Indy Star Columnist Bob Kravitz Is a Damn Good Man

by Kent Sterling

Today, sports columnist Bob Kravitz hosted his first annual golf outing to benefit the ALS Association, and I gave myself the afternoon off to play in it.

That’s because Kravitz is a good man – a really good man.  He has a reputation among some sports fans in Indianapolis as a cantankerous guy who takes players and coaches to the media woodshed, and disagreeing with his take colors their opinion of him as a human being.  That’s a shame because Bob is one of the best people I know.

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Bob investing the energy to host a golf outing to benefit the association fighting the disease that took his mom in 2007 would only be surprising to those who haven’t had the inclination or taken the time to get to know Bob.

The showing among media types and athletes serving as celebrities at the event speaks to the respect people who know him have for him as a man.

I got to know Bob while the program director at 1070 the Fan while Bob was our afternoon drive co-host, and while not a celebrity, I wouldn’t have missed an event that Bob is a part of.

Several years ago as a radio host, Bob said that he would walk to Kokomo if Jamaal Tinsley was on the Indiana Pacers roster the night of the 2008 opener.  Program directors dream of talent saying anything that outrageous because it becomes a recurring bit for the show.

Despite being uninvited to participate with the Pacers in anyway, Tinsley was still on the roster for the opener, and we held Bob to his word.  He agreed to make the walk as long as there was a way to drive some cash to the ALS Association Chapter of Central Indiana.

Because the walk to Kokomo is damn near 40 miles, and impossible to conduct safely in one long hike, we allowed Bob to walk the 40 miles on a treadmill in the lobby of the Emmis Building.  He completed the last couple of miles on US 31 one afternoon prior to the show.

Money was raised, Bob was true to his threat, and the resulting radio shows were excellent.  That’s Bob Kravitz.

Today’s event was also pure Kravitz.  There was fun, and then there was a touching speech from Bob about how his life has been touched by the experiences and wisdom ALS brought to him and his family.  That wisdom came with a steep price, but Bob shares it freely.

The professional side of Bob is equally good.  Getting hammered in the media is expected by all but the most thin-skinned, but what they respect is a guy who will write about a guy, and then show up the next day to talk a little bit.  They do not like media types who hide, and Bob never hides.  Many times, Bob will explain to the subject why he’s writing a negative piece prior to writing it.

Bob is one of the best columnists in the country – self-effacing, modest, and utterly decent.  He has a moral compass that is true, and I found working with him to be an interrupted pleasure.

I think so highly of Bob, that I paid 150 clams out of my own pocket to play in the outing.  That unprecedented investment is because of my respect for Bob, and my hatred for what ALS does to everyone in effects.

If you’re a sports fan in Indiana, every time you get a little peeved at Bob, you should remember who he is, what he does, and how he does it.  He holds players and coaches accountable because you deserve to have someone in the trenches doing that dirty work.

As a sign of thanks to Bob, or your willingness to help fight ALS, make a donation by clicking on this link.