Subject: Why I'm not a sports writer!
From: Jim Thomas (jthomas@math.niu.edu)
Date: Wed Jul 22 2009 - 17:41:41 CDT
It looks like we all experienced long-forgotten recollections from
the old days Saturday. I was asked a few times how I got into academia
and prisons. Well, getting into prisons is easy. It's getting out
that's the problem.
Seeing a few of you dredged up something that now, is funny, but at
the time was less-so. Seeing Jim Coffee and remembering how he wrote
a sports story for MSU's State News that I'd blown earlier joggled some
other memories that probably should be avoided by hitting the delete
key, but still---
I always wanted to be a sports writer as a kid. At 15, I lied about
my age and hustled some sports stringer work with the GR papers, mostly
as the equivalent of an intern, with very little money, and doing
gopher tasks. I was terrible. I was in way over my head and had no
idea what I was doing. It didn't last long. Had a chance to redeem
myself at the GRJC paper. Blew that too. Spent too much time playing
cards in the grill. About the same time, I got a part-time gig with
the GR Press. Clank Stoeppels took mercy on me and paired me up with
George Benge. Will Perry took me under his wing and mentored me in the
fine art of distinguishing between Blatz, Carlings, and Schlitz.
Didn't take long to blow that one as well.. Had a final chance at State
as sports writer, promoted to copy editor. Will Perry's excellent
tutelage wasn't forgotten, and I spent more time at the Coral Gables and
parties than showing up for interviews. Blew that one, too.
The point: I'd have saved a lot of time if I'd listened to those
early sports writers who tried to teach me a thing or to, and when I
wouldn't listen, they said, "Kid, you'll make a fine writer some day. It
just won't be sports." Hadn't thought about that for many, many
decades. And that's how I got into whatever it is I do.
Did anybody experience any of those strange recollections they could
share?
Jim
Ottawa Hills High School Discussion List - 1959
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