RIP Jerome Holtzman

Didn't see this anywhere yet. I imagine a lot of folks on here knew him.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/cs-080721-jerome-holtzman-death,1,4234699.story

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jerome Holtzman dies
By Paul Sullivan | Tribune staff reporter
2:06 PM CDT, July 21, 2008

Former Tribune baseball writer Jerome Holtzman, who rose from copy boy to Hall of Famer in an illustrious career as a Chicago sportswriter, passed away this weekend after a long illness. He was 82.

Holtzman, a baseball beat writer and columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times before moving to the Tribune in 1981, was the author of six books, including "No Cheering in the Press Box," a best-selling oral history of the game as told by 24 old-school sportswriters.

Known as "the Dean" in baseball press boxes, Holtzman chronicled the seasons of the White Sox and Cubs for more than 40 years at Chicago newspapers, beginning in 1957 at the Sun-Times. He was also responsible for the institution of the "save" rule to acknowledge effective relief pitching in 1966, the first major statistic recognized by Major League Baseball since the RBI was added in 1920.

Holtzman was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, and became baseball's first official historian under Commissioner Bud Selig after retiring from the Tribune in 1999.

"He was the consummate writer," said George Vass, a former colleague and friend who collaborated with Holtzman on two books. "No one was ever more dedicated and clear-minded about the sport, and those who played it and wrote about. He was a great writer, but more important, a great friend."

 

Man, the bad news keeps coming.

Hopefully there's 15 saves tonight. RIP.

 

Holy shit, that sucks. One of the journalists and historians I've most admired. RIP.

 

One of the all-timers. RIP.

 

I met him once. At the 95 All-Star Game in Arlington. He was helping Bob Broeg go thru media check-in at the hotel.

 

Another all-timer. Never has a man done more for seersucker suits than Bob.

 

Oh man, that sucks. Disagreed with him vehemently on one particular issue, but always respected his work. He was one of the great ones. RIP.

 

Did MLB ever tabulate saves retroactively before '66??

 

Man, that sucks...

Another legend gone...

RIP

 

A Hall of Famer if ever a writer was one. RIP. Three letters I'm getting tired of typing on this board.

 

RIP. Hell, I remember reading his stuff on the wires when places I worked didn't have space to put it in. Yeah, I'm getting tired of writing RIP too, Michael_Gee.