Baseball people share their memories of Jerome Holtzman, who is retiring from the Tribune after more than 40 years on the baseball beat:
“Jerome Holtzman is a true Hall of Famer. He has always possessed a rare ability to be both provocative and fair. I have been an avid reader and fan of his for more than 40 years and I will miss his column. He has a knowledge of the history of the game and the people in it that is unparalleled. Jerome is a baseball man through and through. In our game, that is the highest compliment one can pay another.”
Bud Selig, Major League Baseball commissioner
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“Jerome Holtzman is known as `the Dean’ around baseball for very good reasons. Obviously, the honor comes with tenure . . . but the nickname also denotes the respect he has earned through his writing, his reporting, his relationships and his unique ability to bring historical perspective to his coverage of the game. Generations of baseball fans have been introduced to the game’s stars, interesting characters and misfits through his writing. The game is better off because a sportswriter like Jerome Holtzman devoted his life to covering something he loved . . . baseball. I thank him and congratulate him for it.”
Jerry Reinsdorf, Chairman, Chicago White Sox
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“Personally, I’ve always found Jerome to be valuable as a counterbalance to give you some equilibrium. He has been covering the game for so long and has seen so much. Not only could he give you some insight, but you could learn that some of your problems are comparable to what people have been wrestling with for the last 100 years.”
Andy MacPhail, Cubs president
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“When you think of Jerome Holtzman, you think of a guy who’s written Chicago sports for a long time. He’s a part of Chicago sports like Ernie Banks and myself, Dick Butkus and all the rest of those individuals. I think I was the first one who started calling Jerome `the Dean,’ and it’s well-deserved because he’s been around a long time. To be like him you’ve got to really love it–love the game, respect the game, respect the players who play it. That’s what he did. You have to love what you’re doing, and he loved it.”
Billy Williams, Cubs coach and Hall of Fame outfielder
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“I think of Jerome Holtzman and I think of love of the game and excellence in reporting it. I go back to the minor leagues, somewhere around ’69 or ’70, when I first got a call from him and he was doing a story about strike zones. Then when I came back to (manage) the White Sox in ’79, he was there, and that’s been the most consistent thread that runs through me every time I see him. I’d like to have a dime for every column he’s written over the years.”
Tony La Russa, former White Sox manager now managing the St. Louis Cardinals
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“Anything you can say about Jerry isn’t enough. He was always great with me. He worked real good with me, and with my ballplayers and my coaches too. The fellas all liked him. He was always fair. I was real lucky to have Jerry. His first year with us we finished second, and the next year we won the pennant.”
Al Lopez, former White Sox manager
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” `The Dean’ is without peer, the best baseball writer ever. He’s also as good a human being as I have ever been around. Truly, he is a legend in the game. Nobody was too small for Jerry to talk to. He treated the people who were the small names in the game just as well as he treated the so-called big names. He is a credit to his profession, a special, special person.
Jerry Krause, Bulls general manager, former White Sox scout
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“Toward the end of the ’50s, a lot of new writers came along–Jerry, Jack Kuenster, Dick Dozer, Neil Gazel. And Jerry’s been the one who stayed with it all these years. He’s done a great job, no question about it. People look highly on Jerry. A good, sound reporter who had the facts and knew the game.”
Billy Pierce, former White Sox pitcher
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“We call him `the Dean’ of the writers, and rightly so, for his lengthy, highly commendable career. He’s been a true professional, a person I hold in high esteem. I have tremendous respect for him. In all my years with the White Sox, he was always fair, always honest.”
Roland Hemond, former White Sox GM now an Arizona Diamondbacks vice president
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“He’s a classy guy and a gentleman, and the players all appreciate that. I enjoyed talking to him over the years and he wrote good, positive columns–that’s why most of the guys liked talking to him. He was the ultimate professional. He deserves all the respect he gets.”
Lance Johnson, Cubs outfielder
