John Phillips

John Phillips has led many lives: among them bartender, public

relations executive, union representative and sportswriter.

Having to run a bar for his family to survive sometimes was a

great education, sometimes not so much. (Think catching a guy

breaking into the bar and sending him back to jail, having to pay

off cops to ensure they'd be there when needed and working

months at a time without a day off.) Of course, there were barroom

dramas - good, bad, funny and just weird. All of it while trying to look the

other way as Staten Island gave up its sons to die in Vietnam and

dancing as fast as he could to not be one of them.

As a sportswriter for Reuters, Phillips covered more than 60

world title fights and their scenes, filled with a wonderland

of characters - many tough, decent, and funny, others cold-eyed

predators, always, always on the hustle.

Among other events he covered were the Olympics, World Series,

Super Bowl, figure skating, tennis, and horse racing.

He also reported from Cuba, where he spent three days in a

hospital because he was dumb enough to drink unfiltered water

at the airport.