021 at the Crosswords With Friends Crossword. And hes certainly competent at doing so. I also liked tim horgan. It was a moment. While Dan Wetzel covers every sport for Yahoo! To help you sort the rational from the irascible, here are our Boston Writer Rankings for 2010. Why did Cafardo give Beckett the edge? She is especially known for . Weaknesses: Doesnt stand out in a crowded market place, lacks a clear niche advantage versus the competition. In case it wasnt already apparent, this is a focus on Boston market writers. Its a similar story over at the Herald, where old mainstays like Gerry Callahan and Steve Buckley continue to occupy top billing. It sounds absurd looking back, it was! With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the sixth, Thurman Munson signaled for a slider down and in on Fred Lynn. But when Adam Vinatieri booted a field goal as time expired, our citys sports landscape shifted permanently. he bill liston, a beat writer, bob chick whalen. Demonstrates an overreliance on certain friendly sources (e.g. McDonough and Gammons for super inside knowledge. The commentary that accompanied each pick was hilarious. Weaknesses: Leans towards the traditionalist, and apart from his periodic video work has shown little inclination to evolve his approach. The information he provides on Mocking The Draft is great stuff, as are his tweets regarding the NFL draft. Minutes earlier, I had stood in the back row of the Superdome as the St. Louis Rams roared back from a 17-3 deficit to tie the game. He also covers NASCAR for the paper. Instead of focusing on their craft they focus on their next ESPN-NESN-WEEI appearence and their writing suffers because of it. He was almost elected Commissioner of Basketball for crying out loud. He spent the beginning of his career actually working for NFL teams and has since turned back to writing about them. Later that week, the New-Hampshire-based sports-media critic Bruce Allen summed up the entire episode. In 2010 going on 2011, the Boston Heralds content management system is still producing stories with a second page that consists of one sentence. McAdam and several of his colleagues publicly called him out on this behavior, justifying their actions with claims that it was affecting Okajimas teammates. Strengths: A versatile reporter adequately conversant in modern baseball statistics, one with contacts that bridge the traditionalist / new school divide in front offices. I freely admit to liking his old weekend thoughts/notes. Were just here to play a hockey game, Mike Eruzione said. I fondly remember the Will McDounough Sunday column. . Of course, you're likely to get complaints about the quality of looks at the Playboy Mansion, but it is definitely worth it for the NFL business information you'll receive. You know, Danny, Willie didnt have to call the power brokers. 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. Glenn Stout told me that, 20 years ago, he might have been able to come up with a dozen Boston sports-media personalities. 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. Strengths: Excellent national context with broad coverage across the league. 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. Miller isn't afraid of telling you exactly what he thinks. The players, who called him "Scoop," alternately respected and resented the Boston Globe writer. Okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but Eisen is definitely the best when it comes to Twitter. McAdam was perhaps the most strident critic, at one point calling Okajima cowardly. The obvious question is whether this needs to be reported. very in your face, with a lot of good information. Gary Smith is a great writer, who happens to write about sports. Respect for the profession of sportswriting, then, I do not lack. All-Pro tight end Russ Francis, nursing an injury, wasnt going to play much, so he brought his guitar to Tampa. Diverse approach at the keyboard, with good coverage that blends a focus on local events with national context. There aren't many journalists out there who can do as much as Bucky Brooks. Whether its been in print or as a guest on WEEI and such, McAdam has exuded calm in a sea of irrationality. Maybe Tim Horgan doesnt deserve to be considered, so dont include him, there are no rules here other than they need to be the best. Ill use that feedback to compile another list, from which well vote on the all-time best. ET ON CNBC AND PEACOCK. I loved Ernie Roberts column, especially his Thoughts While Shaving segment. Oh, FWIW, I couldnt stand Ernie Roberts. 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. As my wife can relate, given that she had to step in and do the talking once I trailed off, stammering. Case in point, his recently launched Minor Details podcast. 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. if for no other reason than the NFL had few secrets when he was around. The first is that he knows what he is talking about. I promise that this is the last ESPN Twitter account for right now. 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. 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. 