The Interview With Alan M. On June 16

[redietz]

Well, I was a journalism major for two years until I switched over to English/writing option at Penn State. My first "real job" was as sportswriter/photographer for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania. I covered and photographed all sports, wrote the columns, and did a handicapping column. Previously, while in college, I wrote and co-wrote sports columns for small local papers and had my photos published. Back then I developed my own photos using the newspaper's darkrooms. My mother-in-law wrote for the local papers and my father-in-law took photos. He had taught me how to use a darkroom.

The guy I trained under in college was one of the best science writers of that generation. He was my advisor. His name was Bob Gannon, and if you haven't heard of him, you probably should have. He had more than a hundred feature stories published in Popular Science. He was the "adventure editor." He taught me the rules and regs of science writing and he was my go-to guy when I needed a reference letter for grad school or jobs.

https://www.popsci.com/military-avia...non-1931-2003/


Now this isn't the same as having worked a lifetime in journalism as Alan has, but it's possible I'm the second most experienced journalist on this forum. I have had a handful of op eds published in various papers during my 40-year stint as a handicapper. Plus an award-winning essay in The Humanist. Plus some other stuff. My blog is, I guess, a kind of pseudo-journalism, but it's up to between 500 and 900 reads a month, so somebody is reading it.

I guess, if anybody is going to criticize the best journalist on this forum, the duty falls to arguably the second most experienced journalist on the forum.

Alan's 40 years repeating the same first year over and over doesn't necessarily equate to a lifetime of experience. That career was over before it started. Why do you think he wasn't let in the air for anything important?

Meanwhile redietz just revealed that he washed out of journalism.

Actually, not really. My handicapping column that first year at the Valley View Citizen Standard killed it. Won more than 65% of my college plays. High volume, in print, in the newspaper. I founded Bob Dietz's Integrity Sports the following summer, quit the job, and moved back to State College (Penn State). Been doing it ever since. Was monitored that first year by Mike McCusker's "Tipsters or Gypsters?" The third or fourth year, I started spending football seasons in Las Vegas. Got out there each year in late August and usually left Thanksgiving week. Called it the 90 Days War.

Mickey, you seem to be flailing here. I take it you didn't know I was a journalism major. I take it you didn't know Integrity Sports has existed since 1980. I had a full page ad in GamePlan Magazine to kick things off. Next to the Notre Dame write-up, which I thought was good ad placement.

Anything else I can help you with, mickey? Rob fails to show up, and you take stabs at me? And the stabs are so friggin' wrong, they're comical. I do appreciate the opportunity to share memory lane with the forum. So thanks a bunch.