RIP Mike Downey

[MileHigh]

Damn. And just a few days after T.J. Simers. I sure hope Scott Ostler is taking good care of himself.

Man, I remember always trying to get an LA Times back when I was a teen in the 1980s, although we never did subscribe (my grandma did, though; I would be knee deep into the sports page whenever we visited her). Pick up the sports section and you could guarantee yourself a column by either Downey, Ostler or Jim Murray. God, we had it so good back then! RIP

Mud. Littwin. Heisler on the NBA (his Sunday column was tremendous). We subscribed and it was so awesome to get it every day. The 1984 Olympics coverage was the absolute gold standard. As you said, we had it so good back then.

 

[Octave]

Was he not with The National?

 

[Songbird]

Damn. And just a few days after T.J. Simers. I sure hope Scott Ostler is taking good care of himself.

Krikorian is still pumping out copy.

 

[ChrisLong]

Trying to remember, but I think there was a column Downey wrote about what America would be like if it was taken over by Russia:
In the upcoming baseball season, the favorites to win the World Series are the Cincinnati Reds .... followed by the Atlanta Reds and the Los Angeles Reds.

 

[Starman]

I think Albom and Downey in their primes were a pretty even match, but Albom got really formulaic and went to the same wells too many times.

Mainly, Downey was a light years update over Joe Falls, who had been Detroit's trademark columnist for 15 years.

Ahh, the days when major metro newspapers had three or four sports columnists (plus beat writers usually cranking out a couple of columns a week as well).

 

[WriteThinking]

This is the LAT story, by Sam Farmer, on Downey's passing, as posted on Yahoo! because of the LAT paywall. A good read.

Mike Downey, Sports columnist who enlightened Times readers for 15 years, dies at 72

 

[Slacker]

Mainly, Downey was a light years update over Joe Falls, who had been Detroit's trademark columnist for 15 years.

I saw Joe Falls only in The Sporting News, but that guy was horseshirt every week.

 

[WolvEagle]

Another nice tribute in the Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/co...e-press-sportswriter-mike-downey/74096051007/

And, I didn't know that Dean Martin was his father-in-law.

 

[ChrisLong]

Another nice tribute in the Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/co...e-press-sportswriter-mike-downey/74096051007/

And, I didn't know that Dean Martin was his father-in-law.

I'm guessing Downey's wife was the sister of Dean Paul Martin. Dino was a tennis star at Santa Monica College, but became a member of the California Air National Guard. He was killed in a crash. Notably married to Dorothy Hamill and Olivia Hussey, and a member of the trio Dino, Desi and Billy.

 

[awriter]

Another nice tribute in the Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/co...e-press-sportswriter-mike-downey/74096051007/

And, I didn't know that Dean Martin was his father-in-law.

Another nice tribute in the Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/co...e-press-sportswriter-mike-downey/74096051007/

And, I didn't know that Dean Martin was his father-in-law.

He never actually met Dean Martin. But yes, he married Martin's daughter.

Great tribute here from John Schulian:

Remembering Mike Downey | The Stacks Reader