Rackets, Rivals -- and Regrets

I texted my friend Greg to see if he could fly in for the premiere of "Chris & Martina: The Final Set" at the Tribeca Film Festival next month but sadly he's got other plans. I later told him I was re-reading the book about their famous rivalry -- Greg and I first met when we had to play against each other in a club tournament in 1980! -- and mentioned how I don't remember any of the "new" details I had first learned in 2005. (Does anyone else seem to forget most of what they read? He -- and Damian -- ended up concurring, so I felt a little better.)

After finishing, I moved on to the imported Steffi Graf book my brother Bill had gotten me for Christmas some 30 years ago, which I feel like I had only skimmed at the time. 

Nothing monumental, other than finally confirming to me that her gross father had not, in fact, fathered a child out of wedlock plus the grim realization that in addition to sexy race-car driver Michael Bartels (above), Fräulein Forehand had also dated dreamy German tennis pro Alexander Mronz, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1995. 

Andre Agassi is clearly Steffi's Aristotle Onassis, because how else do you explain trading in either of the other guys?

Side note: If Steffi had wound up with Mronz, her brother-in-law would have been sports and events manager Michael Mronz, seen above on the left with his longtime partner, Guido Westerwelle, who served as foreign minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and as Germany’s vice-chancellor from 2009 to 2011, becoming the first openly gay person to hold either post. Westerwelle attended Merkel’s 50th birthday party in 2004 with Mronz, marking the first time he attended an official event with his partner. (Sadly, he died in 2014 after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia.) 

My Roland Garros program from my 1987 trip to the event can be seen above

This prompted Greg to send me a photo of his tennis book collection, below, and me to send mine in reply. Although we both have a number of good ones -- note the two YA Tracy Austin books I may have pilfered from the Rhodes Junior High School library and the WTA media guides that changed my young life -- it got me a little weepy remembering that I had been offered Bill's sizeable tennis library after he died in 2017 but I wasn't thinking straight -- and lived in a much smaller third-floor walkup -- so demurred. How I wish I could go back.

On Greg's shelf I spy an Evonne Goolagong book I would love to check out, as well as John McEnroe's "You Cannot Be Serious," which is on my list as I want to hear his side of things after reading what Tatum O'Neal had to say about him in "A Paper Life." 

Please tell me which tennis books I should be adding to my collection in the comments!

The Ides of March

 

We lost our Billy nine years ago today and it’s every bit as painful as it was then. 🙏

Linda Holmes: Remembering Bill Walsh's Way With Words

Abbey Sobelman and Sheridan Wood Awarded ACES Bill Walsh Scholarship for 2026

 

Excited to share the news that Abbey Sobelman, a senior at Northern Arizona State, and Sheridan Wood, a master's student at the University of Montana, have been selected the winners of the 2026 editing scholarship named after my brother Bill.

The award, endowed by my family to honor a student pursuing a career in news editing, is administered by the ACES Education Fund and is supported by donations to the ACES Education Fund. 

Many thanks to everyone involved behind the scenes for helping maintain this wonderful tribute to our beloved Billy. Our family is irrevocably broken, but remembering him through his love of words is something I continue to treasure each year. xo

From the news release:

The ACES Education Fund has chosen two winners for the 2026 Bill Walsh Scholarship for excellence in the editing of news.

Abbey Sobelman and Sheridan Wood are the tenth and eleventh recipients of the $3,500 award, named for the late Washington Post editor and author Bill Walsh, who also was a member of the Education Fund Board of Directors. 

The two were chosen from several dozen outstanding applicants representing public and private universities from across the U.S. and around the world. 

Sobelman is a senior in journalism and communication studies at Northern Arizona University. She has worked at the Lumberjack, the student newspaper, and KJACK Radio, the student radio station, since her first year in college. Through these experiences, she has been drawn to the editing process.

“Editing has been the highlight and passion of my college career,” Sobelman said. “This award will allow me to complete my undergraduate degrees in journalism and communication studies this May and support the start of my professional career.” 

Wood is a master’s student in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism at the University of Montana. She has worked as a copy editor and reporter at several media outlets and has won awards for radio reporting. Her career plans center on local news.

“I am honored to be named the 2026 Walsh Scholar, and am deeply grateful to the ACES Education Fund judges and donors for this opportunity,” Wood said. “I strongly believe high quality, well edited news is paramount to the foundation of an informed democracy, and am so grateful for ACES' assistance as I pursue my news editing goals.”

Sign Language

 

I may be down a brother, but at least the one I still have is a keeper! 

BTW: Follows always appreciated on Threads, Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky.

Not a Day Goes By

Life changed forever eight years ago. We miss you, Billy. xo

💔

Happy National Grammar Day!

Thrilled to see that the New York City premiere of my pal Ellen Jovin's new documentary about her efforts to bring her traveling Grammar Table to all 50 states has sold out. (If you're in NYC and want to get on the waiting list, follow the instructions above.) 

To find out whether "Rebel With a Clause" is coming to a theater near you, click HERE.

I think my late brother Bill -- whose "Lapsing Into a Comma" came out in 2000 and paved the way for Lynn Truss's "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," Mary Norris's "Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen" and Ellen’s “Rebel With a Clause” -- would be tickled to see the continued success of fellow language experts following in his footsteps.

Order HERE.

UPDATE:

Wow. this "docu-comedy" exceeded all my expectations. So funny, informative and so much heart. If you love language, road trips or even just exploring the human condition, I highly recommend this one! 

(If you're in Detroit this weekend, it's headed your way.)

We rounded the night out with an incredible dinner with our friend Leah at El Quijote, where we had the best paella I can recall. (Oh, and two pitchers of white sangria.) 

And then a glass of wine at the bar inside the Hotel Chelsea, which I hadn't visited since it reopened in recent years. The service and atmosphere were bar none, which is to say nothing of my wonderful company. 

Congrats to Ellen and director-hubby Brandt Johnson on their perfect score of a film!

Ashlee Korlach Awarded ACES Bill Walsh Scholarship for 2025

 

Excited to announce that Ashlee Korlach, a journalism graduate of the University of Richmond now pursuing her master's in communications at Syracuse University, has been selected the winner of the 2025 editing scholarship named after my brother Bill.

Many thanks to everyone at ACES: The Society for Editing for helping maintain this wonderful tribute to our beloved Billy. Our family is irrevocably broken, but remembering him through his love of words is something I treasure. xo

Here's the news release:

Announcing the 2024-2025 Walsh Scholarship

The ACES Education Fund has awarded its 2025 Bill Walsh Scholarship for excellence in the editing of news to Ashlee Korlach, a master’s student in journalism at Syracuse University. 

Named after the legendary Washington Post copyeditor and author, the Walsh Scholarship is competitive and includes a prize of $3,500. Korlach is the ninth recipient of the award. 

“I’m honored to receive the 2025 Bill Walsh Scholarship and extend my sincere gratitude to the ACES Education Fund and the Walsh family,” Korlach said. “Editing is a humble practice but one I care deeply about, and this scholarship contributes greatly to my goals as I pursue a master’s degree while editing full-time in news.” 

A Student and an Editor 

Korlach was selected from a field of nearly 50 outstanding applicants from private and public universities from across the country and around the world. 

Kenneth Walsh, one of Bill’s brothers, said he and his brother Terence “were impressed not only with Ashlee's editing, but the thoughtful way she went about her work. She's just the kind of editor we had in mind when this scholarship was started ... I know Bill would be proud."

As an undergraduate, Korlach was editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper at the University of Richmond, the Collegian. Following graduation, she worked as a web producer and homepage editor at the Washington Examiner. After a prior internship at the Boston Globe, she took a full-time position as a multiplatform editor in 2021, which she continues while working on her degree.

Her copyediting work encompasses both digital and print, and she also helps train the Globe’s interns.

“Ashlee consistently steps up,” said one colleague at the Globe. “She knows how to explain the work we do and its value.”

Korlach is on track to graduate in 2026 with a master’s degree in communications with a specialization in journalism innovation.

Congrats, Ashlee! 

Billy’s Birthday

☘️❤️🙏

As we mark another solemn Dec. 20 without my beloved brother Bill, my brother Terence, Bill's widow (Jacqueline) and I are busy picking the winner of the ACES Bill Walsh Editing Scholarship, which you can learn more about HERE.

UPDATE from Bill's widow:

Unexpected WaPo birthday present (and victory) for Bill!

Dorothy Parker Can't Lose

 

Sage advice from the queen of the Algonquin Round Table. 

My late brother Bill’s "The Elephants of Style" will also work in a pinch!

