Richard Jay Schaap (September 27, 1934 – December 21, 2001) was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and author.
Also, I am driven by a wonderful muse called alimony.
I came up with new leads for game stories by being observant and clever, by using the many gifts of the English language to intrigue and hook a reader.
I think my mistakes were kind of common - leaning on cliches and adjectives in the place of clear, vivid writing. But at least I knew how to spell, which seems to be a rarity these days.
My top three were Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain and Bo Jackson.
It's kind of ironic that the two sports with the greatest characters, boxing and horse racing, have both been on the decline. In both cases it's for the lack of a suitable hero.
Sportswriters have changed more than sportswriting.
Golf is a bloodless sport-if you don't count ulcers.
In fifty years of covering the sport, of course Muhammad Ali is by far the dominant figure.
Cliches and adjectives permeated my prose.
I wanted to be a sportswriter because I loved sports and I could not hit the curve ball, the jump shot, or the opposing ball carrier.
All of journalism is a shrinking art. So much of it is hype. The O. J. Simpson story is a landmark in the decline of journalism.
Sugar Ray Robinson was at the top of the boxing world during the 1950's when it seemed that he would either win or lose the championship about every three or four months.
I was also in love with the English language.