SI's Gary Smith on Dick and Rick Hoyt

If you can't fawn over Gary Smith, who can you fawn over? The man is the best magazine writer in America.

 

Why fawn over anyone?

 

I was being somewhat facetious, but why shouldn't we admire another's works?

In addition, I think we've also provided several criticisms of the piece. Should we only criticize and not praise when the writer is clearly extraordinarily gifted (and, from everything I've ever heard about Smith, also rather humble)?

...

Speaking of Smith, I read the other day that he joined SI in 1983. I've never read anything from the first eight years of his career, predating his famed "Shadow of a Nation" feature on the Crow and basketball.

Anyone have any links to share?

 

I would read a grocery list if it was written by Gary smith

 

Pre-1983?
You may have to go to the library and check Nexus or microfiche.

 

try googling 'inside sports' for 'stories by gary smith. a few gems might be there. it's all i've got. gary was at the n.y. daily news for a cup of coffee ('80-81) before going to 'inside sports,' then s.i.

it was way cool then to hear stories about loopy freaking out that there was a new kid on the block with more writing talent them him. big sigh from him when gary left, my buds on the sports desk always told me...

 

Bryant Gumbel's "Real Sports" on HBO has done a pair of profiles on these men, an original and a follow-up a few years later.

Not comparing it to Gary Smith - apples and oranges - but just piling on to the media sources who have done stuff on the Hoyts.

 

Sorry, I was unclear. I meant pre-1991, when that Crow piece was published. I've never read his early SI pieces, but I have to imagine he didn't simply start as the four-to-six-stories-per-year guy.

Then again, his pre-SI stuff would also interest me. I second whoever said they'd read a grocery list if Gary Smith wrote it. I'd probably really get to understand why the list was written the way it was, why "pudding" was in cursive but "orange juice" wasn't, why it simply says "milk" but then also says "sugar-free, gluten-free angel hair pasta."

 

Wasn't the same true when Mark Kriegel was there?

 

nah. loopy never felt threatened by kriegel. he was too entrenched by then. everyone understood who was boss. neither mark nor ian o'connor ever had a chance to get any sort of edge over loopy and ultimately knew they had to leave the coop.

 

Sad. Gotta give Loops credit for protecting the fiefdom at all costs, I suppose. Perplexing why upper management enables such a miserable human being.

 

RIP Dick Hoyt