by Joe Lapointe
Cabrera kocks in two runs in the first inning. Dashing through the snow squall early Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park was Miguel Cabrera, the large, veteran Tigers’ slugger not known for foot speed. Sailing through the frigid wind was the ball pitched by Cleveland ace Shane Bieber, the defending Cy Young award winner. After brushing back Cabrera up-and-in at 92 miles per hour, Bieber cranked it up to 93. His pitch moved up and away, but not enough. Cabrera took him deep to the opposite field with one man on and two out in the bottom of the scoreless first inning on Opening Day in The D.
March 1, 2021
Baseball lost several legends in 2020, and our little corner of the baseball world was not spared. Joe Distelheim, a long-time editor and writer at
The Hardball Times, passed away on December 30 from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He was 78 years old. News of his passing only recently reached those of us who worked with him at
THT.
Joe left an indelible mark on
The Hardball Times during his extensive tenure there. Indeed, his tenure may have been the longest of anyone associated with the site: records going back that far are sketchy, but he worked for
Respected Alabama and American journalist Joe Distelheim dies at 78
Updated Dec 31, 2020;
Posted Dec 30, 2020
Journalist Joe Distelheim, who led newspapers in several states and edited The Huntsville Times, died today at age 78. He was remembered by many colleagues as the best newspaperman they ever knew.
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Anniston Star, and retired as editor of
The Huntsville Times in 2002.
“He was the best editor and the best newspaper man I ever worked with,” said Bob Ludwig, publisher of
The Times during Distelheim’s tenure.
The Charlotte Observer that won a Pulitzer Prize.
“He loved the business and loved to make it better,” Ludwig said. “He had a great ability to recruit, to see talent and to get it to come work for us.”
Former Huntsville Times editor wrote his own obituary
Updated Dec 31, 2020;
Posted Dec 31, 2020 Huntsville Times editor Joe Distelheim, center, is interviewed in 1997 by C-SPAN S Deborah Lamb. File photoHVT
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By Joe Distelheim
Editor’s note: Ever the wordsmith, former Huntsville Times Editor Joe Distelheim wrote his own obituary while battling lymphoma. He died Wednesday.
Joe Distelheim, a retired newspaperman, died December 30, 2020, wondering how he’s going to get his news from now on. He was 78, a 15-year resident of Hilton Head Island.
Born in Chicago, he was a journalism alumnus of Northern Illinois University. He did graduate work at the University of Delaware and spent a year as a Professional Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. Also furthering his education, he survived the Battle of Parris Island, vowing never again to find himself anywhere near the place. Six years later, a grateful nation awarded an honorable discharge to Sgt. Distelhei