Charlotte Observer reporter Rick Bonnell found dead in his home this morning

[frankw]

That's just awful. Big loss for local sports. Life is very delicate. RIP.

[Scott12345]

Terrible news

Bonnell was great with Hornets

prayers

[Jon Snow]

3 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I can distinctly remember a time when I thought 63 was old as dirt. Hell, 30 was old as dirt. I'm still decades away from 63, but it sure doesn't seem all that old anymore.

I'm about to turn 60 and facing early retirement because of my health.  Enjoy your health while you're still young.  60 is the new 50 my ass.

Although I will say that I have "burned the candle from both ends"  most of my life so I'm not complaining too much.  It's been a hell of a ride so far.  F*CK 2020!

[MHS831]

In grad school, I worked weekends at the Observer.  Rick was a great guy.  He was covering the Hornets one night (not sure I assume)  and asked me to try to call a number to set up an interview with Jim Valvano.  Rumors were flying that he was going to take an offer with the NJ Nets.  I was just a young, weekend agate clerk, writing about lake levels and fixing box scores and cutting AP articles to fit the space we had---so this was a big deal.  I called about 30 times that night.  No answer.  Finally, around 9 pm or so (I was not sure I should be calling that late, but nobody called me off)  Valvano answered, and there was some loud talking and laughing in the background.  I looked up (the newsroom is empty with only the sports dept. there at night) and I saw Bonnell entering.  I waved him over as fast as possible.  It was Valvano, so I told him to wait a second, Bonnell wanted to talk to him.  He agreed, and started talking to people there in his room.  Bonnell is yelling into the phone because it was as if Jimmy V had a whole bar full of people with him in his hotel room--he was drunk.  After about 50 seconds, Rick put the phone down and started typing into his computer.  He pointed at me to say, "Thanks".  He was breaking a national story.  I stopped worrying about lake levels and just watched.  In about 10 minutes later, the TVs in the news room (tuned in to ESPN) blasted, "This just in from the Charlotte Observer---Valvano is going to the NJ Nets.  I called everyone who would pick up and told them that I helped break the story.  

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-21-sp-660-story.html

The next time I went in, the story had been retracted.  I went up to Bonnell and asked him about it.  He said, "The next day, he didn't even remember talking to me.  I asked him if he was going to sign with the Nets as rumored, and he gave me a big YES! That is why we are celebrating.  He gave me terms of the deal, but was not sure. He added, "I should have known better.  If you know Jimmy V, I should have known better." Laughing.

Bonnell gave me all kinds of Hornets stuff--photos, gym bags, etc.  He was a great writer, and a great person.

[Mr. Scot]

2 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Don't worry. You're too hard headed to die. You'll argue the grim reaper into submission.

After some of the stuff I've been through over the last few years, I'm actually surprised I'm still here.

Doctor looked me in the eyes a while back, told me that my internal organs were malfunctioning and said "I'm gonna be straightfoward here. This is killing you".

Hard to describe what you feel when somebody tells you something like that.

[The Huddler]

3 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

My mom passed at 61. My brother barely made it past his 62nd birthday.

I'm 54 and have had major health issues before, so yeah...

I hope you live to a grand old age and you make the huddle a better place. 

 

im sure you will still have the highest post count a decade after you kick the bucket. 

[PantherExpress]

Terrible news.... This one stings for a lot of us. 

[travisura]

24 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

In grad school, I worked weekends at the Observer.  Rick was a great guy.  He was covering the Hornets one night (not sure I assume)  and asked me to try to call a number to set up an interview with Jim Valvano.  Rumors were flying that he was going to take an offer with the NJ Nets.  I was just a young, weekend agate clerk, writing about lake levels and fixing box scores and cutting AP articles to fit the space we had---so this was a big deal.  I called about 30 times that night.  No answer.  Finally, around 9 pm or so (I was not sure I should be calling that late, but nobody called me off)  Valvano answered, and there was some loud talking and laughing in the background.  I looked up (the newsroom is empty with only the sports dept. there at night) and I saw Bonnell entering.  I waved him over as fast as possible.  It was Valvano, so I told him to wait a second, Bonnell wanted to talk to him.  He agreed, and started talking to people there in his room.  Bonnell is yelling into the phone because it was as if Jimmy V had a whole bar full of people with him in his hotel room--he was drunk.  After about 50 seconds, Rick put the phone down and started typing into his computer.  He pointed at me to say, "Thanks".  He was breaking a national story.  I stopped worrying about lake levels and just watched.  In about 10 minutes later, the TVs in the news room (tuned in to ESPN) blasted, "This just in from the Charlotte Observer---Valvano is going to the NJ Nets.  I called everyone who would pick up and told them that I helped break the story.  

