Former Tribune baseball writer Jerome Holtzman, who rose from copy boy to Hall
of Famer in an illustrious career as a Chicago sportswriter, passed away this weekend after a long illness. He was 82.
Holtzman, a baseball beat writer and columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times before moving to the Tribune in 1981, was the author of six books, including "No
Cheering in the Press Box," a best-selling oral history of the game as told by 24 old-school sportswriters.
Known as "the Dean" in baseball press boxes, Holtzman chronicled the seasons of the White Sox and Cubs for more than 40 years at Chicago
newspapers, beginning in 1957 at the Sun-Times. He was also responsible for the institution of the "save" rule to acknowledge effective relief
pitching in 1966, the first major statistic recognized by Major League Baseball since the RBI was added in 1920.
Holtzman was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, and became baseball's first official historian under Commissioner Bud Selig after retiring
from the Tribune in 1999.
"He was the consummate writer," said George Vass, a former colleague and friend who
collaborated with Holtzman on two books. "No one was ever more dedicated and clear-minded about the sport, and those who played it and wrote about. He
was a great writer, but more important, a great friend."
"Baseball lost a great advocate and fan today, and I lost a dear friend," said Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman of the Chicago White Sox, in a release
from the team. "I will miss his visits to the ballpark and his phone calls during the season to discuss the latest baseball news. In the way baseball is
covered by the media, in the creation of the save rule and in the history and tradition of this game, Jerome truly left his mark on the game he loved and
followed passionately for decades. Perhaps no one other person has done as much to promote the game of baseball to millions. There is no greater tribute or
legacy a person can leave behind for future generations of baseball fans."
The Sox will hold a moment of silence for Holtzman at Monday night's game against Texas.
