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May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Oct. 6, 2008 / 7 Tishrei 5769

For 20 years, it's been the best seat on television

By Mitch Albom


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | We never took off the ties.


The athletes got flashier. The analysts got louder. It would have shocked no one if the host and the three panelists undid their Windsor knots, unbuttoned their collars, and got down and dirty with the rest of the sports business.


But we didn't. For whatever reason. Maybe it was the reverence of Sunday morning. Maybe it was just habit. But if you check the tape of the first "Sports Reporters" show on ESPN, you'll see men wearing jackets and ties (and a female panelist in a dress). And if you watch the show today, not much has changed.


Yesterday marked 20 years of Sunday mornings for this half-hour program, one I joined a few years after it started. Back then we filmed in the old HBO studios off 23rd Street in Manhattan. You hopped a cab, got out at a stage door, rang a bell and hoped someone would answer, otherwise, you be stuck in the rain or snow for a while.


Today the show is filmed in the ESPN Zone restaurant in Times Square. There's a lobby store with ESPN merchandise. Hanging near the set is a blown-up cover of ESPN The Magazine. None of these things existed when we got started.


But we are still here.

TALKING WITHOUT POLITICIANS
The premise of "The Sports Reporters" was novel and cliched. Sunday morning TV traditionally had been occupied by panel shows such as "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press."


"The Sports Reporters" was essentially a sports version. But with one caveat. The panelists were sportswriters. No athletes. No coaches. And no guests. It was a conversation for 30 minutes, wrapped with minute-long "parting shots" at the end. Simple. Straightforward.


And it worked.


It worked largely because of the host, Dick Schaap, one of most-beloved sportswriters of our time. Dick, who penned heralded books and columns before joining ABC News, was a white-haired wizard of words, as thick with insight as he was devoid of ego. He let younger panelists such as Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan, Tony Kornheiser, Bill Conlin, Mike Wilbon and myself argue back and forth, cutting across his airspace with our sentences. Then, just before a commercial break, he'd button it up with something smarter and wittier than any of us had said.


Dick hosted the show from 1988 until his death in 2001. His last appearance was the Sunday after Sept. 11, one of the program's finest hours. There were many who felt "The Sports Reporters" minus Schaap wouldn't be the same.


It wasn't. But it was still the show. John Saunders ably stepped in, and while he didn't expect it to be long-term, he has been there ever since. "The Sports Reporters" has that effect on certain people. It offers them a seat, and next thing you know, they're kind of living there.

TALES FROM THE STUDIO
Over the years there have been plenty of hairy moments. Taped shows from West Coast Super Bowls when it's still dark outside. Outdoor winter programs where chattering teeth affect your speech. Two weeks in Albertville, France, fighting snow and foreign language. Microphones that go out. A janitorial crew that turns on the vacuums just as the cameras roll.


Oh, and my total inability to read a teleprompter unless it is three feet from my face, which has prompted frequent screams from Lupica of "GET CONTACTS!" The thing I tell fans of the show, which now airs at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN, is that we would all do the same thing, cameras or not. Ever since the old days, there has been a bag of bagels and hot coffee when we arrive. And for 20 minutes, we chew and sip and argue the sports issues of the day — until sometimes the executive producer, Joe Valerio, yells, "Save it for the program!"


There is no script. No rehearsed lines. The cast rotates. And you have no idea going in if the show will hold up at all. But then it does. It is the magic of sports conversation and the karma of people enjoying what they do.


Sports has gotten loud, mean and at times repellent. But I am proud of the show for maintaining a sense of grace. We don't shout each other off. We don't pounce. We keep our ties on.


As one of the original "guys talking sports" programs — long before "Best Damn Sports Show Period," "Pardon the Interruption" or "Around the Horn" — "The Sports Reporters" may be considered by some to be old school. But you can learn new things in an old school. And 90 percent of life, someone once said, is just showing up.


We're still here.

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