tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post5059090398341189391..comments2024-03-11T16:39:12.344-05:00Comments on Once A Knight ...: Not a "dream" job, but a good lifeNico Van Thynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07072351355184106484noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post-78387596672174062032013-01-16T13:33:46.301-06:002013-01-16T13:33:46.301-06:00Nico, I don't know if you know this or not, bu...Nico, I don't know if you know this or not, but I was the first student that Coach Bruce had as the correspondent to The Shreveport Times calling in results of Oak Terrace games. And, I even got to travel with the team to the away games. That was during my 9th grade and only year at Oak Terrace (59-60). But, the sports writing bug never bit me like it did you! I love the blog and the memories. Keep up the good work. <br />Larry R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14301334964632050341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post-7580698721404334912013-01-12T10:49:51.420-06:002013-01-12T10:49:51.420-06:00From Leo Van Thyn: I share with you the love of sp...From Leo Van Thyn: I share with you the love of sports (mostly soccer, hockey, football, baseball) and was always heavily into statistics. I even took some courses in statistics. The woman in my life BC – Before Carol – was a professional musician. She moved to the Bronx. Since we were going to get married she wanted me to also move to the Bronx. It was a tough choice. In Toronto I had my family and a desire to be a teacher. In New York I had (at the time) my future wife, a definite interest in statistics, and a chance to cheer in person my favourite team, the Yankees. Someone in the Bronx was a friend of the majority owner of the New York Islanders, a team that was going to be in the NHL. Apparently they were looking for a statistician. I was going to visit the Bronx anyway and figured I had nothing to lose having the interview. Just before agreeing to the interview it came back to me that in order to be eligible for this job I needed to be a voting Republican. What a laugh! Didn’t they realize I was a Canadian citizen? So the interview never happened. Something else you and I have shared – statistics. You, however, parlayed it into journalism and I ended up being a teacher. Nico Van Thynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07072351355184106484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post-28898389519617219362013-01-11T16:44:41.263-06:002013-01-11T16:44:41.263-06:00From Mike Richey (former Florida Times-Union sport...From Mike Richey (former Florida Times-Union sports editor/managing editor): Nico, like Bea, I very much enjoyed this entry. And, like you, I couldn't imagine having ever done anything else. I was a senior at Neville and a bagger at Globe Foods when my older brother was getting out of the Air Force. He asked me to look around for jobs for when he got home. I knew a guy in circulation at the Monroe News-Star and Morning World and asked him if he knew of any openings. He told me he knew that a sports writer was leaving. I had always loved sports and figured to hell with Jerry, I wanted that job for myself. I interviewed with Stuart Hill, who asked me why I wanted the job. "I'm tired of sacking groceries" was my answer. He and I were wearing identical green madras plaid pants. I think that's why he hired me. And I think that's how you and I first got acquainted, trading scoring summaries on teams from our respective towns that we mutually covered. And then there was the Grantland Rice Bowl in Murfreesboro, Tenn. I think we sat next to each other on the plane, which was only my second flight. ... It dawned on me how fortunate I was to have fallen into a career that I loved at such a young age. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. The people we worked with, worked around and covered are some of the best you'll ever hope to know or meet. And you do a fabulous job of illuminating those coaches, players, mentors and co-workers in this blog. ... Oh, and one more thing, nobody ever outworked you. Though I know, and you know, much of the time it wasn't really work. And you are right: It quit being as much fun for me when I left sports. <br />Nico Van Thynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07072351355184106484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post-55984832087889710932013-01-11T16:12:04.697-06:002013-01-11T16:12:04.697-06:00From Jack Thigpen: Great article on your career an...From Jack Thigpen: Great article on your career and how it panned out. Funny how we end up where we do in life. The sports bug hit me early also. My dad took me to every home Tech athletic event, and many out-of-towns ones, from a very young age. I can not remember when I did not go -- football, basketball, baseball, track -- it did not matter, we were there. I knew from early on that I loved being at the games and wanted to spend my life in the sports world in some capacity. I too had a dream of the professional sports world -- except I wanted to be a player. It did not take long to determine that I did not have the ability to be a pro player. I decided if I could not play, then coaching would be the next best thing. My experiences as a high school athlete solidified that decision of becoming a coach. My sister gave me a T-shirt early in my coaching career that had on the front: “If you can not play it, then coach it.”Nico Van Thynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07072351355184106484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5125402567351329247.post-56771988965181141642013-01-11T11:03:06.242-06:002013-01-11T11:03:06.242-06:00From Bea Van Thyn: I'm truly thankful for Nico...From Bea Van Thyn: I'm truly thankful for Nico's "less-than-his-dream" career in journalism. It was quite a journey in every respect. At one point, I actually joined him working at a newspaper, just long enough to quadruple my appreciation for how he made our living. I love this blog entry.Nico Van Thynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07072351355184106484noreply@blogger.com