Rozner: Mike Spellman will be dearly missed
Fifty-eight minutes.
That was the length of my last phone conversation with Mike Spellman a week ago late Wednesday night. That will come as a surprise to a lot of people, because when I'm not working I'm generally in the business of listening more than talking.
See, sports is the world's conversation and it is omnipresent. Whether it's from writing, radio, TV, tweeting, Facebooking, emailing, texting, getting the mail or going to the doctor, there are times when I'm simply talked out.
But my conversations with Mike were always a joy, filled with laughter and cheap shots, and those quick phone calls often turned into an hour of nonsense.
He was my friend and I will miss him.
Mike Spellman died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack, one day before his 51st birthday.
I texted him during Tuesday night's Blackhawks game and thought it was odd that he didn't respond, because he was never too busy for a laugh. Turns out, he never made it to the game.
When I received the news Wednesday morning, the first thing I did was find the scorecard from the first time I broke 80. It was a 79 at Chevy Chase on May 3, 2012, about a week after the Hawks were eliminated by the Coyotes.
It is signed by Mike, my playing partner that day, and includes a call-in number and code for a Marian Hossa conference call as he recovered from the brutal Raffi Torres hit.
As Mike filled in for an ailing Tim Sassone during that playoff series, golf is mostly what we talked about, knowing we would soon be out on the course together again, something we did about once a week during the summer months.
Frankly, golf is mostly what we talked about, and last Wednesday night we were both watching Abu Dhabi on the Golf Channel as we conversed. He was excited because he just recently got XM Radio, and was looking forward to hearing the Golf Channel in the car.
You don't get to choose your co-workers, but I was always happy to be around Mike. He was outgoing, fun and helpful, eager to share and very quick with his wit. He answered the phone every time I called with a spot-on impression of Eddie Schwartz, because he knew I couldn't resist.
We frequently recalled a trip to Tampa with Scot Gregor for a White Sox playoff series in 2008, which, naturally, regressed into late nights and large laughs.
We covered at least 10 golf tournaments together and agreed that the Ryder Cup at Medinah was the best sporting event we had ever covered in our professional careers.
Mike was really looking forward to the BMW returning to Conway Farms in September and he was already talking about a golf trip to Wisconsin with some friends that he took every June.
We shared many Friday afternoons at Arlington Park, enjoying very much the Party in the Park. In fact, the last time I saw him was last Wednesday night when we shared dinner at Ditka's Trackside with sports editor Tom Quinlan and AP big shots Dick Duchossois, Tony Petrillo, Howard Sudberry and Dave Zenner.
The brilliance of Mike Spellman in his 23 years at the Daily Herald was that he could cover any sport and write about it with care and intuition. A terrific baseball player while at St. Viator, Mike had great knowledge of all sports, but his true loves were golf and horse racing.
The brilliance of Mike outside the business was that he lived every day to the fullest, finding time in every day to have fun and care about others.
Though he wasn't married and didn't have kids, he always wanted to hear me brag about my girls, and still talked about someday having kids himself. I don't know if he meant it, but I always felt his regret.
Last Wednesday night, we talked about the Hawks' playoff chances and pondered the possibility of a Hawks-Detroit Stanley Cup Final, how we could make the drive and find ways to sneak in some Michigan golf along the way — and, of course, on the way back.
The world has been cheated far too soon of a man who gave a lot, not just professionally but always personally. I'm sure you will miss his bubbling personality in the newspaper, and maybe you even considered him a friend you got to know every morning.
That's the best tribute you could pay him, to think of him as a friend who you liked being around all the time.
I know I did. And I will miss him. Actually, I already do.
Rest in peace, my friend.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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