Jayson Stark (born July 19, 1951)[1] is an American sportswriter and author who covers baseball for The Athletic. He is most known for his time with The Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN.
Jayson Stark | |
|---|---|
 Stark in 2012 | |
| Born | July 19, 1951 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Syracuse University |
| Occupation(s) | Baseball writer and analyst |
| Employers |
|
| Spouse | Lisa |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | J. G. Taylor Spink Award (2019) |
| Website | Jayson Stark |
Biography
editStark was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the city's Northeast section.[2][3] He graduated from Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in journalism in 1973.[3][1][4] His first job in journalism was at The Providence Journal.[2] In 1979, he joined his hometown Philadelphia Inquirer as a beat writer for the Philadelphia Phillies, and eventually became a national baseball writer and columnist for that paper.[1][5] From 1983 to 1999 he produced a nationally syndicated Baseball Week in Review column "known for unearthing obscure, historic and humorous aspects of baseball".[1] He was twice named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.[1][6] His observations and analysis of the 1993 Phillies team is quoted in several books.[7][8]
Stark joined ESPN in 2000.[4] He was a senior writer for ESPN.com. He also contributed to SportsCenter, ESPNews, Baseball Tonight,[9] and a weekly segment during baseball season with WHB 810 in Kansas City. He appeared weekly on Mike & Mike.[9] Beginning in 2014, Stark began co-hosting a weekly radio show during baseball season on ESPN Radio's affiliate in Philadelphia. Stark was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.[10][3] Stark was laid off from ESPN on April 26, 2017,[11] along with several other on-air personalities.[12] On April 1, 2018, he started writing for The Athletic.[13]
Stark is the 2019 recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing".[14]
Personal
editStark has three children with his wife, Lisa, who has been an assistant coach for the Council Rock North volleyball team.[15]
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love. Triumph Books. 2014. ISBN 978-1623688165.
- Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies. Triumph Books. 2011. ISBN 978-1600786556.
- The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History. Triumph Books. 2007. ISBN 978-1572439597.
Selected articles
edit- "How MLB Expansion could lead to realignment, a new playoff format, a universal DH and more". The Athletic. June 13, 2018.
- "Kolten Wong's walk-off wins wild one". ESPN. October 13, 2014.
- "Strange stuff … in the 2011 postseason". ESPN. December 23, 2011.
- "Strange But True in 2010". ESPN. December 24, 2010.
- "Schmidt Just Made It Look Easy", in The Phillies Reader, Richard Orodenker, ed. 2005: Temple University Press, page 220. ISBN 1592133983.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Jayson Stark". ESPN Mediazone. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ a b "Jayson Stark in his own words". Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism. Still No Cheering in the Press Box. Interviewed by Alex Murphy. University of Maryland, College Park. 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Inductee Profile: Jayson Stark". Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ a b Morgan, Bruce (2012). Steve Carlton and the 1972 Phillies. McFarland. p. 178. ISBN 978-0786489831.
- ^ Macnow, Glen; Cataldi, Angelo (2004). The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate. B B & A Publishers. p. 20. ISBN 0975441914.
- ^ "ESPN's Stark to visit Penn State for Foster Conference". Penn State | News. The Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ Gordon, Bob; Burgoyne, Tom (2013). More than Beards, Bellies and Biceps: The Story of the 1993 Phillies (And the Phillie Phanatic Too). Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1613214473.
- ^ Gordon, Robert (2013). Then Bowa Said to Schmidt...: The Greatest Phillies Stories Ever Told. Triumph Books. p. 153. ISBN 978-1623682262.
- ^ a b "Jayson Stark". Speakerpedia.com. 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ Skarka, Mike (February 8, 2017). "ESPN's Jayson Stark to be inducted into Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". ESPN.
- ^ Jayson Stark [@jaysonst] (April 26, 2017). "For 17 yrs I've had a dream job covering baseball for ESPN. Today is my last day. Thanks to all the great people at ESPN, MLB & all of you!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "A Running List of ESPN Layoffs". April 26, 2017.
- ^ Stark, Jayson (April 1, 2018). "Jayson Stark: Welcome to the future, where great writing matters". The Athletic.
- ^ "Jayson Stark wins Baseball Hall of Fame's Spink Award". ESPN. Associated Press. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "ESPNs Jayson Stark Talks Phillies!". Suburban One Sports. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.