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. Change). There must be someone out there in the sports writers fraternity who remembers The Colonel. The first is that he knows what he is talking about. 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. Likewise, a bit more depth of metrics in the Buchholz vs Wakefield decision would have benefited his analysis. His pen dripped blood, more often than not Ted Williams blood. But Bostons defense limited the Lakers to 33 points in the second half and they took a 3-1 lead. Thats the way I went into this fight. he wrote for the traveler and herald. When Bill Russell Wrote for The Boston Globe - Sports Illustrated very in your face, with a lot of good information. Kaese who wrote for the Globe long after the Transcript folded. Ray Fitzgerald hands down. I don't know how this man gets any writing done with tweeting so frequently, but it happens. (LogOut/ The Patriots won the Super Bowl. 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. Shauhnessy Got to absolutley love the contraian "curly red-head".!!! The Globe and Mail Sports section provides sports news, post-game analysis, in-depth features and video on Canada's teams. He would lecture me on the evils of camel cigarettes that i smoked for some 45 years. Will McD gets the nod here. Type 1 diabetic. Seriously, move onto the next slide already. My time will be spent elsewhere, on writers with more substantive agendas to pursue. Granted, some promising young guys coming up in new mediums, but the shoes are very large to fill. The sun was still above the left field roof, blinding Piniella. While Benjamin Volin mainly tweets about information regarding the Miami Dolphins, the information he does give is purely genius. It sounds absurd looking back, it was! Strengths: Tenured reporter with excellent contacts. While controversy does little for me personally, however, Im cognizant of its role in selling newspapers. Whats equally apparent is that his former ties rub some fans the wrong way. Rich Gossage walked Rick Burleson with one out. Nothing good in sight now it's all TV illiterates and the worst of all, the ESPN circus. I loved Ernie Roberts column, especially his Thoughts While Shaving segment. Craig Ellenport has been around the NFL for a long time. Its not that all the old-timers are badits more that its bad that there are so many old-timers. Best 10 Famous Sports Columnists in the World of All Time 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. Montville, Ryan & Fitzgerald& Larry Whiteside should be included on list. However, she's always good for league-wide information and is certainly worth following. They came back to the bar at The Baileys Hotel in London in their Marvin Hagler, Destruction and Destroy T-shirts. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues . Still miss that Sox postgame show he, Upton Bell, and Joe Fitzgerald used to do on 38. 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. WEEI.coms Alex Speier, who specializes in incorporating advanced stats into articles meant for the average fanand who is therefore one of the citys few inventive sportswriterstold me that everything has changed now that readers no longer depend on print for all their news. Since columnist Michael Holley left the paper for a radio gig at WEEI eight years ago, its hard to think of a single distinctive voice the paper has developed and held on to. 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. Ironically, its the success of this citys sports-media past that is at the root of todays problems. Ryan replied, "I'll tell 'em what they ought to know!" document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Red Sox Trading Deadling Performance byWAR. He has a fantastic sense of humor and is fearless about taking shots at whoever deserves it. The credentials said No Women or Children in the Press Box, and I had no locker room access, but the 76 Patriots were magnificent. I always enjoyed Jackie MacMullan,but I didnt see her listed. Ron Guidrys velocity wasnt what it had been, so Lou Piniella took eight steps from right-center toward the right field line. Find breaking sports news on baseball, football, basketball, hockey . He also covers NASCAR for the paper. Over the next nine years, each team was crowned champion. his willingness to back up the truck for Gonzalez occasionally skews towards fan and away from hard evaluation. Among the Globe's seven voters, there were no unanimous selections for the Class of 2022. And the biggest chunk of that world belongs to the NFL. Editor-at-large in Globe Opinion, former editorial page editor Bina Venkataraman. One of Ray Fitzgeralds best columns had nothing to do with sports, but was about his daughter recieving a doctorate degree. Enter the length or pattern for better results. Ray Fitzgerald. Knights of the Keyboard: Ranking the Boston Sportswriters I thought she brought the human interest angle into her columns. The picks were not the real attraction. I found this out when my mom tweeted the other day that it was time to clean up my room before dinner. I knew Will, he was a regular guy, his fame never over-took him. 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. On the eve of the game, we sat on the beach and Russ played songs hed learned growing up in Hawaii. Strengths: With MLB resources behind him, enjoys a substantial multimedia advantage over his peers, if not a similar local relevance and immediacy. Shaughnessy has now written. The Boston Globe, New England's largest newspaper, has a habit of hiring journalists who fabricate information, misrepresent sources, or plagiarize writing. 