Glenn Schwarz cleaned out his office Saturday, boxing up photos and books and trinkets, some that had been there for
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| Glenn Schwarz |
many years.
Bombarded by 40 years of memories in the San Francisco newspaper business, Schwarz was saying goodbye to the Chronicle building after retiring as Sports Editor. It was, he said, "A difficult afternoon."
But not as tough as Friday, his final day on the job, when Schwarz said goodbye to his staff.
"I told them, ‘A lot of retired athletes say they miss the locker room more than they miss the games," Schwarz said. "Well, what I’m really going to miss most is being in the newsroom. The camaraderie.
"I shed a few tears."
Schwarz’s career is a classic newspaperman’s story.
Hired on March 4, 1969 while still in college, Schwarz made $2.15 an hour at his first job at the San Francisco Examiner – which merged with the Chronicle in 2000 – as a copy boy. Along with compiling agate, his duties included making coffee and fetching beer for the veterans.
Upon graduating from San Francisco State, he was hired full time to cover high schools. Almost immediately, he was moved to the Oakland A’s beat, where he covered three championships over the next five years.
"It was a blessing to be able to do that at such a young age," Schwarz said.
After the 1976 season, he was shuffled to the San Francisco Giants beat. For the next 11 seasons Schwarz covered either the Giants or the A’s.
He was dubbed "The Dean" because at one time he was the dean of the Bay Area baseball writers.
In 1987, while covering the MLB winter meetings, he got a call from his boss asking him to return to San Francisco for a meeting.
"I thought something was wrong – that maybe I was in trouble," he said.
Instead, he was asked to become Sports Editor. That has been his job title since.
Over the years, Schwarz made a lot of memories. Like seeing Vida Blue pitch his way to a Cy Young Award in 1971. And watching the rafters in the Candlestick Park press box shake from the earthquake at the 1989 World Series.
But he remembers the friendships he made most.
"That’s the hardest thing in leaving," he said. "I made so many close friends at work, and through APSE."
Those feelings were reciprocated.
"With all the great people who have been sportswriters and sports editors over the years, there are very few who have contributed so much in as many ways as Glenn has over his 40-year career," said Richard Bush, a longtime APSE member who is now at MLB. "He was a strong supporter and contributor to APSE. I was lucky enough to be in Glenn’s group the first time I went to contest judging many years ago, and I have counted on his guidance, his support and his friendship ever since. He is thoughtful about the business, about the people who have worked for him and with him and about the many friends he has made over the years.
"I’ve seen how loyal the people who have worked for Glenn are and how much respect they have for him. That doesn’t just happen. I also can’t begin to count the number of conversations I’ve had with him over the years about what makes sections, stories and columns great, and he always had not only strong opinions and thoughts but also great reasons to back them up. And I know I can count on him to find a great restaurant and a great bottle of wine in any city, two skills not to be overlooked. For all these reasons and more, Glenn is definitely a legend in the business."
"I was a puppy, young, high strung, anxiety ridden – all in all, a mess," San Jose Mercury News Sports Editor Bud Geracie said, recalling his time with Schwarz on the A’s beat in the mid-1980s. "And Glenn, despite being the competition – and make no mistake, he was and is a competitor – always took time to hear me out and calm me down. He had that way about him 25 years ago, and he still has it now. The outpouring of love and support from his staff comes as no surprise at all. It is a tribute to a first-rate professional who always put people first."
"He has been the full package as a sports editor," said Michelle Smith, a reporter at the Chronicle. "He was a boss with a great sense for writers and the way our minds (and our expense reports) worked, an advocate for great stories big and small, a constructive critic and a great friend."
"It’s hard to say what will be missed most around here about Glenn," Chronicle Deputy Sports Editor Mark Smoyer said. "On the practical side, Glenn seemed to have every significant team’s schedule memorized. He probably could, right now, recite the Cal football schedule for the fall.
"On the personal side, he is a great friend to many of us. He cares, and you know it."
The greatest proof of that is the way he became sports editor. When the job opened up in 1987, his co-workers signed a petition endorsing him for the job. The gesture convinced the Chronicle’s leaders.
Schwarz said he feels blessed to have been able to work in San Francisco during a time when the newspaper industry thrived. "We were able to accomplish some really great things here," he said.
But with the continuing problems in the newspaper industry – issues that have hit the Chronicle hard – Schwarz decided now was the time to accept the company’s buyout offer.
Even though he knows he’ll miss it.
"I will. It’s been my job for a long time.
"And it was a great job to have."
