The National (kinda, sorta) Resurrected

editors: Blackie Sherrod, David Meeks
columnists: Bill Plashke, Scott Ostler, Sally Jenkins
MLB: Gerry Fraley, Tom Boswell
NFL: Goose, Charean Williams
NBA: Marc Stein. Peter May
NHL: Tony Gallagher, Larry Brooks
Colleges: Ivan Maisel, Dick Weiss, Chris Dufresne, Dan Wetzel
Auto: Bob Margolis
Horse racing: Gary West
Tennis: Liza Horan
Golf: Dave Kindred
Boxing: Tim Smith
GA: Gary Smith, Frank Deford
Investigative: Mark Fainaru-Wava, Lance Williams

 

The approach I took is one I wish I'd see in a publication. Hence, auto racing would get two or three articles a year about the spectacle of the sport, one of which would chronicle why the sport is a big butter crock of shit. People don't attend races for the result anyhow, so why write about it? The same goes for boxing and horse racing, roles I think the respective, passionate writers could perform quite well.
4 columnists: J. Posnanski, M. Wilbon, S. Roberts, G. Couch
Local, national MLB beat writers: B Olney (local), P Gammons (local)
Local, national NFL beat writers: TJ Simers (local), P. King (national)
Local, national NBA beat writers who knows (Local) S.A. Smith (national)
Olympic/alternative/other stuff: S. Jenkins
Local, major college beat writer: P. Forde
National college FB writer: D. Jenkins
National college bkb writer: who knows
Golf writer: Rick Reilly
Auto racing writer: T. Wolfe
Horse racing writer: W. Nack
Boxing writer: J. Carol Oates
Feature/takeout writer: T. Junod, D. Foster Wallace, J. MacGregor
Investigative writer: M. Brenner, J. Krakauer

 

Alma, I've never been to a race when the people I was weren't discussing the drivers, their owners and teams, their recent performances, the impact on the standings, etc., in minute detail. People care.

 

3 columnists: Joe Posnanski, Michael Wilbon, T.J. Simers
Local, national MLB beat writers: Buster Olney, Peter Gammons
Local, national NFL beat writers: David Haugh, Peter King
Local, national NBA beat writers: Marc Stein, Bob Ryan
Local, national NHL beat writers: E.J. Hradek
Local major college beat writer: Pat Forde
Golf writer: Doug Ferguson
Auto racing writer: Jenna Fryer
Feature/takeout writer: Red Smith
Investigative writer: Lester Munson and Don Yeager
GA/features: Chris Jones

 

This is fun. I'll take a stab...

Editor: Bill Dwyre, Dave Smith, Emilio Garcia-Ruiz
3 columnists: Rick Reilly, T.J. Simers, Mike Wilbon
Local, national MLB beat writers: Buster Olney, Tim Brown
Local, national NFL beat writers: Peter King, Dan LeBatard
Local, national NBA beat writers: Sam Smith, Tim Kawakami
Local, national NHL beat writers: Helene Elliott, Larry Brooks
Local major college beat writer: Ivan Maisel
National college FB writer: Chris Dufresne
National college bkb writer: Dan Wetzel
Golf writer: Thomas Bonk
Auto racing writer: Ed Hinton
Horse racing writer: Andrew Beyer
Feature/takeout writer: Bill Plaschke, Sally Jenkins
Investigative writer: George Dohrmann, Lance Pugmire,

 

Pringle,

I'm sure they do care. But that's not why they're going to the races. The novelty and culture of auto racing is what makes it special, and it should dealt with on that level, and, the way I figure it, I'd hire Tom Wolfe to do it. There are many, many other publications obsessed with these details, and they can have it.

 

Alma, as much as I respect you and your intellect, you're 100 percent wrong on this one. Racing fans are more fanatical than those of any other sport I have encountered, and if a paper covered it the way you suggest, those fans would not only abandon ship as far as reading it but they'd howl like wolves about it. Those people absolutely eat up any copy you can throw at them concerning the sport and its participants. At every paper I've ever worked at, the one thing that will get you more calls than anything is leaving out the results of a NASCAR race. Sometimes even hiding it deep inside a section will get the gearheads riled up. Your way of covering NASCAR would alienate those fans -- and they are legion -- in a heartbeat.

 

Executive sports editor (which means he writes Frank Deford
3 columnists: Dan Le Batard, Mike Wilbon, Mitch Albom
Page 2 columnists: T.J. Simers, Woody Paige
Local, national MLB beat writers: Hal McCoy (local); Buster Olney (national)
Local, national NFL beat writers: Bob McGinn (local); Rick Gosselin (national)
Local, national NBA beat writers: Marc Spears (local); Marc Stein (national)
Local, national NHL beat writers: Helene Elliott (local and national)
Local major college beat writer: George Dohrmann
National college FB writer: Chris Dufrense
National college bkb writer: Pat Forde
Golf writer: Ron Green, Jr.
Auto racing writer: Ed Hinton
Olympic sports: Linda Robertson
Feature/takeout writers: S.L Price, Gay Talese, Rick Reily
Investigative team: Mark Fainaru-Wada, Lance Williams, Michael Leahy
General assignment: Wright Thompson, Charles Robinson

 

silentbob,
I like your squad. But, need Helene Elliott. She is in the Hall of Fame, after all. Plus, she could show Albom and Paige how to actually get to games.

 

Done.

 

Interesting that you mentioned NASCAR - and only NASCAR. Because I consistently said "auto racing." Why do spose NASCAR is more popular than Indy, or Formula One? Is it because NASCAR drivers are better? Their cars are faster? Because its points system makes more sense? Because the Daytona 500 is the greatest race of all?

I think it happens to do a lot more with the culture of NASCAR than the substance of NASCAR. Which is what I would cover.

Personally, I think good journalism either tells people what they didn't know, deepens what they did, or holds up a mirror. NASCAR fans, in particular, seem familiar with the nuances, so why feed them what they already know and get off any nightly TV show? Give them the meaning. Part of that, of course, is that the entire sport is a oxymoronic joke of individual achievement couched in a team environment that only allows certain drivers to succeed.

 

Would be interesting to see more discussion of editors aside from the obvious LAT/Wash Post/NYT.