Must-Reads: The Best Active Sportswriters

There are a lot of bad, really bad people employed by big-time newspapers and online versions of magazines to write about sports. Well, let me re-phrase that - they may not be bad people, but they sure are bad writers. They have no passion for their craft and instead of taking the time to write well-researched, well-constructed pieces, they instead offer up piles of clichés and two-bit psychology.

But today I want to talk about the sportswriters who are good. These are people who bring enthusiasm and knowledge to the table. These sportswriters would rather spend time to make an article good, rather than curry favor with a source by writing a hatchet job on a particular person. These are sportswriters you should be reading.

I've limited this piece to writers who are available for free online. So, while I will always hold a soft spot for Peter Gammons, he is not listed as he is now behind the Iron Curtain of the Insider section of E-S-P-N. Some of these papers may require one to register. Don't bitch and moan - take the 60 seconds to fill out the form. It's a small price to pay for the amount of otherwise free content these sources provide.

John Clayton: I know many people prefer Gregg Easterbrook or Peter King or Len Pasquerelli, but Clayton is connected, writes concisely and lives and breathes football. Plus I have to acknowledge perhaps the only person on the planet paler than me.

Steven Goldman: This links to his columns at YES Network and not his work for Baseball Prospectus. It's refreshing to read a columnist paid by the Yankees who tells the truth about Derek Jeter's defense.

King Kaufman: Salon's site can be somewhat difficult to navigate at times (it's actually gotten better recently) but Kaufman makes it worthwhile. Like everyone else, his work can be uneven but he's frequently good and more than occasionally he's outstanding.

Tim Marchman: Okay, the rag he writes for is about the 10th-best paper in New York, but Marchman is tremendous. He gets my vote as the best mainstream (if you can consider the Sun mainstream) sportswriter active today.

Howard Megdal: Is my New York bias showing? Sorry, but when you have as many papers as the Big Apple, you're bound to have a few good sportswriters and Megdal is one of them. Check out his Knicks preview posted today. At least he's not drinking the Kool Aid that most others are about this year's team.

Phil Mushnick: Mushnick is a polarizing figure; you either love him or hate him. He is a champion of decency and he demands it from everyone connected with sports, from owners to players to media figures. There are no sacred cows in Mushnick's world and he'll let popular figures like Mike and the Mad Dog, Joe Morgan and Mark Cuban know when they've crossed the line of good sense and good taste. His writing may not be up to the standards of others on this list, but the content of his columns is outstanding.

Alan Schwarz: A former writer for Baseball America, and the Worldwide Leader, Schwarz is now with the New York Times. He is an excellent sportswriter and a worthy successor to Leonard Koppett. His book "The Numbers Game" is a must-read for any baseball fan.

Bill Simmons: While many feel that he jumped the shark when he moved to LA, his column is always worth reading. Despite the never-ending references to bad TV shows, he is a very talented writer and I wish he would bring back his "Curious Guy" segment.

Peter Vecsey: The man who taught me sarcasm. The cliché would be that Vecsey has forgotten more about basketball than the rest of us know, except he has it all written down in a notebook somewhere. From tales about the ABA, stories about playing pickup ball with active NBA players and rants about his former TV co-host Charles Barkley, Vecsey is as entertaining as he is informative.

Josh Wilker: Okay, he is only a blogger but his work is fantastic. If you are going to click on just one link from this article, make it this one. His writing is not for everyone but if you enjoy the intersection of baseball and personal reflection you absolutely must read his stuff.

And he's not a real sportswriter, but pitcher Curt Schilling has a blog called 38 Pitches that is excellent. Whatever you may think of him personally, he provides real insight and as he becomes a free agent for the first time in his career this off-season, it should be fascinating to read his account of how things shake out on that front.

That's my list of which sportswriters to read. I hope you'll check them out and I feel confident that if you do, you will feel rewarded. Which sportswriters are on your personal list?