mikemcguff.com: Kirk Bohls joins the Houston Chronicle, and other changes

There have been changes at the Houston Chronicle sports desk recently, but certainly, the splashiest news comes from new hire Kirk Bohls and his first scoop.

Bohls has covered the University of Texas at Austin sports world for the Austin American-Statesman for the last 51 years. On June 21st, he wrote his goodbye column to his Statesman readers.

Days later, the well-sourced columnist/reporter joined the Houston Chronicle to cover the same beat and broke the news Monday that Longhorn baseball coach David Pierce had been fired.

"I've known Kirk Bohl's @kbohls since he was hired by the American-Statesman one month before I was hired by the Waco Tribune-Herald in 1973. He's one of the best reporters and people I know," former Houston Chronicle NFL columnist John McClain posted to X. "What a get by the Chronicle to cover the Longhorns. There's nobody better! Good Luck!"

"Absolutely unbelievable," former FOX 26 KRIV sports director Mark Berman posted to X. "What a way to start things at the @HoustonChron for Kirk Bohls and what a magnificent hire. Congratulations @kbohls."

Well, we all know what happened after that saga by now.

It was a win for the Chronicle, but there have been some losses for longtime sports writers with the Houston paper.

For example, Jerome Solomon, who started his career with the Chronicle, left for the Boston Globe, and returned in 2007, is now listed on his bio page as "was a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle."

His last article on the paper's website was on May 2, 2024.

I contacted Solomon via X and asked him about his departure weeks ago but never heard back from him.

Deputy High School Sports Coordinator for the Houston Chronicle Rob Tate also announced his departure via X, "Tough day as my position has been eliminated at the Houston Chronicle and I am now a media free agent. From my time at the Conroe Courier through this past year, I’m forever appreciative to be able to write your sports stories. It’s been the best stretch of my career, but it’s time to start over."

Also gone is high school sports writer Dennis Silva II, who posted to X on June 18th, "I was notified today that my position is being eliminated at the Houston Chronicle. It was a dream to work for my hometown paper for the past couple of years, but I am excited about the next chapter of what has been an overall rewarding career."

No one is pretending I am an expert on what happens in the Houston newspaper world, so if I missed someone, let me know.

UPDATE

Al Montano posted on June 18th, "Tough news, but my position at the Houston Chronicle was eliminated this morning — effective immediately. It’s been real sharing your stories through the years. But having to hear the same news about my former co-workers was hard because they’re really good at what they do. Each and every one of them! I was just lucky to go along for the ride and be part of a great team. It’s been an honor being able to cover high school sports, Dynamo and Dash, getting to know everyone players, coaches, etc."