Victory Has 1,000 Fathers; Defeat Has 1,000

I Grew Up In New York City, Where We Played Highly Unorganized Sports: Stick Ball, Stoop Ball, And The Occasional Game Of Baseball With No Adult Supervision.

In Another Life, Before Taking The Veil Of Journalistic Purity, I Practiced The Black Arts Of A Political Operative, Including 'debate Prep.

I Got Into Writing And Thinking About Politics Because I Was Told There Would Be No Math.

As A General Proposition, Campaigns Do Not Linger On The Vice Presidential Nominee. When They Have, It's Always Meant Very Bad News For The Ticket. Think Of Spiro Agnew's Foot-in-mouth Disease; Tom Eagleton's Medical History; The Real Estate Holdings Of Geraldine Ferraro's Husband; The Unbearable Lightness Of Dan Quayle; Sarah Palin's Reading List.

For Millions, Roger Ebert Will Be Remembered As A Writer And Television Personality Who Brought A Sense Of Passion And Excellence To His Craft. For Me, He Is A Man Who Fused Joy And Courage As Few Others Ever Have. My Life Was Enriched By Having Such A Friend; It Is Poorer For Losing Such A Friend.