OPINION: A little bio info goes a long way

The player’s favorite food, favorite television show, favorite hobby, etc. were just some of the items which would often be included. It was always fun to see if you had anything in common with the player behind the love of sports.

It is with that in mind I offer a little insight into your local columnist. Some things you probably won’t be surprised at, but some you might.

•I’m a football junkie. From following high school football in our state to the college game to the pros, I love it all. Baseball and basketball season are too long and have way too many games. In football, you play once a week which always leaves you ready for the next game.

•I don’t watch any current night time television shows, other than sports. Quite frankly there are no shows on now that I find worth spending time on. Instead I enjoy watching shows I grew up with or ones that were produced even before I was born. TV shows on DVD has to be one of the greatest inventions.

•In a tie-back to the first item I mentioned, I enjoy watching football games from the past. A friend once asked me (a non football fan mind you), “Why would you watch a game where you already know who has won?” To me, sometimes it’s more enjoyable watching games this way, especially if your team did win the game in question. However, I enjoy studying the sport’s past and old games are a great way to do it.

•Politics has always been a passion for me. More specifically, I enjoy when the candidates are campaigning. Once most get into office they don’t deliver on what they promised anyway so for me the great part is watching the campaigns as they progress. It’s one of those things which make our country great.

•I’ve written about sports writing icon Furman Bisher plenty of times throughout my career as someone who influenced me to go in journalism. Many long-time readers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution know about Bisher. However, another man who influenced me was Stanley Weston and I realize many of you probably don’t know about him.

Weston grew up a big boxing fan and in his early days contributed to The Ring magazine, known as “The Bible of Boxing.” Weston would eventually own a publishing company which produced several boxing and wrestling titles each month, reaching its heyday in the 1980s with as many as six monthly magazines devoted to the two sports as well as several quarterly publications.

Weston passed away a few years ago, but he is a member of the boxing hall of fame and while I loved reading his magazines as a teenager, I can also remember starting to notice how the pages were designed and put together, how the articles were written and packaged with the photos and even about their distribution schedules.

An interest in journalism for me began thanks in part to Weston. In fact, I find it somewhat ironic that I now work for a company which publishes several area community newspapers each week, giving me somewhat of an insight into what Weston did for a living.

•I’m a big fan of the underdog. If a team is not favored to win I usually find myself cheering for an upset.

•Since my professional newspaper career began in 1993, I have worked at two publications which are no longer in existence. Times have changed for newspapers and in an age where people rely on bloggers and slanted television networks for their information, we should all hope newspapers don’t go away.

•I still have no idea how to download Itunes or work an Ipod.

Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal, a sister publication of The Banks County News. He can be reached at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.