[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING RICK HUMMEL

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of our Nation's 
finest sportswriters, Rick Hummel, and congratulate him on receiving 
the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, the highest honor awarded by the Baseball 
Writers Association of America.
  The great sportswriter, Red Smith, once said ``There's nothing to 
writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.'' He 
meant, of course, that writing is not easy. Sports writing can be 
particularly challenging, but when done well it can be some of the best 
journalistic writing there is. Rick Hummel does it well.
  Those who know Hummel best call him the ``Commish'' a nickname he 
earned by organizing the newsroom's softball and bowling league teams. 
Over the years, the moniker has taken on deeper meaning. Today, it 
serves as a nod to his extensive knowledge of the game of baseball and 
as a tribute to his venerable career.
  Rick Hummel was born and raised in Quincy, IL. He graduated from 
Quincy High School in 1964, went on to earn a degree from the 
University of Missouri School of Journalism, and then served in the 
U.S. Army for 3 years.
  Hummel joined the staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1971. At 
the Post-Dispatch, he learned the ropes, as many sportswriters do, by 
covering high school athletics. Hummel was given his first chance to 
write about the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. By 1978, 
covering the Cardinals was Hummel's full-time job. He spent the next 24 
years as a beat reporter and continues to write for the Post-Dispatch 
as a regular columnist.
  Hummel is passionate about baseball, but as a writer he is known for 
his uncomplicated style and humility, as well as his ability to work 
with players, coaches, and managers alike.
  Hummel was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 and the National 
Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association named him Missouri 
Sportswriter of the Year on four separate occasions. Now as the 57th 
winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, presented annually for 
``meritorious contributions to baseball writing,'' Hummel will be 
recognized in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of 
Fame. He joins such legendary sportswriters as Red Smith, Ring Lardner, 
Grantland Rice, and Damon Runyon.
  I congratulate Rick Hummel on this achievement and recognize his 
accomplishments throughout his long and successful career.

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