The man in charge

 Bill York passed on yesterday, and if you don't know who that is, you were never an ink-stained wretch pounding the sports beat in Indiana. If you were, you raised a glass to his memory.

That's because Bill was the man who politely told everyone to pipe down when you and your brethren were bent over your Tandy 200s, trying to make the words sing or at least hum softly.

It's because he was the hall monitor extraordinaire for the Pacers and Colts since the day they arrived in Indy, and for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May for as long as most of us can remember.

It's because Bill York, who ran the press rooms for all three and presided over the best, most professional and most efficient stat crews pretty much anywhere, made our jobs easier more times than we can count. OK, so he made my job easier more times than I can count.

Most repeated line in the pressroom to a newbie at a Pacers game, a Colts game or the Indy 500: "Go ask Bill York."

He was a good man with an easy way about him, an invaluable asset when you're riding herd on a bunch of sportswriter types. Lost your 500 media guide and need another one? Sure, here you go. Halftime stats? Here comes one of his staffers, dropping them in front of you. Need a quote from some driver you couldn't get to during the race?

Here comes another staffer with a whole sheet of them.

The man was simply the best, and never more so than when the game or race was done and everyone was settling in to go hand-to-hand with their game stories. There were always those who didn't have to file right away or already had or were just hanging around, and when their chatter got too loud Hall Monitor Bill would jump on the P.A.

"Just a reminder this is a working pressbox and people are trying to work," he'd say, or something very similar. "If you need to talk, please take your conversations outside."

Is there a sportswriter who ever worked a Pacers or Colts game, or the 500, who can't recite that word-for-word? And who today isn't hearing it in his head as the news comes down that Bill York is gone?

You're damn right we can. And are. 

Rest easy, Mr. York. After all those years dealing with us, heaven'll be cake.