Top MLB beat writers?

In Hal's defense, he had a mild stroke I believe about 2-3 years ago. It was a situation where the paper had one of the people on the desk drive him to and from the stadium for the home games. Not sure if that situation has improved (or even if that's medically possible). But for him to continue at the pace he has almost unabated by that is what is truly amazing to me.

I would agree with the "end of thread" comment.

I'll go one better. In the dictionary next to "beat writer," they have his picture. He's in the HoF and still churning last I checked.

 

For the record, Mizzou, wasn't it Tim Belcher who did that? I agree, though, that was a great story.

 

Hal McCoy's the only person I've ever been awestruck to be around -- and ever will be -- in a press box. You could have filed a column alone on how every writer there looked out for him -- "Heads up, Hal!" -- when a line foul came into the box. And how he went back to scoring his game, almost completely blind, just as he had scored tens of thousands of games to then.

 

FUNNY. As in, I can see Larry doing that. No idea if he stopped.

 

I have always enjoyed reading Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. He is a solid reporter and writer. He has done a fine job over the years and always provides insight.

 

Hal McCoy, Dayton Daily News... enough said
Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News... GREAT stuff
Bob Dutton, KC Star... knowledgeable writer stuck covering B-grade team
Mark Gonzales... always liked his work in Arizona and Chicago

 

when did the royals get upgraded to a b?

 

Just being generous, I guess. ;D

 

:'(

 

Dutton does a great job...always makes following the Royals entertaining, and I thought that was impossible.

 

Tracy, by his own admission, isn't much of a writer. His strong suit has always been his information, which is extensive. He knows who's in the Devil Rays farm system, and he doesn't have much need to know.

That said, he's kind of jumped the shark for me since "Moneyball" came out. Tracy loves his relationship with all the old-school scouts (The cup spitters who say things like, "I don't need no goddamn radar gun to know that a sumbitch can th'ow hard"). In his zeal to protect those hardheads, Tracy has gone too far the other way, denigrating any evaluation method that doesn't fall into the realm of what's acceptable to the old school.

 

Ringolsby is a hell of a reporter, but I know fifth graders who can write better.