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Is he going into semi-retirement or something? I don't follow him at all, but occasionally a headline to one of his chats catches my eye. I usually regret having wasted the time reading it.
Anyway, he is now talking about having eaten his last stadium hotdog, having visited stadiums the last time, not having to get up early on game days, not having to fight his way from the press box to the post game conferences, etc.
He did say he will still do radio pregame things.
Anyone know what's up?
They have Spofford and they just hired Wes Hodkiewiczc (guaranteed spelling failure). He's probably retiring to cover golf.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patler
Bummer. I appreciated his antagonistic approach with fans who were overly emotional about the team and game. I liked his pragmatic view of the games place in the larger scheme of things. I thought he had a very good feel for the team and passed that on to his readers. I found him to be entertaining.
Me tooQuote:
Originally Posted by George Cumby
Vic has apparently had some recent health problems. I believe he's had both heart and cancer problems in the past.
From a June 21 column:
Quote:
Chase from Madisonville, KY
How’s the dead period going for you, Vic?
I’m happy to report I’m still in the live period.
Josh from Tucson, AZ
Everything OK with Vic? I’ve been reading the column since the beginning in Jacksonville. The last time there was an unannounced absence, he was in the hospital after a heart attack.
I got a visit from my old friend last Friday. This visit included a helicopter ride. Oh, the thoughts that run through a man’s mind when it appears the clock is running out. Fortunately, I was granted another overtime period. Well, I’m back, baby, and it feels great. Today is wonderful. It’s all the tomorrows I fear, so I’ll try to make every day today. Maybe we could apply that philosophy to football. Let’s try to make every season this season. Let’s sharpen our senses so we accumulate as many memories as possible, even the ones that hurt, because memories make us rich, even the ones that hurt. Without the visit from my old friend, I might’ve never taken a helicopter ride – yeah, it was my first – and I would’ve never met Robert the wheelchair guy. As he wheeled me to my waiting car on Monday, he asked, “Mr. Ketchman, are you the sportswriter?” I confessed and then asked him how he knew. “I read your column,” he said. “Are you a Packers fan?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. God, I love football. It’s made me so rich.
Read more: http://www.packers.com/news-and-even...#ixzz4FQA0G9ci
He's going to be doing the column 1 day a week (the day after a game) and will be doing the pre-game stuff with Tauscher. He's 65-66 range. He said he knew it was it last season and made this arrangement with the club. He talked about his drive from Green Bay to Edisto Beach, SC where he makes his off-season (and now permanent) home, two days after the AZ game. He also said he hasn't worn shoes since he got home. I live one state up, but am not on the coast.
If you get to 65-66 range and have a health scare that requires an ambulance or helicopter ride, I'm sure you look at each day with a new perspective, and get religion about continuing to keep the same work schedule. I don't have a ton of appreciation for his schedule, or all the demands on his time. It seems like a dream job to cover a pro football team, interact with players and fans and write what you observe. Your biggest job is to be interesting and in the case of the fans, approachable. Hopefully his reduced participation will be enough for him. He seems like a good egg. I appreciate his sense of humor.
Vic and the others are employees of the Packers. As such , I've always read their copy with that in mind. Therefor as Packer's employees, he and the others have consistently promoted the Packers . This has rarely (if ever) included pointing out areas of weakness or controversy .
I look to other sources for critical independent reports about GB and the rest of the NFL. That is one reason that I recently joined this forum.
:glug:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Radagast
All the local beat reporters are effectively owned by the team. If they are too critical, they lose access, especially to particular players. Jason Wilde reserves his harshest words for bubble players. It's forever been that way. Mike Lucas built a career out of schmoozing Badger coaches. Ketchman has been as willing to criticize as any other reporter.