July 09, 2014

When The Sporting News Arrived

The Baseball Bible

Way before the Internet and instant information, I used to read The Sporting News back to front as soon as it arrived. It contained an incredible amount of stats, standings, and box scores. You could find anything you wanted to know about the great game of baseball. I subscribed for many years, starting in 1982. We saw the ad during the World Series and my mom ordered it for me. It was a great investment because it kept me busy reading. I had tried Baseball Digest and Sports Illustrated before, but this truly was the Baseball Bible.

I began my subscription late in 1982, but the first two years of my Sporting News days, the Tigers were challenging for first place and eventually became the World Champions. I've told you before that I used to purchase my "preview" magazines by where the writers picked the Tigers to finish — so with so many columns and articles about the Detroit Tigers, reading TSN was a no–brainer!

Anyhow, I used to read each issue — cover to cover — and knew a great deal about all of the teams. I even knew a great deal about football, basketball, and hockey. The baseball coverage, though, was second to none. Great baseball writing is an art form, so the old weekly magazine had many artists!

Have a great day.


No comments: