A Sad, Sad Day

(Two posts by the Sip today...one more below)

So I was talking to my buddy T Kid, one of my oldest friends, a solid Mets fan and just a hell of a kid.

We were talking Harold Reynolds. He told me to write about it. I told him sure.

Harold Reynolds was fired from ESPN today for undisclosed reasons. Until the reason is made public, I'd like to take a few moments to praise the man.


I think Baseball Tonight may be the best sports show on television. It is one of the few remaining sports shows without the Booyas and the catch phrases and all that other mumbo jumbo.

It is a show that provides baseball highlights and gives the best analysis of the sport on TV.

Harold Reynolds and Peter Gammons are the reasons for this.

Gammons, as all baseball fans know, is probably the most respected baseball journalist of our time. He is THE insider for a baseball scoop and a hero of mine. We all is wish him a speedy recovery. Thankfully, it sounds like he's gonna be alright.

Reynolds brought a different perspective to Baseball Tonight. Unlike most former athletes, Reynolds was very well spoken. He wasn't flashy or annoying. He simply gave us perspective from a former major leaguer that a random reporter would struggle to provide.

He broke down the intricacies of the game as well as anyone in the business.

In addition, Reynolds was extremely important for African Americans.

In a media field where people like Stuart Scott, Steven A. Smith and Scoop Jackson have become famous more for the way they act than for the quality of their insight, Reynolds emerged as more of a throwback journalist.

He reported his story and did so with the class of a true journalist. His style was pure and it was driven by baseball not celebrity.

The fallout from his firing may reveal some unflattering things about Harold. Whether or not the guy is a saint, his absence will definitely be missed.

VCD,

SM