Former Times Columnist George Vecsey Gets Tribute From Son

There was my father describing conversations he had had with Herb Brooks, or Mike Bossy, or Chris Evert, or Alexis Argüello … a fantasy world for any kid who grew up on “Wide World of Sports.”

More important, I had simultaneous front-row and backstage views of how a story gets written. It wasn’t just that every word was in its proper place; it was that every idea was in its proper place. It was a private course in journalism from one of the great masters, and those hours listening to his dictation would come to inform my career as a copy editor. Not only do I know how a New York Times story should read, but I also know how it should sound, how the cadence should ebb and flow. Sadly, that experience was lost with the advent of portable computers, when the sound of my father’s voice was replaced by the screech of his Kaypro’s modem.

I spent a lot of time in stadiums as a kid. I’d be there early enough to watch crew members water and line the field, and late enough to watch them sweep popcorn from the aisles. Sometimes I could talk my way into the media room, where I’d fall asleep waiting for my dad to file. We’d drive home in the middle of the night, and over a Wendy’s burger, he’d tell me what he had mined out of Keith Hernandez that night. A few hours later, a “Keith Speaks” column would land with a thud in the driveway.

In the pre-cellphone world of the early ’80s, my dad might have done a few things that today would raise a few red flags, but in truth cultivated a sense of independence. “I’m headed to the ballpark,” he’d say, dropping $20 on the desk in a Chicago hotel room. “Take the Red Line to Addison, your ticket should be at Will Call. Try to find the media room after the game or just hang around outside the gate or just meet me back here.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/insider/george-vecsey-fathers-day.html