Tributes pour in for sports writing legend Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor brought vertical integration to the sports writing world long before anyone knew what vertical integration was.

As the story goes, sounconvinced was teenage Jim of his talents thatwhen he landed his first reporter gig at Victoria's Daily Colonist, he kept his paper route.

That meant Taylor, who was still in high school,would attend games and file stories at night, thendeliver themto the doorsteps of his neighbourhood the next morning.

Taylor passed away Monday at his home in Shawnigan Lake, B.C. He was81.

Tributes are pouring in for the man who will be remembered as one of sharpest and funniest in Canadian sports.

In 1965 he left Victoria to move to the Vancouver Sun, where he stayed for13 years. He thenmoved over to The Province for another 17 years before becoming a nationally syndicated columnist with the Calgary Sun.

Taylor leaves behind a body of work that includes 7,500 newspaper columnsand countless radio and television appearances. He also wrote 16 books, chroniclingthe stories of Wayne Gretzky, Rick Hansen, Greg Moore, Bob Lenarduzzi, to name a few.

Taylor's ability to make his audience laugh out loud was unparalleled.

His mind worked in mysterious and hilarious wayshe once wrote acolumn praising the San Diego Chickenand skeweringB.C.Lions mascot Krazy George entirely in biblical prosebut hecould just as effortlessly capture the poignancy of amoment.

Taylor's work has been recognized with many awards, includinginduction to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame andCFL Hall of Fame, and the lifetime achievement award from Sports Media Canada.