Webster's writing continues to sparkle at Jacksonville Journal-Courier

I was lucky enough during my five and a half years as managing editor at The Carthage Press to work with three sports editors who made the Press' sports page the best in the region (and yes, that definitely includes the Joplin Globe) We always had strong game coverage, columns, and photos, thanks to Randee Kaiser, Brian Webster, and Rick Rogers.

When Brian Webster, whose literate style of sportswriting was different than anything this area had seen before or since, left The Press in 1998, he joined the sports team at the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in Illinois, and he is still there a decade later.

Brian was never afraid of offending anyone during his days at The Press and it is obvious from his blog at the Journal-Courier website that he hasn't toned down his writing a bit.

The sad thing for local sports fans is- Brian almost returned to the area about eight years ago. He interviewed with the Joplin Globe and was offered a position. He returned to his wife and family in Illinois. When he told his superiors at the Journal-Courier about the job offer, Brian, who was not trying to play the two sides against each other, was offered an incredibly generous deal.

He told Edgar Simpson, who was then the Joplin Globe's editor what had happened and that he was staying in Jacksonville since it was the best deal for his family. Simpson blew up, withdrew the job offer, saying it had never been made in the first place, and quickly ended the conversation.

Webster's heart-on-his-sleeve style of writing could surely have enlivened the morgue that the Joplin Globe calls a sports section.