- Sid Hartman
Sid Hartman (born
March 15 ,1920 ) is a longtimesports journalist for the Minneapolis "Star Tribune " and the WCCO 830 AM radio station. He is known for his wide range of insider contacts in the sports world, and also for his coarse and, to some, abrasive personality, and a reputation for name dropping. These attributes have led him to be loved by some, but often criticized by other Minnesota sports fans.Background and early career
A high-school dropout, Hartman received no formal writing training, and has always lacked the skill and originality one might expect for a writer with his experience. Hartman penned his first column for the "Minneapolis Daily Times" on
September 11 ,1945 , and continues to report 63 years later.Minneapolis Lakers
As a 27 year old in 1947, Sid became the acting general manager of the
Minneapolis Lakers . Sid helped build what would become the first dynasty in the NBA. [ [http://www.nba.com/history/dynastiesminneapolis_050602.html The Dynasties: Minneapolis Lakers] By Alex Sachare From the Official NBA Encyclopedia, Third Edition]ports columnist
Sid Hartman has been one of the most popular and widely-read, to say nothing of long-lived, sports columnists in the business.
Hartman's columns have been described by some critics as polemical and simplistic, often pointless. Dick Cullum, Hartman's first editor, explained it this way, "Writers are a dime a dozen, but reporters are impossible to find." [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/steve_rushin/rushin0516/index.html Prince of the Sports Page] by Steve Rushin]
In the Twin Cities, Hartman is often referred to on sports radio and TV programs by his first name only.
Hartman has also appeared as a radio sportscaster and commentator for years on Minneapolis' WCCO Radio. One of the elements of his style - often caricatured by local comics and other radio personalities - is his habit while interviewing sports figures of referring to them as "...my close personal friend...", Over the years, his "close personal friends" have included the often-unlikely likes of
George Steinbrenner ,Bobby Knight , etc and an array of regional and national figures, in and out of sports.Author
Hartman has published two books:
*Sid!
* Sid Hartman's Great Minnesota Sports MomentsFamily
His son,
Chad Hartman , also has a radio show on area sports station KFAN. Chad enjoys sports much like his father but often disassociates himself from his father's opinions.References
External links
* [http://www.startribune.com/sid "Star Tribune": Sid Hartman]
* [http://www.wccoradio.com/pages/3476.php?contentType=4&contentId=94882/ "WCCO: Sid Hartman"]
* [http://ww3.startribune.com/blogs/oldnews/archives/150 "Yesterday's News blog": Hartman's first column (Sept. 11, 1945)]
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