A prayer for Van McKenzie

The second half of this story is my favorite part:

We were in a planning meeting for that section, and it was looking like Bush might, perhaps, possibly pose for the shot. But there was *no* way he was doing it in the cheerleader uniform.

Van: "Well, if he's not in his cheerleader uniform, what's the point?

"Maybe we could run it inside."

Maybe.

And then there were the words we all dreaded (especially when they came around 11:45 on a college football Saturday night)...

"What if we were to..." and its counterpart "That's so crazy, it just might work."

Because it was usually followed by some idea that would involve scrapping the entire section and remaking it in about, oh, 10 minutes (we dubbed it being "Vandalized").

Of course, the change usually made the section about 300 percent better.

One last quote:

When I interviewed in Orlando back in '99, Van said: "Working for me is like being in the Army. You might laugh about it a few years from now, but you're not going to laugh while you're going through it."

And man, wasn't that the truth. (Though, truth be told, there were plenty of laughs along the way.)

Working for Van was both exhilarating and exhausting but ultimately was one of the most rewarding parts of my career.

Thanks Van.

 

He's posted here before.

 

APSE Convention in Seattle. There's a pub in the basement of the hotel. Because of the time difference, us East Coasters aren't used to having a few extra hours to drink and we are taking advantage of it. Van and a group of us have been there for quite a few hours, and Van is buying.
After a while, bored with beer, Van says we should start drinking according to the color.

"bring us something blue!" Van yells to the bartender. On it goes.

Van has been buying the whole time. By the end of the night, the tab is outrageously large and Van doesn't have the money to pay. He makes a deal with the bartender to reduce the tab in exchange for a big tip. Bartender said sure.

Van also introduced us to the "Bloody Brain" shot. Looks gross, but surprisingly good. Of course we could only find one place -- the bar in LA- that could make it. We tried in Philly, we tried in Dallas, we tried in Orlando.

Van would challenge the bartender in each city to make the Bloody Brain.

 

i second that motion!!

 

For those who would like to drink a toast today/tonight:

Pour half a shot of Peach Schnapps, then half a shot of Irish Cream. Finally, slowly drop a little grenadine into the glass over the back of a warm spoon. The finished shot will be a gruesome floating bloody brain.

 

I’m hoping Van would be happy to know that his staff (at least most of it, anyway) just got together for Mexican Friday – a tradition he started here – at PR’s for a round of Bud Lights (his usual) and a shot (or two or three) of tequila.

I didn’t know Van nearly as well as some, but I do know he took a lot of money from me in various poker games, some of which he invented – like “Big Mac Attack.” I also know I was honored to have known him while I did, and that I wish I had known him for much longer. The first time I met him was during my interview here. Because he’s a legend in this industry, I was intimidated. I quickly learned not to be, though. He was a man who truly cared about journalism, and was never too busy to send you a note – good or bad – about a story you’d written. The last time I saw him – and I guess this is fitting – was at the dog track, a couple months ago. He was battling then, but still strong enough to place a few wagers and drink more than a few beers.

Today’s a sad day around here, as expected, but it’s not all sad, because anyone who knew Van, no matter how long or short, can look back on some sort of memory and smile.

 

I never met him, but I sure wish I had. Better yet, I wish I'd worked for him, after reading all these testimonials. And yeah, I'm good enough to work at the Orlando Sentinel, dammit.

Prayers to his family and his extended (and judging from this thread, extensive) newspaper family.

 

The term Irish Wake is a perfect one for Van.
I propose all SportsJournalists.commers propose a toast of their favorite beverage (legal or not) to Van.
APSE conventions will never be the same.

 

APSE contest judging in Torrance, 2005. It was about 9:30 on Tuesday night, and I had some late-night contest "homework" to finish. I needed to get some dinner, but when I get to front door of the hotel it's pouring rain, so I take a left turn into the bar to get a burger. I figure I'll be in and out in 20 minutes, tops, then back to my homework. Riiiiiight ....
I'm eating my dinner and watching a basketball game when I see Van and several others walk in and stake out the end of the bar. And of course then I see Van working the bartender. Didn't think anything of it.
I finish my burger and start walking toward the door. As I pass the end of the bar, Van--whom I worked with at The National--sticks out his arm and stops me.
"Alex!" he says. "You walked past ... you're f--ked!" And he hands me one of the infamous Bloody Brains.
(You have to understand, you don't say no thanks to Van. No matter how much homework you have.)
I drink it. It's not bad. Van buys a round of beers for everyone. Then another round of Bloody Brains. Suddenly, it's last call. "To the Zebra Room!" says Van.
About 30 of us (you know who you are) head to the dive bar around the corner. I walk in, and Van's already at the bar, huddling with the bartender. A round of Bloody Brains appears. Then another. We ... drink ... them ...
As last call approaches, I look over at the bar, where Van is sitting on a stool, watching the proceedings with a very satisfied smile on his face.
I get back to my room at 4 a.m.
Thanks Van. We're going to miss you.

 

Hi,

John C. from the Sentinel emailed me this link. I appreciate reading all the nice things and memories you all wrote about my dad. It gives me comfort to know my dad has such nice friends.

For months my dad has fought harder than anyone could for time. Because of his strong will we had more time to do so much. He really enjoyed going to the dog track with his friends. He was happy to make the end of football season. We got to go on a few of the day gambling boats out of Canaveral. He had some great times before he went. He talked often of the people he knew and worked with. He had so many stories of some of the crazy things yall did! I loved to hear him talk of the good times he had with his sports buddies.

Again, Thanks and thanks John for writing the story you wrote and helping my family so much. Ill never forget it.-Von McKenzie