Re: BOB RYAN

[Andy Shaw <shaw@transmeta.com>]

|   From: Gregory Odegaard <grodeg@kalama.com>
|   Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 21:21:08 -0700
|
| Bob Ryan, Peter and Dan are fine writers, always have been.  You
| critics out there clearly haven't read a single tome from the huge
| library of Celtics material that these 3 alone have contributed.  Why
| not come back here with some respectful opinions once you have.  Until
| then get over yourselves.

Unbelievable.

I've read "Evergreen" by Shaughnessy and "Drive" by Bob Ryan.

Basically, both of them are sports books written by sports
journalists.  With few exceptions, sports journalists are not very
good book writers.  The main exception that comes to mind is John
Feinstein.  Ryan and Shaughnessy are not exceptions.

Sports is great to watch or listen to on the radio, it can be pretty
good to read in the paper or magazine, but it's not really prime
material for books.

As Alex said, Ryan and Shaughnessy (and MacMullen) used to be decent
sports writers, but MacMullen's gone, and Ryan and Shaughnessy have
gone downhill in a big way.  Peter May just plain sucks.

I truly do not understand the visceral hatred that Ryan and May seem
to have for Walker.  Ryan seems to be living in the past.  I enjoyed
the Bird years, up to the very end, but please, it's been almost 8
years.  That's probably about the last time I read a good sports
column by Bob Ryan.  I was living in Japan at the time, and I had a
friend send me a copy of the Globe the day that Bird retired, with the
special section in it.

Why can't sports reporters retire like athletes do, after they're all
worn out and have no more good writing in them?

-Andy