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. While he retweets quite a bit, Caplan also does a good job at providing depth into team situations and team needs. From his flawed valuation of Clay Buchholz to his contrived and misleading assessment of the Jason Bay contract to his interminable crusade against our failure to sign Teixeira, Massarotti has shown little inclination to let the facts get in the way of a good argument. 4 Bob Ryan - The Boston Globe. One on how it is his life goal to never run 26.2 miles cumulatively for the rest of his live and another on how he couldnt even drive the marathon route, never mind run it. Its a pleasure having him cover the Red Sox. He's honest and stays true to his opinions. Definitely worthy of the list. While politics, finances and other areas of interest are certainly prominent on Twitter, nothing is as huge as the world of sports. Humor is one of his stronger tools, and his self-effacing brand plays well in the market. Kaese who wrote for the Globe long after the Transcript folded. The phenomenon of reporters seeking revenge on players through the pen is hardly new, especially in Boston. But thats probably as it should be, and the relevant point is that hes not afraid of numbers, or of learning more about them. He was that good. I wanted to talk about what a bitter pill it was, Lucchino recalled months later. While Benjamin Volin mainly tweets about information regarding the Miami Dolphins, the information he does give is purely genius. Besides, how can you not recognize a guy as cool as this: http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com/2008/08/infamous-moments-mcdonough-punches-out-clayborn. He was the first Boston sports columnist that I truely adored, and the Globe has been the same since he left. . Last updated: May 21 2021 This crossword clue Former Boston Globe writer who was voted the #1 Female Sportscaster of all time: 2 wds. A professional sportswriter should be speaking to the talk show callers rather than arguing as one of them, in other words. But the Celtics took care of the Pistons in six, setting up a showdown with their rivals, the Kobe Bryant led-Lakers. 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. 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. 7 Jason Whitlock - The Kansas City Star. I dont see some of the older elitist being so inclined to drop down to the class of the fan. Kapler). Sando has all the information you could ever want about the NFC West, and he does a great job at keeping you up to date via Twitter about the happenings in that division. Change). A columnist at The Boston Globe, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, fabricated people and quotations in four of her columns this year, and the newspaper has asked for her resignation, The Globe. He's a fantastic interviewer and often sees and picks up on things that no one else does. If thats the case, theres no question, the king is Ray Fitz. There is willful mediocrity alongside innovative brilliance, with the inevitable faux-populist vitriol bubbling to the surface every so often. Columns are written, statements are made simply to generate buzz. 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. The truth is that Massarottis primary role, at present, is to generate controversy. Whenever you have enough respect to garner the nickname "The Rev," you know you are good at what you do. Gammons and McDonough were reporters to me, not columnists. 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. Which leads to the logical conclusion that he understands exactly what his place is in the market, and is filling it intentionally. 1. 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. After his more than 30 years at the Globe, everybody knows the columnists shtick: Be contrarian, be over the top, and, if at all possible, be part of the story. Plus her basketball writing was the best. 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. For my part, Ive always appreciated the measured tone which hasnt, for the most part, been impacted by the impatience and urgency of Red Sox Nation. Both funny concepts that were brilliantly executed. Ray Fitzgerald hands down. She's covered the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics. I finally unfollowed Abraham on Twitter because I didnt really want to read about Yankees on a Boston beat writers Twitter feed. Strengths: With MLB resources behind him, enjoys a substantial multimedia advantage over his peers, if not a similar local relevance and immediacy. Somewhere, I still have a yellowed copy of the last column he wrote for the Globe before he left for S.I. he used write lists, very funny and informative. I found this out when my mom tweeted the other day that it was time to clean up my room before dinner. Im with Bruce on choosing Montville, Fitzgerald, and Ryanin that order. Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length 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. Hes forgotten more about this sport than most of us will ever know, and as such he remains the once and future #1. (Illustration by John Ueland), Passans story was still fresh in Sullivans mind. For instance, after the Patriots earned a spot in the AFC Championship game by beating the Houston Texans in January, the Herald dutifully recapped the series of events in the game, sprinkling in quotes like Tom Brady saying afterward, Im tired, man. (One would think so!) Austin Lake, who I loved but can not really give a concrete reason.. Hes opinionated, but rational. Now there was a stylist. One thing worth noting that Ive always appreciated from Edes has been his respect for the privacy of the players. 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. 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. He has all the who, what, where and hows of the draft, and is always up for some quality draft talk. 17. He's always got the inside information on who to start and who to sit for fantasy football leagues. Austen Lake did pretty well after joinging the sports beat from being a straight type columnists. Ater he retired joe became an official score keeper at Fenway.__My other choices are Timmy Horgan, Peter Gammons and Joe Fitzgerald. Another Pulitzer winner with New England ties is Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein, who won for commentary. The crossword clue possible answer is available in 12 letters. He is loaded with information in every facet of the game and shares it willingly on Twitter. Bestmuddy waters these days. The 2004 Red Sox never lost another game. And if I must say so myself, his work generally turns out rather awesomely. The current hacks shouldnt even be on the list, they spend too much of their time primping and preening for the TV cameras. 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. Were in agreement. Ron Guidrys velocity wasnt what it had been, so Lou Piniella took eight steps from right-center toward the right field line. How did Hagerty make this list? Still miss that Sox postgame show he, Upton Bell, and Joe Fitzgerald used to do on 38. Some sportswriters just cover the draft or just cover the games, but Brooks can literally do it all. I appreciate, as does the front office, a balance between statistical and human based analysis. And an honorary mention of Will Mc. 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. If you're an NFL fan, here are 50 sportswriters that you simply must follow on Twitter. The Boston Globe. But at least Cafardos consistent. If you happen to be a big fan of the New York Giants, Ralph Vacchiano should be your main man. Whats equally apparent is that his former ties rub some fans the wrong way. Likewise, a bit more depth of metrics in the Buchholz vs Wakefield decision would have benefited his analysis. As an NFL writer for the New York Times, Battista specializes in news regarding the New York Giants and New York Jets. While his favorite sport may be basketball, Simmons does a great job of referencing the NFL on his Twitter account. While the NFL isn't technically a sportswriter, they are the freakin' NFL. a lot of your list were beat writers and not columnists. But the least I would expect from a sportswriter, particularly in an age where the commentary is growing more sophisticated at an accelerating rate, would be some basic logic to offset the emotionally driven opinions. 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. Thats the way I did it.. Former WEEI host and current Barstool Sports podcaster Kirk Minihane caught Boston Globe metro beat writer and longtime tough guy Kevin Cullen fabricating sources and lying about his . Meanwhile, the Globe has continued to employ a number of longtime veterans, like Cafardo, who seem to have hung around forever. Thats what I planned to say if I got the chance to meet him at the Hot Stove, Cold Beer event in April. Sports, Doug Farrar has everything you could want from a journalist. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . It doesn't get much better in sports writing than Peter King. If you're into that fantasy football thing, Michael Fabiano is a man that you must follow. 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. Michael Silverman is an American journalist and sports business reporter. When you want to know about the business side of the NFL, there is no better man to follow on Twitter than Darren Rovell. Tears, my friend. The playoff run was tougher than the teams 66 regular-season wins might have suggested. He knows players, people and teams and whether they'll fit together nicely or not. 7. Russ Lande is another NFL draft guy, and he may be one of the most well respected ones of the bunch. Weaknesses: The opposite of prolific, the cost of Finns higher quality content is less of it. Leigh Montville (I learned how to fly a few minutes before midnight on Oct. 27, 2004.), 2. 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 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. One of Ray Fitzgeralds best columns had nothing to do with sports, but was about his daughter recieving a doctorate degree. In fact, not much in the Boston sports media hasnot even the photos on the wall. Can still picture his bespectacled visage in the upper left-hand corner of his column. If I have a concern regarding Abraham, its his New York ties. Today, the papers sports section remains synonymous with Ryan, now semiretired, and his fellow columnist Dan Shaughnessy.