there is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowleding another sportswriter is on a different level than we are, no matter how accomplished we may be. nothing!
it's akin to a very good player acknowledging a hall of famer is on a different level. same deal.
in '94, the jets acquired boomer esiason from the bengals. boomer was the best interview in the nfl at the time -- the year before, the jets writers had boomer on the obligatory conference call the wednesday before a jets-bengals game. he was so good we asked the jets p.r. guy if we could get boomer before every game, no matter the jets opponent.
so soon after the jets acquire boomer, we learn gary smith has been hanging around boomer to do a cover piece on boomer, his dad norman and boomer's son gunnar, who had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis a year earlier.
those of us on the beat freaked. the world's greatest sportswriter taking on football's best interview? how could we ever compete?
we couldn't, of course. i rationalized that gary couldn't write a 250-word notebook as well as i could.
sorry, i'm not being overly humble to say i could not write pieces like gary smith or s.l. price if i had a year to concentrate on it. i'm good at what i do, sure. but i am nowhere nearly as gifted as they are.
and it is a gift.