Press Box
OLD SPORTS WRITERS never die, they just move to the sports copy editing desk ... and then retire. Moving onward with
a quick look backThat was the route the Star-Bulletin's Dick Couch took prior to our changeover in ownership.
Couch, at one time, was the embodiment of the classic Walter Matthau role of Oscar Madison in the movie, "The Odd Couple."
There aren't many like him left.
He came from New York, where he was, among other things, a hockey writer for the Associated Press. In Hawaii, he covered all the major events, and excelled at writing about the Rainbows.
But that was many years ago, before he opted for the copy desk, dropping his pen to be part of the bullpen, or at least not a quickly recognized starter.
Dick Couch did things the old-fashioned way, and he never quite got used to all the new-fangled computer stuff. Oh, he lived with it, and he held his own. But, his face was full of bemusement when, about a month before his retirement, the computer's voice started telling him (in German) that it didn't have enough input to process his command.
It was man vs. machine, and Dick just shrugged it off in a losing battle. Not that he really lost much of anything, except a few puffs of steam. Collectively, we in humanity, when machines start barking back at us, are the ones who have lost. Lost touch.
A WEEK BEFORE his retirement, Dick Couch shuffled around his desk for an old sentimental relic to give away.
He couldn't find one, but, on the last night of his long and storied career, he made sure to show us a big book he hoped would be passed around and given back to him in the future.
It was "The Best American Sports Writing of the Century."
He wasn't trying to compare himself to the century's best, just quietly providing motivation to those -- especially the promising younger staffers -- to continue striving for excellence.
Dick was sailing into the unknown, and he knew we were headed to a different kind of unknown, with abundant changes going on all around us.
That thick book contains many nuggets and, in an unexpected twist, numerous typos -- a copy editor's nightmare.
In a nutshell, there are outstanding, in-depth, articles on: Bobby Fischer, the fickle genius; Walter Hagen, the greatest golfer of his time; Steve Blass, who mysteriously lost his ability to pitch; Secretariat and the special aura he brought to horse racing; Ty Cobb, portrayed as a big jerk in the final months before his death; Bobby Knight and his penchant for doling out abuse, written in 1982; and Tiger Woods, today's greatest golfer and how his father, Earl Woods, believes Tiger will do more than anyone on the planet to change the course of humanity for the better.
The authors are a who's who of 20th century writers -- sports or otherwise -- but the most captivating story is about a Mt. Everest expedition and its tragic outcome.
Climb the mountain? Be excellent in your career? Then persevere, despite adverse conditions. That's what Dick told us, in his own way.
He climbed his mountain. We're still scaling, huffing, puffing in the changing landscape, moving onward, guarding against rude intrusions from computer voices, all the while hoping the direction is still up.
Press Box rotates among the Star-Bulletin sports staff.
Nick Abramo can be reached at nabramo@starbulletin.com