When I was a kid, my dad was an avid newspaper reader.  In fact, he would pound down three newspapers, a crossword and a trade mag before dinner. 

When he discarded his paper into a basket next to his recliner, I would swoop it up to read the sports pages.  That was a great time in Chicago with writers like Jerome Holtzman, Edgar Munzel, Bob Verdi, Bill Jauss and Bill Gleason.

Gleason was a great writer a Sox fan and a huge supporter of Bill Veeck. I remember his columns used to make me laugh even though I was pretty young at the time. 

Gleason went on to gain fame as a member of "The Sportswriters" which started on WGN radio and morphed into TV. The show starred him, Jauss, Joe Musial and eventually Rick Telander.  It was a bunch of loud, old school, politically incorrect, cigar smoking men ranging from middle age to their early sixties.  But it was funny and interesting and entertaining.  And it was better than anything ESPN ever trotted out starring Skip Clueless or Tony Kornheiser.

Chicago papers have changed dramatically since Gleason's day.  All of the great writers are gone or retired, chased out of town (Bernie Lincicomb) or relegated to the Internet only (Steve Rosenbloom).  But I'm glad i got to say that I had a chance to read newspapers when they still met something and guys like Bill Gleason meant everything.

God bless and thanks, Mr. Gleason.