RIP Bud Collins

[GordonHowe]

Farewell to a class act,

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...nt-and-dies/9Yl6HbTvGJrEQB4IRT20vL/story.html

Click to read more...

 

[Fenway]

Farewell to a class act,

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...nt-and-dies/9Yl6HbTvGJrEQB4IRT20vL/story.html

I first met Bud Collins years ago when he decided to cover the Bruins selling playoff tickets by waiting in line with the rest of us lunatics. He was a character and could wear outfits that would make Don Cherry blush.

 

[BMC]

He was terrific, I always enjoyed watching Wimbledon when he was there.

May he rest in peace.

 

[GordonHowe]

He was terrific, I always enjoyed watching Wimbledon when he was there.

May he rest in peace.

I have no idea who he really was, as a person, but I always thought he was enthusiastic in the way Bob Ryan remains enthusiastic. And he just seemed like a nice person.

Used to love Wimbledon back in the 80s.

 

[sarge88]

Class act.

Very few people in media today seem to enjoy their job as much as he did.

 

[Fenway]

Class act.

Very few people in media today seem to enjoy their job as much as he did.

One name comes to mind - Doc Emrick

 

[sarge88]

One name comes to mind - Doc Emrick

Yep. Definitely.

 

[GordonHowe]

One name comes to mind - Doc Emrick

Agree. He also seems to be a genuinely nice fellow, too.

 

[Fenway]

Yep. Definitely.

Doc has a routine when he does a game in Boston. Watches the morning skate and then goes over to Halftime Pizza for a slice. He genuinely loves being around hockey barns.

 

[JRull86]

Bud Collins was phenomenal. RIP.

 

[the negotiator]

I met him a couple of times when they used to play the US Pros at Longwood

Genuinely good guy who loved the game of tennis. Knew how to promote the game and in so doing became a fixture on NBC.

I look at tennis today with its assembly line of players that keep coming out and miss the personalities like Bud.

 

[BMC]

I met him a couple of times when they used to play the US Pros at Longwood

Genuinely good guy who loved the game of tennis. Knew how to promote the game and in so doing became a fixture on NBC.

I look at tennis today with its assembly line of players that keep coming out and miss the personalities like Bud.

That's my biggest complaint about tennis today. Sure they're much better athletes but man are they boring.

 

[Fenway]

[/B]

That's my biggest complaint about tennis today. Sure they're much better athletes but man are they boring.

I can not deal with the grunting

Bud was bitter on how pro tennis abandoned Longwood when pros could finally compete in all the tournaments as for years Longwood and WGBH were their biggest backers.

 

[GordonHowe]

[/B]

That's my biggest complaint about tennis today. Sure they're much better athletes but man are they boring.

Me too.

I really enjoyed the game in the 70s and 80s.

Jimmy Connors, Borg, Becker, Johnny Mac (God what a jerk on the court). Chris & Martina. Stefi Graf.

I really miss Gabriela Sabatini, too.

 

[GordonHowe]

I can not deal with the grunting

Bud was bitter on how pro tennis abandoned Longwood when pros could finally compete in all the tournaments as for years Longwood and WGBH were their biggest backers.

God, isn't the grunting awful? I suppose it's "sexist," but it's distracting (doubtless deliberately so) and very unattractive.

I blame Monica Seles.

 

[Fenway]

​

 

[shackattack]

Bud was an icon.God Bless him.

 

[Fenway]

DAN SHAUGHNESSY
The inimitable Bud Collins was all aces

Bud’s wealth of wit and expertise was not reserved for tennis alone. He delighted in telling us of the night drunken Red Sox manager Mike “Pinky†Higgins smashed Bud’s face into a plate of beef stroganoff.

Bud covered the 1967 Red Sox Impossible Dream season. I still have the Globe’s Page 1 featuring Jim Lonborg being carried off the field after he beat the Twins on the final day of the regular season. Under the photo is a story headlined, “Sox Barely Escape Screaming, Streaming Fans,’’ written by Bud Collins.

The last time I saw Ted Williams in Hernando, Fla., an ailing Teddy Ballgame asked about Bud and said, “You tell him he’s the greatest tennis commentator of all time! He’s such an ambassador for that sport. He’s just great. And I remember he wrote a lot of crap about me, too!’’

 

[JoeIsAStud]

Met Bud when he was interviewing my buddy the Alabama Slammer Bryan Shelton after Bryan won The HOF tournament down in Newport.

Bud was a guy who loved what he did, and especially he loved tennis.