Best Columnist Ever...

Thurber is an amazing story of achievement. Half blind at six, completely blind at 35, he used his impediment to create a visual field filled with hallucinations fantastic worlds of surrealistic images. He actually created his own realities.

 

first time i read it.
put a lump in my throat.
tremendous writing.

 

I suppose today we're so desperate that we'll take whatever we can get and worry about the future when we get there. However: Buzz is extremely temporary, as is youth. A former employer of mine had a couple columnists my age 15-20 years ago who were supposed to appeal to the young and hip, and even though I thought it was a pose, I did find them entertaining. But their slide into aging flatulence took only a few years, even from my own increasingly desiccated perspective. Ms. Downtown Loft only had to squeeze out a couple of offspring to suddenly morph into a cawing fishwife spewing Eighties nonsequiturs like a Tourette's sufferer. Their even-more-out-of-it editors are not quick to recognize when Buzz has turned into Zzzzzzzzzs. Worse is when angry young man has turned into shrill, cane-waving sourpuss. It happens. Unlike the flavor of the month, they don't come back fresh as new periodically.

 

I always enjoyed the work of Leigh Montvale when he did column for the Globe.

Thought Mark Kreigle was on his way till Luppy did him in.

Agree with whoever mentioned Mike Mcaleary(sp?)

Frank Rich could shorten his columns by just saying Bush is bad. There is a sameness to his work.

Royko was the gold standard.

 

Not this thread again.

Listen, until someone even approaches Mitch Albom's APSE run of what ... best columns in 11 of the last 12 years (I quit counting when I left Michigan) ... there is no logical debate. His peers have spoken loud and clear over the years.

Argue as subjectively as you want for your favorites, but Albom is the objective king of columnists.

 

Hey, don't look at me. I started this thread eight months ago.

And the first three words of the first post are:

"Non-sports division."

 

Buddy,

Couldn't agree more on (David) Whitley in Orlando. Never understood why Bianchi is considered better by some.

Boom,

Also agree on MontVILLE (sorry, it's the editor in me). But before Montville, the Globe had someone even better, IMHO. Ray Fitzgerald was a gem. Montville will be the first one to tell you that, too.

And Ken Willis' paper -- Daytona Beach -- is too small for most to even consider it, but his stuff -- especially his racing stuff -- is often hilarious. He might be the most underrated guy in the country.

 

McAlary is a good call. I always enjoyed his stuff and he was still on his way up, getting better. I've liked Royko, too, but growing up in New York, breslin was my favorite read.

In sports, for me it was Red Smith and Jimmy Cannon.

 

I actually enjoy reading him.

I am not sure why Detroit fans hate the guy.

 

Dogboy - forgot about Fitzgerald and agree. Sadly I only had read his work for a few years before he passed away. The Globe of the mid 70's had the finest sports section in the country - bar none. It seemed like Mr Fitzgerald had a great influence on many of the younger columnists of the globe.

When talking about Globe Columnists you have to mention Mike Barnicle. Yes he had the problem in the end but overall he had a great body of work in painting a flavor of Boston.

 

Can you spell P-L-A-G-I-A-R-I-S-M?

Thought so.

 

thanks for chiming in Mitch.
fake any interviews lately?