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ESPN Signs Sports Illustrated Columnist Rick Reilly

Veteran to Write Back-Page Column for ESPN-The Magazine , Contribute to ESPN.com

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/22/2007 10:56:00 AM

Veteran Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly is joining ESPN to write for ESPN-The Magazine as its back-page columnist.

Reilly will also write for ESPN.com, as well as contributing to coverage of golf and hosting the occasionally interview show.

Reilly won't be coming aboard until June, after what is described as a sabbatical. He had been with SI for 19 years and has been named “Sportswriter of the Year” numerous times.

Reilly's Life of Reilly column was the first signed opinion column in SI's history. He has also been a contributor to Time magazine.

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• Greetings! Ad one of my favorite sports writers I really enjoy Reilly and look forward to more from him.
  I thought you might be interested in the following...
  Looks like the Giants are still at it, making it back to the World Series with a little help from their friends, steroids...
  Hope some reporter, if not lance and mark, will get this one out. As an old school guy, I'm tired of the cheating
  that's gone in baseball the past 10 or more years... Maybe someone else cares, too. Thanks
  Burt Kaufman
  
  Heres latest of many blogs we've done
  
  MANAGEMENT STILL HASN’T LEARNED OR DOESN’T CARE….
  
  S.F. GIANTS: MORE THAN SMOKE AND MIRRORS – NEW DISTURBING FINDINGS
  
  Certainly, with its history of having the most users during the Steroid Era, you’d think the Giants powers-that-be would at least check out their new ‘castoffs’ better. Jose Guillen, who we now learn was having HGH circumvented to him through his wife at the end of this season, is a classic case of a guy other teams don’t want that the Giants pick up, i.e. damaged goods. Same management, same scenario involving at least six Giants players later implicated for using steroids (MItchelll Report) during the 2000’s, including Barry Bonds and Marvin Bernard who, by the way, just personally admitted to using steroids while helping the Giants to their 2002 entry into the World Series; the Giants had the moxie , the nerve to invite these guys back to help them celebrate the 2010 version of the world series in San Francisco . Call it the steroid reunion, not a great tradition the Giants have brought back on themselves while they trying to win its first World Series in 56 years.
  
  Do people care? Certainly the Giants management doesn’t seem to, while bringing back known steroid users to help celebrate; Bonds threw out the first ball in game two of the series, while suggesting he be the new hitting coach. Certainly the fans in San Francisco have never cared and would probably be delighted to see him coaching. Witness the ovation for Bonds at the game, only months before his perjury trial for lying about using steroids. But, around the country and world we’re not so sure the others don’t care. The Giants are probably the most disliked team in the majors , perhaps largely for leading the lead majors in ‘roided and illegally drugged players – which continues to this day.
  
  The Giants were well aware that Guillen was a twice fingered steroid user (Mitchell Report), in 2002 and 2005 when they acquired him for their stretch drive in August. When he was mysteriously left off the team playoff roster, the Giants said it was due to a neck injury. We now learn , through the diligent work of New York Times reporters, that Major League Baseball pressured the Giants not to use Guillen in the playoffs and World Series. Giant’s head men Larry Baer and GM Brian Sabean have come up some great excuses as they continue to win at any cost, pursuing the ‘rare window of opportunity’ this year. Guillen had been a significant factor in bringing the Giants to this year’s WS , with a number of key hits in September.
  
  Now, eight years later the Giants haven’t learned. For them, its ‘win at any cost.’ And, it may not be over. ‘ The feared beards’ of 2010 may be fun, but there may be more serious stuff lurking behind them . As a result of the new Guillen allegations we decided to look more closely at some other numbers – and players. Two cases in point, to go along with Guillen:
  
  Giant shortstop Jose Uribe, who in May, 2009 defended Latin players for using steroids, has himself hit more homers this year (24), at age 33 in a large, cold homer-unfriendly ball bark ( San Francisco’s AT&T) than at any other time in his career.
  
  Newly acquired cast-off, veteran outfielder Cody Ross, who only hit only 11 homers in 487 at bats with the Florida Marlins, has hit 8 homers with the Giants in roughly 100 at bats since coming to the Giants; that’s one homer for roughly every 12 at bats, certainly Bonds territory. His remarkable 3 homers in his first 6 career playoff games puts him in a rare class achieved by only a handful of big time players and a number of known and suspected steroid users. Since then, he’s hit another homer in game three World Series games and his last out, a half hearted swing against reliever Felice nearly went out of the park. Ross’ .288 batting average since coming to the Giants, is the highest in his career other than 2006 when he played in only 66 games. This for a guy in his thirties, playing in a large , cold, hitter-unfriendly ballpark.
  
  As a team, the Giants have gone from a .500 plus team at All Star Break to having the best record in baseball the past two months, finishing twenty games over .500. It’s interesting that sudden upsurge has happened after the additions of Ross and Guillen .
  
  Certainly it is without intent to convict anyone in the media, however, we feel it’s important to at least bring up questions. That’s what the media is for. People can do what they want with this information. For us, it brings up new concerns about the Giants – especially when they can influence, and probably already have , something as important as the world series . Baseball itself, led by commissioner Bud Selig, who may still not be doing enough to clean up remaining drug tracks. (As an aside, Selig has said nothing on the Guillen issue; he’s been more intent on congratulating baseball and FOX for the 25% drop in TV viewership during the first two games of the series.
  
  I’ve been a long-suffering Giants fan, too, since 1962. I went to that series but don’t remember anyone using steroids. But, I have trouble following them anymore, especially with this latest news. Some may turn a blind eye , but we remember and prefer a more natural style of honest, old-school baseball and we hope there are others out there that are just as concerned as we are. May some investigative reporters dig into this story to bring out the real truth about the Giants and Steroids in 2010 , just as those two Chronicle reporters broke the Bonds story some years ago. More info at SaverSuper.info and YellowPagesCoupons.net

  
  Burt Kaufman - 10/31/2010 9:10:59 PM EDT
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