Robert Liston "The Benchwarmer" Burnes passed away 13 years ago today.
He was my friend Mega's uncle and I wish I could have had the chance to talk about baseball with him for five minutes.
Bob Burnes wrote for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat newspaper for 51 years (1945-1986). Burnes wrote over 15,000 articles for his sports column (also known as "The Benchwarmer") during that time. He covered the St. Louis Browns and went on to become the paper's sports editor. He premiered on KMOX radio in 1953 and became the first host of their Sports Open Line program.
Bernie Miklasz, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, had this to say about Mr. Burnes in his Father's Day column in 2007.
Bernie Miklasz, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, had this to say about Mr. Burnes in his Father's Day column in 2007.
"Mr. Burnes, of course, was a sportswriting legend who wrote his famous “Benchwarmer” column at the Globe Democrat for 51 years. He died in 1995. I got to know him in the final 10 years of his life, and he was always kind to a young and obnoxious sportswriter. I have always said that I will never, ever, be able to carry the typewriters of Bob Burnes and Bob Broeg. They were giants in this town. The best."
To read the whole column, click HERE.
To read the whole column, click HERE.
2 comments:
awww nolda. Thanks for this. He does just a few weeks after pat and I were married, and I will always remember what a sweet man he was. You were not alone in just wanting to talk baseball for just a few minutes. People always saw him more as a sports friend than a sports writer
My family never subscribed to the Globe -- we were Posties -- but I loved listening to Bob on KMOX radio MANY a night ....
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