Reilly's debut for ESPN the MAG.....

[Chef]

Apologies if this is a DB.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3422420

 

[Mizzougrad96]

That probably took him 10 minutes to write.

 

[Double Down]

That probably took him 10 minutes to write.

Or, you know, 20 years.

 

[ondeadline]

[blue]Pretty understated placement on espn.com.

 

[broadway joe]

That probably took him 10 minutes to write.

Or, you know, 20 years.

Exactly. As always with Reilly, it was an easy read and even a little glib, but I'm betting it was much harder to write than it was to read.

 

[silentbob]

That probably took him 10 minutes to write.

Classy, Mizzou.

Maybe Rick had something else planned for his ESPN debut, but every time he sat down to write he couldn't stop thinking about his dad. Maybe it took 10 minutes, maybe it took 10 days. What do you care? I'm guessing this column -- because alcohlism touches so many families -- will connect with more readers than anything you write in the next two years.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

That probably took him 10 minutes to write.

Classy, Mizzou.

Maybe Rick had something else planned for his ESPN debut, but every time he sat down to write he couldn't stop thinking about his dad. Maybe it took 10 minutes, maybe it took 10 days. What do you care? I'm guessing this column -- because alcohlism touches so many families -- will connect with more readers than anything you write in the next two years.

Damn straight.

I thought that was outstanding. Tough, touching and all-in-all Rick Reilly. Typical Reilly. Typical outstanding.

Damn. I am SOOOO jealous.

 

[Huggy]

I don't care how long it took to write, it struck a chord with a kid who was the oldest son of a mean, violent alcoholic father.

As the youngest Reilly was the mascot, as the oldest I was the punching bag - a lot of it from stuff that I'd started with the old man because I was pissed off how his drinking and gambling (two vices that tend to go hand in hand) had ruined our lives.

Good for Jack Reilly to get the help he needed and attempt to mend some fences with his family. My old man never believed he had a drinking problem - we (meaning me, my mother and two brothers) were the ones who had the problem.

He was a defiant forker to the end. He was dying of lung cancer and had been admitted to hospital for what would be the last time. I refused to go see him, reasoning some people get what deserve. I finally gave in to please my mother and when he walked into his room he wheezed, "What the fork is he doing here?" I walked out and never saw him again. He died that night and I don't think anybody cried at his funeral.

Sorry for the personal aside. Back to your regularly scheduled Reilly bashing (or praising).

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

There's nothing wrong with the column or the subject matter.

It's just kind of, eh.

Reilly is competing with his former self. This column does not live up to the standards he set.

 

[Yodel]

I guess I don't read much of Reilly, because I can't compare it to his other stuff. But I thought that column was very good.

And Huggy, I don't guess there are any words, and I'm sure you're not looking for sympathy, but ... well, there aren't any words. I do, though, express condolences for your experience.

 

[cranberry]

How come his dad didn't change out of his golf spikes before he got home?

 

[JR]

That was a terrific piece.

What I like about Reilly's work is that he can write emotionally about the personal stuff but I never get the feeling that I'm being played or that it's being orchestrated--unlike you know who from the Free Press.

Straight from the heart.

I wonder if he met any resistance from his editors.

"Sure, Rick, for your first column at ESPN the Mag, write about your alcoholic father".

But I guess that' the advantage of being Rick Reilly. You don't edit God.