After Mr. Giamatti’s death, Mr. Vincent was speaking to Max Frankel, who was then the executive editor of The Times. Mr. Frankel mentioned Ms. Smith as a journalist the paper was “thinking about employing,” Mr. Vincent recalled, and asked what he thought. Mr. Vincent said he passed along Mr. Giamatti’s praise. During her tenure at The Times, it wasn’t unusual for Ms. Smith to have multiple bylines in the Sunday Sports section. Unlike the reporters drawn to the diamond by statistics, Ms. Smith’s attraction to the sport sprang from its power to break down societal barriers.

Source: New York Times July 29, 2017 15:33 UTC