Denver Post Hockey Writer Wins Stanley Cup!

[playthrough]

I worked for two different major metros in the '90s (like, 30 years ago, wow). Both had several beat writers in their 20s and early 30s, whose output ranged from just fine to fabulous. Age is not a barrier to skill in this work, whether young or seasoned.

I think most of us just lament the lack of a traditional journalism ladder where you'd go from podunk to bigger podunk to college to pro. We see some people skip multiple or all steps and think something's being lost. I know I wouldn't be as skilled without the early stops, and what's funny is how all these years later I have more nostalgia tied up in those. Granted, I really doubt the young studs today will wish at age 50 that they'd covered a preseason high school football jamboree.

 

[BTExpress]

I don't know if it was ever a "lack of skill" thing as much as a wait-your-turn thing.

In the 1990s my paper (Fort Lauderdale) had 53 people on the sports staff. If a big-beat person left, there was usually no shortage of people already on staff (the backup writer, etc.) to move into that role, while you hired a young person in a GA role who would lend support on the pro-college beats. And after a while, when someone left, he might get one of those beats. But now with the staffs so gutted, that route doesn't exist anymore.

And being so close to two other metros with decent staffs, we would often pluck someone from one of those two papers.

 

[Mr. X]

In the 1990s my paper (Fort Lauderdale) had 53 people on the sports staff.

How many does it have now?

 

[BTExpress]

9-10, if the staff listing from May is correct. A couple more than I would have thought.

 

[playthrough]

I don't know if it was ever a "lack of skill" thing as much as a wait-your-turn thing.

In the 1990s my paper (Fort Lauderdale) had 53 people on the sports staff. If a big-beat person left, there was usually no shortage of people already on staff (the backup writer, etc.) to move into that role, while you hired a young person in a GA role who would lend support on the pro-college beats. And after a while, when someone left, he might get one of those beats. But now with the staffs so gutted, that route doesn't exist anymore.

And being so close to two other metros with decent staffs, we would often pluck someone from one of those two papers.

I was in St. Pete in roughly the same era, same deal. The USF and motorsports beats opened up while I was there and it was a stampede for those jobs. The hires were from within the high school staff, of which there were probably 15 full-timers. Now of course I'm not sure there are 15 people in the entire department.

 

[swingline]

I think he's only been out of college a year or two, and a little surprised he wouldn't be the guy for the Post-Dispatch's Blues beat. He's from St. Louis, interned at the P-D while at Mizzou, and his parents work/worked at the P-D (Dad still there, Mom moved on, I believe).

But seems like a very solid hire for the Denver paper.

Jim Thomas is on the Blues beat. He's there until he wants to leave. Stu Durando does some Blues coverage as well. No room for another.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

They must have room for another.

Sports Reporter - News - Local News - Career Portal (dayforcehcm.com)

 

[swingline]

Well what do you know. I'll dip a toe in The Lake of Fail.

FWIW, Thomas was in Seattle for last night's game.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

Yeah, some of the speculation (by me, as much as anyone) included wondering if Thomas was planning on retiring. But the thread about this on the Jobs Board mentioned that backup Blues guy Tom Timmerman has added Stl. City SC (or whatever) to his Twitter bio, so he may be full-time soccer, leading to this opening.

In any case, good to see a place adding positions instead of taking them away.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I worked for two different major metros in the '90s (like, 30 years ago, wow). Both had several beat writers in their 20s and early 30s, whose output ranged from just fine to fabulous. Age is not a barrier to skill in this work, whether young or seasoned.

Yeah, I sometimes have to remind myself there have always been young forking studs. Peter Gammons and Bob Ryan got their first bylines in the Boston Globe on the same day at ages 23 and 22, I believe. Mike Lupica (who is 70 now!!!) was a columnist for the Daily News at 25. But I think it's also fair to say the kids being tossed into the deep end these days may not all be the natural swimmers Gammons, Ryan and Lupica were.

 

[Roscablo]

I can remember being a part of a talk with a Denver Post editor when I was in college who said firmly and not very nicely, don't even think about applying until you have at least seven years of experience. That wasn't sports, just in general. Always stuck with me. Sort of as conceited. Sort of as, whoa, going to take a lot to get to a place like that!

I don't really remember the timing, but my college paper editor, who was the same year as me, worked there in a pretty decent beat within a few years. So she beat that, and she deserved it. (Edit: just looked at her LinkedIn, less than a year!)

Needless to say, whatever rule that editor was yapping about then didn't last long after that talk. Definitely doesn't apply now.

 

[ChrisLong]

During a job interview with a metro, the sports editor who was dealing with me said, "In our experience, people who work at suburban newspapers can't cut it here." There I was, doing everything but kissing his ass to get a job, and all I wanted to do was punch him in the face. Oh, I wound up working there for 18 years.