ATTENTION MAGAZINE NERDS: CRMA NEWS COMING AT YA!
Greetings from overcast Denver, where last night the City and Regional Magazine Association hosted its annual party, handing out awards for the best magazine stories, covers, and writers. D was nominated in three categories: Reporting, Cover Design, and Ancillary Publication. And the winners are…
We didn’t win anything. I know. Sort of a letdown after jumping with me. But it’s good to be nominated and all that. But don’t get me wrong: it would have been infinitely better to win. Primarily because I would have done the Kirk Gibson World Series home run trot on the way to the podium. But I would have done it from all angles. Imagine it: I start with the scowl of Dennis Eckersley as he faces Gibson, then change expressions and be the hobbled Gibson stepping back into the batter’s box, awaiting the Eck’s 3-2 sidearm pitch. And then the swing and that ugly, pain-induced follow through of Gibson’s, the one where his left leg flails and lands near the right one, facing the pitcher’s mound. And then mouth Vin Scully’s call: “A high fly ball to deep right field.” And then switch to the fans in the bleachers, celebrating the way all fans in the 1980s seemed to celebrate: jumping up and down while pumping both fists in the air. All excess, no ironic detachment. And then return to Gibson as he rounds second and–yes–gives two vigorous fist pumps of his own. And then end with Tommy Lasorda, sweet fat Tommy Lasorda, waving his own arms about and running toward home plate.
It would have been awesome. Consider if we would have won all three. That means three home run trots, baby!
Instead, I took home second place for Reporting, beating out Texas Monthly but losing to Chicago. Todd Johnson took the silver for Cover Design, losing out to Texas Monthly. And D’s fashion book won the bronze. A great showing, and, home run trots aside, we are honored to have been nominated.
One final note: The General Excellence Award–in other words, The Best Magazine Published This Year–went to Los Angeles and not Texas Monthly. A lot of editors in the audience seemed to be pleased. You see, last year TM cleaned house but failed to show. Rubbed a lot of editors the wrong way. They wondered if Evan Smith and company thought they were too good for the CRMAs. Los Angeles winning was a revenge of sorts, especially since TM was there this time, represented by former D staffer Brian Sweany.
As Laura Kostelny would say: sweet Brian Sweany.
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