A few thoughts after The Oregonian and John Canzano part ways

The O’s star sports columnist is going independent. Good luck with that.

Canzano, myself and Thomas Boyd at the 2016 Elite Eight in Anaheim. All former Oregonian employees.

I’ve never seen John Canzano sweat. 

It’s impressive — you’d notice with that dome. But whether he was whipping out a column on deadline before most finished transcribing, or going all out in his crusade against the Pac-12, he was a calm force of nature. 

He has detractors, certainly, but I’d argue it’s near impossible being an impactful columnist at a major metro newspaper for two decades without ticking everyone off now and then. I don’t agree with everything he writes. We have vastly different approaches. But John’s writing is always entertaining and it’s always different, and that’s one of the most important things I learned while working together at The Oregonian from 2012 through 2018. 

John often zigged when others zagged. And it’s often led to some of the best sports writing on the West Coast. 

He left The Oregonian on Tuesday. Some people cheered — and that’s fine. The O says they’ll be conducting a national search for a replacement. I hope they land someone great. But they’re not going to land anyone with the same sway. 

Here are a few other things I took away from him during that time: