RIP. He was a great guy and great sportswriter. Loved him on the Sportswriters on both radio and TV.

A popular yet decidedly unpretentious professional, Jauss would gain even greater notoriety as a member of the “Sportswriters On TV” panel that he shared with fellow irascible cigar-smoking characters Bill Gleason, Rick Telander and host Ben Bentley.

We'd get that show on Sportschannel in Boston back in the day. I had never seen anything like it and I loved it. I ran into Jauss at my one and only visit to Wrigley Field and my brief interaction with him was very good, he was friendly and had a booming laugh when we spoke.

Loved watching that show on satellite back when I was a teenager. He and Gleason were both favorites of mine. RIP, Jauss.

I'll 4th the praise of the Sportswriters on TV.

Fifth. It was so odd to see Telander there with those other three and I liked all the relics of old-time sportswriting, the cigars, hats, typewriters, etc. It was part of the reason I wanted to go to Chicago for school. (And ###### it up.)

Joe Mooshil, who used to fill in when one of the main sportswriters missed a show, died last month.

Though I personally never took one of his courses, he was on the adjunct faculty at Medill when I was there. Very popular, very well liked.

6th on the Sportswriters. Great TV and just fun to listen to them argue. RIP.

One of my favorite radio shows was when they gleefully crucified Steve Ontiveros (Cubs 3B) who was thrown out at the plate to end the game (IIRC), taking a very wide turn around third base trying to score from second to tie the game (IIRC) at Wrigley Field. This would be in the late 1970s. One of the sportswriters said Ontiveros rounded third by way of Joliet, very funny. If anyone can find the game on Retrosheet I would be very appreciative.

My dad listened to their radio show faithfully, and I often listened along. I can't remember the full lineup from way back then -- it was Jauss, Gleason, Bentley, and someone -- but I remember just enjoying the heck out of that show. Yeah, there was definitely an old-guard, cigar-smoking flavor to it, but it was almost like having these guys hang out in the living room, telling stories.

Boy howdy, Gleason was a loudmouth though, wasn't he?

Gleason was my original impetus to listen to the Sportswriters. I always thought he was much older than Jauss as Gleason retired from the Sun-Times way back in '81 and seemed ancient. (And not nearly as animated as Jauss.) When he died a couple of years ago, though, he was only 83, making him no more than five years older than Jauss.

CSN Chicago briefly re-ran a few Sportswriters on TV episodes a couple years ago. They are exactly as great now as they were 20 years ago. Bill Jauss always made me happy with his enthusiasm and love for sports. He was the anti-Skip Bayless.

Bill's son Dave Jauss has coached for several teams. My condolences to him and his family, and I am grateful for all the entertainment his father gave me over the years.

George Langford was the other guy on the original radio show.

Ah, thanks Rob, yup that was it.

Loved that show. RIP Mr. Jauss

Loved the show. Jauss was a big part of it, with his enthusism and his back-and-forth with Telander.

RIP. Damn shame.

That was a wonderful show. One of the best things about cable back in the eighties. Gleason was like Red Auerbach with that cigar, Telander was the young, liberal thinker, Bentley was the moderator with a streak of Jerry Stiller in him, and Jauss was the energetic machine who kept everything going.

You did good, Jauss.

The Sportswriters was everything ESPN's The Sports Reporters tries and fails to be each week. RIP, Mr. Jauss.