He Was an Idol, and a Friend

If it’s all right to have a close personal friend also as an idol, that’s pretty much what Jim was to me.

Among his friends in the sportswriting business, Jim was a man we enjoyed and admired in equal proportions. Gifted as he was at discussing the triumphs of others, it’s doubtful that any athlete he wrote about achieved as much greatness against such adversity as he did.

More than anyone else I know, he demonstrated what brilliance was possible in a daily column. And while perhaps no one else reached that level, his work helped others want to be better.

With all that, though, he was wonderful company. It was a privilege to have known him at all. To have been a close friend was one of the truly rich experiences of my nearly 70 years.