posted on Monday, January 30, 2006 6:27 PM
by
Jim
Sun-Times has a Cowley
Joe Cowley, White Sox beat writer for the Daily Southtown and no relation to the former White Sox pitcher of the same name, has jumped on board of the Chicago Sun-Times ship, according to a journalism message board.
He'll replace Doug Padilla, who heads for work out West.
This is a big blow for the Southtown and a coup for the Sun-Times, who just acquired the best Sox beat writer around. Despite working for a paper less than half the size of the Daily Herald and not even one-tenth the size of the Tribune, Cowley, a cancer survivor, consistently scooped the big boys and was the most reliable source for breaking Sox news over the past few years.
This won't help the Tribune either, which has a generally underwhelming sports section for what is Chicago's paper of record. Mark Gonzalez didn't do much for me during his first year on the job, and Cowley's growing presence will hopefully make him work harder.
As much as I liked what the Southtown was doing with their Sox coverage, their somewhat primitive Internet presence made me check Cowley's reports less often. That won't be the case now. Cowley will be a treat for his expanding audience -- he earns his salary on his notebooks alone.