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. Feel free to include any stories or reasons why you feel the way you do about your list. ), Automattician. His insight into the actual business of the league (contracts, rules, etc.) For those who did not have the pleasure, it was just that a pleasure. I made these my referee and judges, Hagler said, holding up his two fists. Weaknesses: His diverse responsibilities have led to an inevitable decline in production. Could this get any easier? Shaughnessy wrote. I miss reading her. 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. Michael Lombardi is one of the most well known NFL sportswriters there are. He spent the beginning of his career actually working for NFL teams and has since turned back to writing about them. Andrew Brandt has been around the NFL for quite some time. You would read his work even if you had but a passing interest in his subject matter. Hes transformed himself from a sharp Patriots reporter for the Herald into a contrarian media personality. His radio cohost, the former Red Sox reporter Tony Massarotti, has done the same thing, if somewhat more shrilly. As far as NFL scouts go on Twitter, Wes Bunting may be the best of them all. All yo have to do is read Shank or Nickles dreadful impersonation of his Baseball Notes after he left to see that he was different and what he did was deceptively difficult. Ted Williams and his feud with baseball writers Peter Gammons. And why should he change? I think he does, and so do you. Boston Globe reporter Dan Shaughnessy reflects on covering Larry Bird 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). One of them was Eruzione, the teams irrepressible captain. When Will McDonough, Bob Ryan, and Peter Gammons began showing up on TV, they evolved from working writers into celebrities. Now there was a stylist. 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. 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. But sad to say, the quality of the current scribes is uneven. Strengths: Edes doesnt let his ego get in the way of the story, which can be a rarity in this market. Good usage of both historical precedent and numbers to form and/or supplement his arguments. a scout for the Pirates, and don gillis had a sports discussion program on whdh, 850 on your dial, called the voice of sports. You're likely to get a big kick out of his tweets. The information he provides on Mocking The Draft is great stuff, as are his tweets regarding the NFL draft. Shira Springer | WBUR Boston Globe Magazine Annalisa Quinn. I covered every postseason game. Diverse approach at the keyboard, with good coverage that blends a focus on local events with national context. Matt Miller has been covering the NFL draft for years, and with such a wealth of knowledge, he's definitely worth following on Twitter. Which leads to the logical conclusion that he understands exactly what his place is in the market, and is filling it intentionally. Peter Gammons isnt officially ranked here, because that exercise would be pointless. Whiny, petulant, entitled, self-importantno, it's not Boston fans we're talking about, it's Boston sportswriters. If you're a scraper, please click the link below :-) 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. Bill Barnwell writes with a unique view of the NFL and he shares that same view on Twitter. The Celtics proud franchise was in the midst of an NBA championship drought. Gammons and McDonough were reporters to me, not columnists. 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. Montville and Ryan. A note on bias: I lean towards statistics, clearly, but not exclusively. Heres my list, which are all guys Ive actually read: Fitzgerald (You need this book.) 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. Weaknesses: Undifferentiated in the marketplace, and likely to lack the resources of more aggressive and committed outlets moving forward. I never really considered McDonough a columnist, but more of an information guy. One of them was Eruzione, the teams irrepressible captain. Will McDonough and I flew with the team and often played racquetball with the players. 7 Jason Whitlock - The Kansas City Star. His connections were solid. Mike Pereira is a great man to follow on Twitter during actual NFL games. Former Boston Globe writer who was voted the #1 Female - Crosswordeg I dont need the players sugar coated, but neither do I want to be besieged by sordid little details, daily. All due respect to the guy b/c hes good at what he does but hes not an all-time great. The product hasnt been remotely Polly Anna-ish, but the criticism and concerns were always grounded in fact. Strengths: Excellent national context with broad coverage across the league. I think he is worthy of the best. 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. As my wife can relate, given that she had to step in and do the talking once I trailed off, stammering. With that context, herewith are the rankings. I'm the Twitter equivalent to a gnat. Boston Globe Sports. Those were the best of a very good lot. Injuries, contracts, trades and more are all likely to be covered by Clayton via Twitter. Today, the papers sports section remains synonymous with Ryan, now semiretired, and his fellow columnist Dan Shaughnessy. The good old days are gone as far as Boston columnists are concerned. What made the game special for me was the local angle four of the players were from Boston University. Leigh Montville (I learned how to fly a few minutes before midnight on Oct. 27, 2004.), 2. He does a fantastic job of providing key information on players and provides great insight into what they excel at and what they could improve. Witness the limitations of its technology infrastructure. 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. He and his fellow Boys of Winter played the greatest one in Games history and I wrote about it from the overflowing press box. he bill liston, a beat writer, bob chick whalen. His wit and snark and brutal honesty had my attention from the first column. The difference between the two approaches was night and day. They called him. I meant that some of YOU (meaning the readers) might not think he deserves to be considered. 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. 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. You'll certainly learn a few things if you follow Schefter. Ryan probably sneaks on the list for consistency, if nothing else, but Im just a fan of his writing style. Predictably, it provoked a strong reaction. 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. He is hilarious and absolutely needs to be followed for his unique take on situations. Theres good money, after all, in broadcast. Michael, his mother scolded him when her son emerged to board the team bus, youre gonna give me a heart attack.. Longtime Boston Globe baseball writer has died after collapsing at the Red Sox's spring training ballpark. It's a great way to keep up with all the major NFL commentators just by simply following Silva. Weaknesses: Shallow use of statistical analysis, though the extent to which that is by choice versus dictated by an editor is unclear. Ray Fitzgerald was terrific as well. With Boston trailing, 4-3, in the bottom of the ninth, I left the press box and went to Fenways Level 3, where Sox CEO Larry Lucchino was scribbling on a yellow legal pad, composing an apology to Sox fans. There had been four previous winners from the Boston chapter of the BBWAA: Peter Gammons,. He knows players, people and teams and whether they'll fit together nicely or not. How did Hagerty make this list? As one of their top NFL analysts, Clayton is always up to date on the biggest happenings around the league. But Bostons defense limited the Lakers to 33 points in the second half and they took a 3-1 lead. Incredibly, it happened. Boston Columnist Is Ousted For Fabricated Articles i remember those columns as being classicwould love to re-rea that one from 84. Michael Lombardi is one of the most well known NFL sportswriters there are. Hasnt really added modern statistics to his arsenal. 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. 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. Nick Cafardo, longtime Boston Globe baseball writer, dies at 62 - ESPN.com Engaging and open to dialogue; hes responded to a couple of mentions on Twitter, which in my experience is rare. I also liked tim horgan. Weaknesses: The move to CSNNE has lowered his visibility for this fan. By advantaging data at the expense of overheated speculation, McAdams voice has always been one to listen to and look forward to. He spent the beginning of his career actually working for NFL teams and has since turned back to writing about them. Jackie McMillan The Lady has her stuff together, especially on that basketball court..Hail Jackie, just keep it going girl! Enter a Crossword Clue Sort by Length sometime in the late-80s. Gary Smith is a great writer, who happens to write about sports. Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, 11-time NBA champion, dies at 88 Newsroom Staff - The Boston Globe On the plus side, hes got excellent context for the market, having covered it for so long. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe had his moment Saturday as the 67th winner of the Spink Award. Dave Cowens and the Celtics outlasted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1974 NBA Finals. When the Globe made me the first woman to cover the NFL as a beat in 1976, I had no idea what to expect. LOVED reading his work. Boston Globe Sports Scribe Ben Volin's "Everyone Hates Mac Jones" Scoop Obviously, a lot of young lads weighing in here who do not remember the very best Boston once had Dave Egan, Record; Austen Lake, American; Bill Cunningham, Post and later Herald; Harold Kaese, Transcript and later Globe; Jerry Nason, Globe; Bill Liston, Post. More perhaps than any of the other writers on this list, Abraham gets the difference in tone between traditional outlets and blogs. 