Congratulations to Bill Plaschke, who won another sports column writing award from the Associated Press Sports Editors this week. Note Plaschke’s comments in accepting the award:

(“Fight“? What for?)

We loved newspapers growing up. As a kid, we learned to read hovering over a KC Star sports page on the kitchen table every morning. But sadly, we all know it’s pretty much over for newspapers as we know it. At least in the form of what hits the driveway every morning. We’ve been saying it for some time now (we know, everyone has).

(Ooof: Thank god for ‘Around The Horn’!)

For old-timers, the internet has completely ruined the media business. We all know that people now want their information now - something offline papers can’t provide. But more importantly, people want it good.

The success of internet media sites is based on merit, not just by showing up every morning. That’s the difference between what we do here and what a print media columnist does. If we suck, no one shows up. In the past, if a columnist for a major print daily sucked it didn’t matter because people in that particular town had nowhere else to go. In most cases, they were buying the paper, not the writers.

The web has changed all that.

The best print guys (writers, editors, art) will always have a gig. There will always be a demand for great work. And we still think newspapers have a decade or two left in them, as readers die out. And don’t forget, the industry has always enjoyed phenomenal profit margins.

And when you add in those twice-weekly checks guys like Plaschke gets for “Around The Horn,” we won’t be shedding tears over those ink-stained wretches anytime soon.