A 15-point drop in the Dow is Page 1 news in 1969. I wonder what they would think of today's economic meltdown.
Today in Baby Boomer nostalgia: Gordon Lightfoot makes his debut in Los Angeles.
It took the Rams 12 days to decide they really didn't want to fire Coach George Allen.
Owner Dan Reeves, who fired Allen over what he called a personality conflict, took it all back. Allen had been supported by many of his players, who held a news conference to claim they would retire if someone else was coaching the Rams. That's an unusual step, but Reeves said he wasn't swayed by unhappy players or fans.
The Times ran daily updates on the coaching search. As it became clear that Allen was still in the picture, the stories got a little strange. There was a planned meeting between the players and Reeves, there was a four-hour meeting between Allen and Reeves and there was speculation over Allen's replacement. USC Coach John McKay and former Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi were two names mentioned. Even when Allen was rehired, Reeves said two other coaches had been considered along with the former/current Ram coach.
On Jan. 5, Bob Oates wrote a thorough analysis of the problems between coach and owner: "Quite unintentionally, Allen has been destroying what Reeves built--and therefore what Reeves is."
Leave it to Jim Murray to capture the weirdness of it all. Here's part of his column on the day after Allen was rehired/unfired.
"The announcement ceremony had all the warmth of the surrender signing on the battleship Missouri. The whole thing was as dignified as an axe murder. I have seen more smiles in a police lineup."
What I really miss about the old LA TIMES is the no-nonsense, articulate and hard news feel of the paper. There is nothing visually pretty about it, no soft stories about shopping, eating or spas, just adult oriented news for people curious about the world.
It's very clean, easily readable, tough and smart.
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Keith Thursby. Keith has been an editor at The Times in news, sports and design since 1986. The Rams moved to St. Louis on his first day as assistant sports editor of the paper's Orange County edition. He grew up in Norwalk and lives in Irvine.
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What I really miss about the old LA TIMES is the no-nonsense, articulate and hard news feel of the paper. There is nothing visually pretty about it, no soft stories about shopping, eating or spas, just adult oriented news for people curious about the world.
It's very clean, easily readable, tough and smart.
Posted by: andy | January 07, 2009 at 11:20 AM