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The "Hal" of Famer
It's a sad week for journalism. As newspapers
around the country are fading away and most others downsizing, true journalism is slowly being sucked
out of the world.
I've been in television for nearly 20 years, but I have never considered myself a journalist. I'm a
broadcaster. The true journalists are the writers.
It's the rare art form of taking a blank page and
turning it into something. It's entertaining or enlightening, not with a microphone or an
instrument, but with written words. Remember those?
It felt like the world hired Muhammad Ali to punch
me right on the chin, when I learned of the retirement, forced retirement, see ya we can no longer afford
you, whatever you want to call it involving Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy.
For some unfortunate reason, there is often a gap in personalities or interaction between writers and broadcasters over the years. I for one have always
fought against it. I'm a knowledge seeker, so why
not talk to the knowledge givers, the beat writers and columnists.
When we needed an interview with meat, something meaningful, Hal was always there. He never turned
us down.
When something in the baseball world needed a Hall
of Fame-caliber opinion, Hal was there.
When we painstakingly had to fill time during rain delays, Hal was there. Even though he knew he was our "built-in, time filler!"
And even when there was no face time involved on television, Hal was there.
When TV boy strolled up to clarify a story or a piece of information, Hal was there. Even when there
would be no television face time or any mention,
Hal was still there.
And when the grind grew long, and you needed a laugh or two, Hal was there. Top shelf writer for
sure, but an even better person, which is saying a lot. His personality and wit was always there.
And I guess that's what saddens me most, the simple fact that come 2010, Hal won't be there.
What happened to the world? How can journalism,
the foundation of policing the world's values, be
fading away or pushed to the side?
Even though I'm a gadget geek, most of me longs
for the days back when....when the true journalists showed up on most everyone's doorstep in the morning. The newspaper, remember it?
I remember it. And for a generation, few have done
it like Hal. His creative fingers have chronicled the history of Major League Baseball's oldest team for thousands upon thousands of loyal readers. For
some, he's the only writer they know.
Time brings change, we all know this. But some
things we always take for granted, until they happen for real, like Hal not being there.
There will be a day when I look down at press row
and the old guy with the cigar won't be there. That's
the day I hope my chin is tough enough to take the world's punch.
Jim Day
More columns to come....
Question For You:
If I created a daily or regular podcast, using my contacts for interview segments, etc., would you be interested? Would you listen? Let Me Know!
Think Different
I must say...
If you've ever seen me on television, you know that I don't take myself too seriously. You'll find that theme throughout this site.
Years ago, I bought this domain name, thinking I would never use it. I just wanted to own the dot com version of my name. After tremendous pressure from thousands, or maybe just one person, I finally caved in and created this very simple, little website.
The Set
Wooooweeee! That's a sweet set! Uh...maybe not. Check it out in the Pics Section.
Budget For Website
Despite previous Reports, the budget for this website was not spent renting Van Halen for a graduation party (that was years ago, get over it people!) The truth is...there is no budget. This site is created and maintained on Jim's measely laptop :)
Nothing But Class
White House Trip
Amazingly enough, I cleared all background checks and was allowed to participate in a private tour of the West Wing of the White House. The very private tour, arranged by the Reds Ownership Group, turned out to be one of the coolest experiences of my life.
Just a Thought...
Amazingly enough, I cleared all background checks and was allowed to participate in a private tour of the West Wing of the White House. The very private tour, arranged by the Reds Ownership Group, turned out to be one of the coolest experiences of my life.
Just a Thought...