Never Meet Your Heroes, You Say? No, Ray Didinger Would Very Much Like You to Meet His, as “Tommy and Me” Comes to Hershey

by gordie | Aug 18, 2022 | NFL

Let the record show that even at age 10, Ray Didinger did his homework. Of course he did, just as he would years later, during his half-century covering pro football as a writer and broadcaster.  So renowned for his tireless research that his retirement cake earlier...

As with Roger Angell (RIP), Retiring Ray Didinger Leaves Behind a Looming Legacy

by gordie | May 29, 2022 | MLB, NBA, NFL

Roger Angell wrote long, long after it was fashionable to do so. Ray Didinger spoke evenly, even as hot takes became all the rage. You wanna call them dinosaurs, fine; have at it. I choose to believe that is true only in the sense that they have left (or are about to...

Superstars Deserve a Say in Personnel Decisions, But How Much?

by gordie | Aug 1, 2021 | NBA, NFL, Writing

Last Wednesday in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers discussed with reporters the discontent that had made it appear during the offseason that the reigning NFL MVP was headed elsewhere. The following day, news broke about the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Russell Westbrook....

Contemplating Aaron Rodgers’ Divorce from the Packers: Is this painful? Ah, you betcha!

by gordie | May 7, 2021 | NFL, Writing

I know of perhaps a half-dozen sportswriters and ex-sportswriters who, like myself, are fans of the Green Bay Packers — who have tended to text me on any given Sunday about the virtues of Clay Matthews and Kenny Clark, and the misadventures of Marquez...

Bait and Twitch: The Challenge of Sifting Through NFL Draft Intell, and Determining What Really Matters

by gordie | Apr 18, 2021 | NFL

The NFL Draft is fast approaching, heralded as always by a flood of analysis that alternates between the impressive and the amusing. How else could we find out that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the likely No. 1 overall pick, has “fluid mechanics to easily...