So I've done almost no writing, this year. I've barely used my camera. This has been for me, as it has been for many of you, a tough year. Daily life disrupted, businesses shut down, many millions around the world fallen victim to the novel coronavirus (and death totals, tragically, in the seven figures). Life is very different; that much is certain.
However, some of you have managed to soldier on with your craft, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. So I thought: if I was going to take such a long hiatus from the sports-writing world, why not shine a light on those of you who are still actively providing us with much-needed diversion?
And there are a lot of you, out there. What I'd like to do is share several posts from each week, gathered from what I've seen on Twitter and/or other social media sites. I'll be starting with sports writing, along with photographers in all genres, because that's what I see the most in my readings. I'll also share older articles or photos that I happen upon during my trips down the Google rabbit hole. For this first edition, some of my shared articles/posts/photos will go back much farther than this past week.
These posts will be shared on Monday of each week, at 8 AM, on my personal blog site. A humble site, to be sure, but it's the only venue I have that's suitable, so it'll have to do. Still, maybe some of you writers and photogs can get a bit more attention from it for your efforts.
Nick Diunte (@ExamineBaseball)
“How Lauren Taylor Emerged As One of Baseball's Most Coveted Artists After Surviving A Traumatic Brain Injury”, for Forbes SportsMoney (@ForbesSports)
I've been following Diunte for at least a couple of years now, and I've always appreciated how in-depth his articles are, as well as his attention to detail and his inclusion of interviews with long-since-retired MLB players that many fans know little about, if anything at all.
Lauren Taylor (@ltillustrations), the subject of Diunte's article for Forbes, is a artist whose work consists of mixed media on wood, with acrylic paint, digital stencil and ink on birch. Her style of “illustration within illustration” is endlessly fascinating, as this example (of the Mariners' Kyle Lewis) readily shows:
Timothy E. Barbano (@baseballimages)
Buffalo, NY
This gentleman is someone I only recently started following, but he's been behind a lens for quite some time (“53 years with my left eye in a camera,” according to his Twitter profile.) The vast majority of his posts are of the players who have come through Toronto's Triple-A franchise, the Buffalo Bisons, but he also has a lot of wildlife photos throughout his Twitter feed. This is one of my favorite photo tweets, so far:
This is another fine shot:
I've not learned a great deal about his body of work just yet, but I'm sure he's going to show up in another list in the future.
Kevin Glew (@coopincanada)
London, Ontario
“Whatever Happened To?...Brian Milner” for Cooperstowners In Canada
I've been following Glew for a few years at least, as I have an abiding interest in both Canadian ballplayers and the development of baseball in Canada, in general. Glew's posts are a weekly draw for me, especially his “But What Do I Know?” weekly series, which spotlights...you guessed it...Canadian baseball players, both active and retired (or deceased, as the case may be.)
This article, from September 11th, was a favorite of mine. Glew interviews former Jays prospect Brian Milner, who had a brief major-league experience with the team, though it was one that found him making his ML debut at age eighteen, literally right after the end of his HS career.
That's all for this week! There should be a lot more to come, so keep an eye out for the Monday Morning link, next weekend.
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