Longtime Chicago Baseball Writer Jerome Holtzman Passes Away
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| Baseball HOFer Holtzman Dies At Age Of 81 |
Former Chicago baseball writer JEROME HOLTZMAN, a member of the Baseball HOF, died Saturday at the age of 81, according to Chris De Luca of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Holtzman wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, among other publications, and later became MLB's first historian. He also "created the formula for save statistics" in '59, and MLB adopted it in '69. White Sox Chair JERRY REINSDORF said of Holtzman, "Perhaps no one other person has done as much to promote the game of baseball to millions" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/22). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan notes Holtzman, starting in '57, wrote for the Sun-Times for over three decades, before moving to the Tribune in '81. He was "affectionately known to colleagues as 'the Dean,' a term reflecting his stature as a baseball-writing 'lifer.'" Holtzman, who was inducted into the HOF in '89, also wrote six books, including "No Cheering in the Press Box." After Holtzman retired from the Tribune in '98, MLB Commissioner BUD SELIG hired him as MLB's official historian. Selig: "What I will miss most is not only the friendship, but the knowledge. He was a historian's historian. He was an unmatched resource for baseball. I will miss his counsel" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/22). In N.Y., Bruce Weber notes Holtzman, who started his career covering Chicago baseball for the Daily Times, also wrote for The Sporting News for 30 years, appearing in 1,000 consecutive issues. Holtzman also "wrote the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on baseball, and for many years, he wrote the year-end summary of baseball for the Official Baseball Guide" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/22).
REMEMBERING A LEGEND: MLB.com's Hal Bodley wrote Holtzman, a "beloved presence in every press box he entered, was the consummate professional." He had "little time for anyone who didn't take the craft seriously" (MLB.com, 7/21). Holtzman's save formula was the first statistic adopted by baseball's Official Rules Committee since the RBI in 1920. Cubs Chair CRANE KENNEY: "Jerome's contributions to the game of baseball were immense" (MLB.com, 7/21). The Sun-Times’ Brian Hanley said Holtzman "would describe a game, or describe a player, or a situation without hitting that ‘i’ key. It wasn’t what he thought; he was trying to paint a picture so you can envision and make your own determination of what he had seen and how the game unfolded.” The Sun Times’ Mike Mulligan added Holtzman "had such a great reputation" that he "could pick up the phone and he’d have whoever he needed for the story" (“Chicago Tribune Live,” CSN, 7/21).
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