On a personal note: This was a pub-day gift to him from his widow, who after 29 years has decided to sell their Capitol Hill home -- a decision that has opened the floodgates. Suffice to say It's been an emotional couple of weeks for my family. xo

Russell Leung Awarded ACES Bill Walsh Scholarship for 2024

Thrilled to announce that Russell Leung, a student at Northwestern University. has been selected winner of the 2024 editing scholarship named after my brother Bill.

Many thanks to everyone at ACES: The Society for Editing for helping maintain this wonderful tribute to our beloved Billy. Every day is a still a struggle, but things like this do help make the painful reality a little more tolerable. xo

Read the news release BELOW.

'I Found My Keys Searching Through My Purse'

 

Always a treat when my brother's legacy is publicly remembered. On a related note: My fellow judges and I are in the midst of picking a winner for the 2024 ACES Bill Walsh Scholarship now! 

Billy's Birthday (Dec. 20, 1961 - March 15, 2017)

 

We sure miss you, Billy. 💔

An early attempt at making my brilliant brother laugh -- looks like I at least got a smile!. xo

Postcard From Xmas 1988

Came across this impossibly great postcard my brother Bill sent me from London over the holidays back in 1988. (Yes, only in Britain would you find a postcard of Annabel Croft, who of course is now a television "presenter.” the U.K.'s most-ubiquitous profession.) 

The references to Kate Brasher, Shakin' Stevens, bootleg cassettes and young Madonna sure take me back, as does cat-sitting for Twinkie. I do occasionally come across old emails from friends and family, but never do they move me the way an old letter or card does. xo

Bill and the feline in question 

P.S. I happen to follow Croft on Twitter but haven't heard back about this find!

Remains of the Day (03/15)

WaPo: Hard to believe much less accept that my brother Bill has been gone six years today

The Randy Report: Anti-LGBT politician taking social media break after cruising Insta twink

Wrestle Wednesday: Feast your eyes on this ASU Sun Devil in a maroon singlet

Dlisted: Diplo is pretty gay, but what about James Van Der Beek as Diplo?

Twitter: Sometimes members of the LGBT community really need to lighten up, remember who their real enemies are

It's Either Sadness or Bookphoria: 'Dibs' is a steamy and moving novel about a second-chance romance between two former college baseball teammates

Boy Culture: (Naked) Irish heartthrobs for St. Patrick's Day

Metrosource: Not every singing duo can say one of its members' balls popped out of his briefs on stage and was photographed

OMG Blog: Ready to christen the John Waters all-gender restrooms at the Baltimore Art Museum?

NBC News: So does this mean Wellesley College doesn't view trans men as "real" men?

The Caftan Chronicles: Will Schwalbe's "We Should Not Be Friends" is about his 40-year bond with a (sensitive) straight jock

The WoW Report: Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the new "face" of Calkin Klein underwear

Deadline: New documentary trailer delves into the life and music of Little Richard

New York Post: Death by pecs?

AlterNet: Although I know many people have issues with retired openly gay D.C. Police Lt. Brett Parson, I'm glad to see these sex charges have been dropped against him, which were specious at best

Jordan Thornsberry Awarded ACES Bill Walsh Scholarship for 2023

Proud to announce that Jordan Thornsberry is the winner of the 2023 editing scholarship named after my brother Bill:

ACES writes in a news release:

The 2023 Bill Walsh Scholarship for excellence in the editing of news, with a prize of $3,500, is going to Jordan Thornsberry of the University of Missouri. 

While in college Thornsberry has already been an editor and reporter for six publications. To complete her senior capstone, she worked as an editor at Vox Magazine in Columbia, Mo., editing articles by other student journalists, proposing article ideas, fact-checking, and scheduling illustrations.  She has just accepted a position as the editorial director at HER Magazine and JC Parents Magazine in Jefferson City, Mo., where she will edit, write, assign articles to freelance writers, create story ideas, and plan magazine issues while also finishing her last semester of college. 

Thornsberry is the seventh winner of the Walsh Scholarship, named for the late author of three books and an editor of news at The Washington Post. The award is administered by the Education Fund of ACES: The Society for Editing and is endowed by the Walsh family, ACES members and other contributors. Bill Walsh was a member of the Education Fund board. 

In addition to winning $3,500, Thornsberry is to receive support to attend the annual ACES national conference for editor skill-building.

Many thanks to everyone at ACES: The Society for Editing for helping maintain this wonderful tribute. xo

Birthday Blues

We sure miss you, Billy. 💔 

(Dec. 20, 1961 - March 15, 2017)