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-21-sp-660-story.html

The next time I went in, the story had been retracted.  I went up to Bonnell and asked him about it.  He said, "The next day, he didn't even remember talking to me.  I asked him if he was going to sign with the Nets as rumored, and he gave me a big YES! That is why we are celebrating.  He gave me terms of the deal, but was not sure. He added, "I should have known better.  If you know Jimmy V, I should have known better." Laughing.

Bonnell gave me all kinds of Hornets stuff--photos, gym bags, etc.  He was a great writer, and a great person.

What a great story. Thanks for sharing. I hope his memory brings you peace.

[MHS831]

I try not to listen to people complain about age.  I have known people who have done in one year what most don't do in a lifetime.  In my last book, I write about my family--"they are born, and as babies people hold them like open books and predict greatness.  Instead, the act like idiots, sell their lives by the hour at the mill to man who drives the Cadillac and smokes the stinky cigar, and they retire to their front porches where they become Vitalis-soaked philosophers, drugstore cowboys of yesteryear, who have more alimony debt that common sense."

It is OK--they will never find out what I said.  It is in print.

[SizzleBuzz]

36 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

In grad school, I worked weekends at the Observer.  Rick was a great guy.  He was covering the Hornets one night (not sure I assume)  and asked me to try to call a number to set up an interview with Jim Valvano.  Rumors were flying that he was going to take an offer with the NJ Nets.  I was just a young, weekend agate clerk, writing about lake levels and fixing box scores and cutting AP articles to fit the space we had---so this was a big deal.  I called about 30 times that night.  No answer.  Finally, around 9 pm or so (I was not sure I should be calling that late, but nobody called me off)  Valvano answered, and there was some loud talking and laughing in the background.  I looked up (the newsroom is empty with only the sports dept. there at night) and I saw Bonnell entering.  I waved him over as fast as possible.  It was Valvano, so I told him to wait a second, Bonnell wanted to talk to him.  He agreed, and started talking to people there in his room.  Bonnell is yelling into the phone because it was as if Jimmy V had a whole bar full of people with him in his hotel room--he was drunk.  After about 50 seconds, Rick put the phone down and started typing into his computer.  He pointed at me to say, "Thanks".  He was breaking a national story.  I stopped worrying about lake levels and just watched.  In about 10 minutes later, the TVs in the news room (tuned in to ESPN) blasted, "This just in from the Charlotte Observer---Valvano is going to the NJ Nets.  I called everyone who would pick up and told them that I helped break the story.  

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-21-sp-660-story.html

The next time I went in, the story had been retracted.  I went up to Bonnell and asked him about it.  He said, "The next day, he didn't even remember talking to me.  I asked him if he was going to sign with the Nets as rumored, and he gave me a big YES! That is why we are celebrating.  He gave me terms of the deal, but was not sure. He added, "I should have known better.  If you know Jimmy V, I should have known better." Laughing.

Bonnell gave me all kinds of Hornets stuff--photos, gym bags, etc.  He was a great writer, and a great person.

Awesome story!

[Jon Snow]

7 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

I try not to listen to people complain about age.  I have known people who have done in one year what most don't do in a lifetime.  In my last book, I write about my family--"they are born, and as babies people hold them like open books and predict greatness.  Instead, the act like idiots, sell their lives by the hour at the mill to man who drives the Cadillac and smokes the stinky cigar, and they retire to their front porches where they become Vitalis-soaked philosophers, drugstore cowboys of yesteryear, who have more alimony debt that common sense."

It is OK--they will never find out what I said.  It is in print.

You just described nearly every male over 30 in America.  Care to narrow it down a bit?

[Butterflyj30]

This is soo sad may he RIP 

[MHS831]

3 hours ago, Jon Snow said:

You just described nearly every male over 30 in America.  Care to narrow it down a bit?

You, me, Mr Scot get a pass because we have tasted the nectar from Zeus's cup. 

All others have remote controls velcroed to their carpal tunnel brace.