Paul Ladewski

Ladewski is among the more outspoken critics of the steroids era. He touched off a national debate in January, 2007, when he became the first known Baseball Writers' Association of America member to turn in a blank Hall of Fame ballot in wake of the steroids controversy. The disclosure was made by a Baltimore Sun sportswriter who had polled BBWAA members in an attempt to determine whether former Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. would be a unanimous selection. San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn also was on the ballot.[1] Including his blank ballot, eight writers did not vote for Ripken, and 13 did not vote for Gwynn.[2]

"Unlike so many others, I consider myself fortunate to be in a position to remain an independent thinker," Ladewski said. "Because I am not employed by a company that has a lucrative contract with a professional sports league, I have no restrictions. I have no hidden agendas. My only regret is that some believe I made my vote known to attract attention. That simply isn't the case. In fact, when the Baltimore Sun writer informed me that I was the only person who hadn't voted for Ripken among those he had polled at that point, I was beyond surprised. Surely, others wouldn't be inclined to take a premature leap of faith, I thought. Nobody can say for certain who cheated other than the cheaters themselves. That's the fundamental problem that confronts Hall of Fame voters."

"To say the least, I'm disappointed how quickly some of my peers have forgotten the widespread effects of the greatest scandal in modern baseball history. We need to demand more answers about the subject and pay less attention to the Boston Red Sox third-string catcher. Until then, there remains too many questions and too little accountability in an era that tarnished the game forever."[3]

After his vote became public, Ladewski and the Daily Southtown received more than 1,200 emails and phone messages in the next week, many from upset Gywnn and Ripken fans.

"It's interesting to note that, years later, an increased number of Hall of Fame voters have excluded some if not all candidates in the steroids era," Ladewski said. "If I did anything to raise awareness on the issue, then I consider what I did to be worth it. Despite the criticism, I would do it over again."

During a Jan. 9, 2007 interview on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning, Ladewski also said that he is not inclined to vote for any player on his first year of eligibility. He stated that, to maintain the standard that was set by his peers decades ago, no player should be inducted unanimously because not even those in the first class consisting of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson were voted in unanimously.[4] ESPN.com contributor Jim Caple questioned his stance, saying "Sorry, but the slap in the face came from the narrow-minded writers who refused to vote for [Willie] Mays and Hank Aaron in the first place."[3]

Ladewski is the only regular Bulls beat writer to have covered Michael Jordan's entire 13-year career in Chicago. His own career has spanned more than 2,500 games, the vast majority of which were written on deadline. He was known for his uncompromising style and ability to break stories on a regular basis. "Nobody wrote better game stories than Paul over the years," said Rick Gano, longtime Associated Press sports editor. "They were lively, entertaining and informative -- everything that a writer strives for but can't always deliver under deadline pressure."

Ladewski's dogged, independent style didn't sit well with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, in particular, and the two clashed throughout their careers as a result. The bad blood spilled over midway through the 2002-03 season, when before a game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Krause targeted him in a lengthy, expletive-filled monologue outside the visitors' locker room. Two months later, Krause was forced to resign in the midst of another disappointing season. Ladewski called Krause "the most paranoid man in modern sports history" and the 10th most important person in the Bulls dynasty behind "(Michael) Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen in that order."

In February, 2016, Ladewski accepted an offer from the San Francisco Examiner, where he covered Bay Area sports as a sports editor and columnist. "Warriors coach Steve Kerr was surprised to see me at my first practice there. We knew each other well from our Bulls days," Ladewski recalled. "'What are you doing here?' he asked me. His team was on a serious roll at the time. I said, 'Simple. I just follow the great teams from city to city.' I think he kind of like that."

After the Warriors captured the 2015-16 NBA title, they won their first 24 games of the next season. In the midst of that streak, Ladewski was the first to publicly predict that the Warriors would make a serious run at the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and their record 72 wins that season. "It wasn't because I considered those Warriors to be a better team than the Bulls in their epic season," Ladewski said. "Rather, what I saw was a cohesive and uniquely talented Warriors team that was playing a different game than the rest of the league. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were so drop-dead good from beyond the arc, they set a new standard for the 3-point era. The Warriors outscored their opponents by nearly eight points per game on 3-pointers alone, and they excelled at the defensive end as well," The Warriors went on to establish the league record with 73 victories.

• ESPN SportsCentury
• Memories of Mike ISBN 1-887432-67-1
• Super Guards (NBA Reader) ISBN 0-439-91239-3
• NBA Encyclopedia ISBN 0-439-91239-3

• Paul Ladewski Archive on DailySouthtown.com