Replacing Kravitz at the Indianapolis Star is...

PM me a name, or I might go on forever believing it's the wrong guy. ;D

 

I don't know ... I get why Riptide gets annoyed at columnists who are prima donnas. And I get that the desk saves you on many occasions, as well.

But, that said, having done the job, I also understand it from the columnist's point of view. That's your opinion you're putting out there, and, short of typos or blatant grammatical mistakes, that seems like something that shouldn't be tinkered with. Style matters. Voice matters. And what you have to say really, really matters, and you want to say it precisely, in your words.

I don't think it's just being a prima donna. I'm biased, but I don't feel like that's necessarily it. I think it's a legitimate concern.

 

Generally agree with Dick here. I get the whole "it's your column but it's our paper" thing.
But with a columnist, not only is your name on your work but your mug typically is on it, too.
If someone's willing to own those words -- short of actual errors or something libelous -- I lean toward letting the columnist rise or fall on his/her own.
But I've always thought bylines should offer most of the same coverage, and the best desk folks I've been around have called (or told me when I called) about a significant change.

 

He's a big-time columnist. Somebody whose best days have long passed, but is still a huge name in that city. I think the first-class travel was quite common with most big-time columnists in the 1990s. I have no idea if that's still the case (I'm guessing not). I remember flying back from a conference championship game and first class probably had 12-15 elite level columnists, if not by talent, then by popularity.

I don't think anybody begrudged him that. He definitely wasn't an asshole about it.

 

Once killed a Tard column because he misinterpreted a sensitive situation and he thanked me for weeks.
Frequently offered Shelton suggestions and almost always ended with him yelling. One of the more amusing conversations ended with me yelling : I have one job -- to keep you from looking like a dumbass, and if this runs like this, I have failed miserably.

 

Looking for the SportsJournalists.com "like" button ...

 

Shelton isn't exactly a clothes horse, either.
Sometimes he shows up looking like he just finished mowing the lawn.

Tard always easy to work with. As opposed to Armando, who screams himself silly.

 

I've heard those stories about Salguero for years.

It used to be a running joke about which Tampa/St. Pete columnist would be dressed worse, Shelton or Fennelly.

 

Our own Craig Stanke always spoke very highly of working with Doyel.

 

It is no secret that CBSsports.com has been trying to dump salary. With that clearly being the case, Doyel has landed well. Kudos for the timing and the opportunity being right for him as the year ends and a new budget (year) begins.

 

He did. I sometimes noted a hint of exasperation in his voice, but I could also hear how highly he thought of Gregg.