36, NBC SPORTS CONTINUES COVERAGE OF HORSE RACINGS 1/ST RACING TOUR FROM GULFSTREAM PARK AND SANTA ANITA PARK THIS SATURDAY LIVE AT 4 P.M. As far as his Friday football picks, the one that stands out the most for me is his one and only college pick when in November 84 he not only called the correct final score, but had Doug Flutie winning the game with a Hail Mary pass as time expired. Usually, sports reporters give more. Bob, Powers asked, why aren't Globe readers hearing from the athletes? Take Dan Shaughnessy. Its got to be Fitzgerald, Montville 1& 2. Which is to his credit. He does a fantastic job covering the Patriots and the rest of the information he provides is generally awesome also. While the stuff he posts isn't always about the league, when he does put up information about football, it is guaranteed to be gold. Proud Golden Tornado. Second-to-last sentence should read: and the Globe HASNT BEEN THE SAME . If I have a concern regarding Abraham, its his New York ties. As great as Ryan is, Montville was better. Better, hes genuinely funny in an understated way: think the Sports Guy less Vegas humor, reality show references and sexist jokes. Best Red Sox minor league coverage this side of the excellent soxprospects.com, and easily the best amongst mainstream media outlets. Boston Globe writer submits shocking David Ortiz-less Hall-of-Fame ballot Prone to substantial, unacknowledged factual errors. Setting the larger question aside, however, there remains the issue of McAdams tone and language following the Okajima incident. And Horgan was terrific. I would no doubt vote Haggerty, Haggerty and then Haggerty. Youre gonna get a letter in the mail from the little fat ones mom as soon as he tells her about this slight. Articles by Marvin Pave's Profile | The Boston Globe Journalist | Muck Rack He and his fellow Boys of Winter played the greatest one in Games history and I wrote about it from the overflowing press box. National writers (Law, Olney, etc) are excluded from this ranking, though I may do a similar national list at a later date. Its just that too many of our sportswritersahem, sports personalitieshave become adept at using these 21st-century tools to serve up what is little more than the same old slop. Which is why his inability to adapt remains a tragedy. Tom Brady after leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl win against the St. Louis Rams, in 2002. Id like to create a list of the best all-time sports columnists here in Boston. Yes, because nothing plays better to the masses than inside jokes about their favorite multi-sport, multi-media columnist, beat writer and radio star. Of all the ESPN analysts, Trey Wingo may be the best of them all. Like his more experienced colleagues, has not actively embraced statistical analysis although he has not taken a line against them, either. Okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but Eisen is definitely the best when it comes to Twitter. It was full of tid bits and humor and occasionally an inside scoop. 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. Baseball could not, would not be the same w/o PG's insights and observations sending lots of warm wishes for MANY more years of PG's vision, intutiion and knowledge! Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) / Twitter It appeared the series would be tied at 2 when the Lakers took an 18-point halftime lead in Game 4 in Los Angeles. As the public relations man for the NFL, McCarthy is an elite source for the most secretive information. Kapler). What more could you ask? 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. Strengths: Well adapted to modern baseball coverage, both in tone and approach. When you want to know about the business side of the NFL, there is no better man to follow on Twitter than Darren Rovell. I grew up in the Montville, Fitzgerald, young Ryan, young Shaughnessy and so missed the older guys like Keane and Claflin. In 2007, the year in which Sabathia won the Cy Young, Cafardo gave him a fourth place vote, with Beckett getting the nod for #1. 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. I guarantee that if you follow Lombardi, you'll learn more about football than you'd ever thought possible. Jason La Canfora is as honest as they come as a writer and he doesn't lose any of that honesty on Twitter. 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 The best part about following Trotter is the information he gets straight from NFL players. Why did Cafardo give Beckett the edge? Gone forever. 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. To help you sort the rational from the irascible, here are our Boston Writer Rankings for 2010. Reporters will almost universally argue that it does, but what they typically dont address is how much of the need to report it is driven by frustration with or dislike for the player at issue. While he retweets quite a bit, Caplan also does a good job at providing depth into team situations and team needs. The Globe sports section was filled with lively language and writers wanted in. Weaknesses: The opposite of prolific, the cost of Finns higher quality content is less of it. I do think Borges boxing writing deserves a nod, as was said above, but even in that I dont think hes risen to the same heights that those three have hit. We won, but you didnt lose, Steinbrenner told the Boston players. Bob Ryan The next bearer of Ray Fitzgerald's mantle. . Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo dies at 62 | AP News Gammons would compare the Sox to battles from mythology and make it work. Ill also have a prize for a random commenter in this list, but I havent picked out what it will be yet. Occasionally over-rotates, a la Olney, on human interest stories. How Boston Globe writers voted for the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame The truth is that Massarottis primary role, at present, is to generate controversy. Jackie MacMullan, Who Paved The Way For Women Sportswriters - NPR