Wikipedia doesn’t do Ray Didinger justice. Their short synopsis of the author is matter-of-fact.
Some would call Didinger parochial because he grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and writes about Philadelphia sports. Others might call him a “long-suffering” Philadelphia sportswriter. First of all, the “long-suffering” moniker no longer applies (as of February 4, 2018). That’s when the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII.
Mr. Didinger is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Writers Honor Roll), a five-time Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year winner, and a Pro Football Writers of America award recipient for outstanding feature story. He has written 10 books, including The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies (with Glen Macnow), The New Eagles Encyclopedia (with Robert S. Lyons) and The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America’s Greatest Game. He has also won four Emmy Awards as a writer and senior producer at NFL films and has penned numerous blog posts and a screenplay. In addition, he is an analyst for Comcast Sportsnet.
Roots
A Philadelphian through and through, there aren’t many people around today who can say they attended their first Eagles game at Connie Mack Stadium. Formerly called Shibe Park (renamed after owner/manager Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy), it was where the Philadelphia A’s and later the Phillies played baseball. What many don’t realize is it was the Eagles home field from roughly 1940-1957.
Didinger never missed a deadline, but insists there were many close calls. The subtitle of his book One Last Read is The Collected Works of the World’s Slowest Sportswriter. A graduate of Temple University, he wrote pieces for the now-defunct Philadelphia Bulletin and for the Philadelphia Daily News.
In addition to being a football aficionado, he has also covered baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, hockey and the Olympics. Football, however, is his true passion. He describes basketball as “a simple game.” And baseball, he says, is a “game of cameos – the pitcher, the hitter, the fielder…” Football, which he has been covering for 45 years, has strategy, complexity and intricacies. “It is the most inclusive, truest team game.”
He’ll be the first to admit that it is a violent game. That is one of the reasons why he has such profound respect for those who play it. He says both the courage and the durability of the players are admirable, and therefore he holds in high esteem those who can play through and endure the pain.
Endurance, Faulkner Style
But, there is no doubt he has suffered the slings and arrows of many athletes and fans. Admirably, he’s not afraid to state his opinion. This past year, for example, he openly stated that Jay Ajayi should “Shut up and tote the ball,” when he detected resentment in the Eagles running back’s postgame comments after one regular season game.
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“R. Didi” credits his many influences. He is well versed in sports with a deep reservoir of knowledge about figures – even outside of Philadelphia – from Grantland Rice to Jerry Rice. But, perhaps the reason why he is so respected, is, he understands the Philadelphia fan and their obsession with sports like no other. Watch here as he diplomatically defends the city’s sports fans’ reputation as a bunch of thugs.
He works hard to remain an objective reporter and separate himself from his emotions. However, after the Eagles Super Bowl victory, he broke down when his son visited him on the TV set. He was uncharacteristically emotional when he described what had happened days before – an eagle had landed on his garage roof. He saw it as a reminder of his father’s spirit.
The bottom line is Ray Didinger does his homework. He knows what he is talking about. And it is crystal clear that he loves what he does.
But, most importantly, he has endured. He has endured the abuse from his colleagues from all over the world – about the behavior of Philadelphia fans. Endured the futility of numerous Eagles seasons and incompetent ownership. Endured the National Anthem controversy, the huge salaries and the selfishness of players. The macabre stories and the cold hard truth about concussions. The domestic abuse allegations. The replacement players, the “know-it-all” fans and commentators. And he has prevailed.
Up Close and Personal
Like most Philadelphians, he’s seen it all. As their illustrious former mayor Frank Rizzo used to say, he had a “front row seat to the greatest show on earth.” He should be commended.
All in all, Ray Didinger is a true professional and a sports sage.
But he’s human too. At the beginning of the year, he predicted that the Eagles would go 8-8, and miss the playoffs.
About the Author
Frank Felsburg lived in Philadelphia for 61 years. Shortly after he left, the Eagles won their first Super Bowl.
