Jason Gay is probably their Dean. He apparently came by way of GQ magazine, but he is a writer in what might be called the modern, or contemporary vein. I saw him once when I went to a showing of the now defunct Regis Philbin sports show on Fox, 'The Crowd Goes Wild.'
The show perhaps never had a chance, but I did like it a bit. It was silly with off-beat games but the chatter amongst the people on the show was lively and fresh as the day's news. Like many things these days, lots of Twitter. Twitter should be renamed Old Reliable, because it is a guaranteed geyser of things to talk about. Just wait three seconds.
One of the talking heads other than Regis was Jason Gay, who I think sat in the middle. He was perfect for the show. Animated, and informative. I remember seeing him go into what I guess might be the Green Room before the show as I stood on line to go through the metal detector and wanding process. Jason is a tall, well dressed guy, who was coming to work in sneakers (athletic shoes?) There was a definite bounce in his step and a grin on his face. He easily liked the job.
When the show got its notice everyone on the panel was asked what they might like to do next. Regis quipped that he'd still like to do a sports show. He knew the shortcomings.
The Journal, even before Murdoch made the changes was a paper I read. I like reading the WSJ and the NYT, and subscribe to the print editions. I'm old enough to still want print. I remember linotype machines.
At the outset I'd read anything Jason wrote, or really, try and finish anything Jason wrote. I've come to like the advice on how to approach Thanksgiving and touch football, but little else has ever stuck. I'm still looking for Dave Anderson, Red Smith, Arthur Daley, Ira Berkow, Fredrick Klein, Barney Nagler, and even Robert Lipsyte. And we know where some of them are.
Jason is a product of the era, and he certainly doesn't need to be like anyone else other than himself. But with the passing of Muhammad Ali I've taken to reading what people are writing about him and his era to see if they've got it right. After all, nearly all of Ali's life fits into mine.
In yesterday's edition, Jason has a sterling piece on Ali. I know I have a sense of humor, and I dearly love it in others. When I Tweeted Jason "Muhammad Ali: Finally you wrote a sports column that shows you CAN write a sports column. Keep at it." Jason Tweeted back, "Mom?"
I might even buy his book, 'Little Victories' now.
http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com
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