Hawkeye sports beat never will be the same without Steve Batterson
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With the death of Steve Batterson on Tuesday, covering the Iowa Hawkeye sports beat never will feel the same again.
There will always be an emptiness without “Batman” as part of the daily grind because nobody did it better, and because he was just a good person.
Batterson was the ultimate professional and he truly loved everything about being a sportswriter, from the games to the press conferences to people that he met along the way.
He even seemed to like the countless hours of traveling that is such a big part of the job.
Batterson was more substance than style, and unfortunately, we’re seeing less of that with the growing influence of social media where so many go looking for attention and praise.
Batterson wanted his readers to focus on what he covered rather than focus on him.
He was on Twitter and posted quite often, but it was always information related, like for example, posting updates during the thousands of minor league baseball games that he covered.
Not once can I remember Batterson having an unfriendly exchange with anybody on Twitter, and believe me, that’s not easy to avoid.
Batterson’s tweets never were about him because he didn’t need or want the attention.
He just wanted to do his job, and nobody has worked harder on the Iowa beat during my time covering the Hawkeyes than Steve Batterson.
That isn’t meant as disrespect to the other media members as there have been many talented and determined reporters that have covered the Hawkeye beat over the past four decades.
But from a work-ethic standpoint, Batterson was in a class by himself, and it wasn’t even close.
It was not unusual for him to cover an Iowa press conference in the morning or early afternoon in Iowa City before covering a high school game or a minor league baseball game that same evening.
He worked so many double shifts that he made a 16-hour work day seem almost normal.
There were many times when Batterson would multi-task on press row, and he made it look so easy when it really wasn’t easy.
He would cover an Iowa football game, or an Iowa men’s or women’s basketball game in person, while also writing a high school preview or a feature about a high school athlete that he had recently interviewed.
There have been times when I’ve felt overwhelmed by the demands of the job, but my workload never has come close to what Batterson carried. I would sometimes think of Batterson’s heavy workload when feeling sorry for myself because it would help to put my situation in perspective.
The Quad City Times was so fortunate to have someone as talented, dedicated and durable as Batterson was for all these years.
Batterson’s writing was clear and concise, and his words flowed smoothly, making his content easy to read.
Batterson was an old-fashioned sportswriter in that he was more concerned about informing his readers than self-promotion and building his brand.
He didn’t write many opinion pieces because Batterson was more interested in reporting facts than giving his opinion.
He was always fair and objective.
And, of course, he wanted the Hawkeyes to win as a UI graduate, but he didn’t let that influence how he performed his duties as a reporter.
Some of us on the beat would joke about how hard Batterson worked, but the joke was really on us because we couldn’t match what he did on a routine basis.
I think, in some ways, we were jealous of how easy he made it look.
There was no offseason for Batterson, but he preferred it that way.
His job was a labor of love, and he respected the job every day.
He was also fun to be around away from the press box.
But even in those situations, the soft-spoken Batterson would prefer to blend in rather than be the center of attention because that was just his humble nature.
These past few weeks have been tough since learning that Batterson was in a fight for his life.
His last tweet was posted on June 15 from the hospital, and it was good news as he said his goal was to gain strength and return home.
He also thanked everybody for their thoughts and wished them all the best.
Sadly, that was the last we heard from Steve Batterson as he suffered a medical setback just a few days after posting his tweet, from which he never would recover.
Life is so easy to take for granted until a tragedy occurs.
I didn’t necessarily take Steve Batterson for granted, but I just always assumed he would be on the beat because he had been a fixture since I arrived on the beat in 1992.
Batterson grew up in Washington, Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa in the early 1980s.
He started working for the Quad City Times shortly after graduating from college and he never left because it was his dream job; covering the Hawkeyes while living close to his family and friends.
I’m sure the Iowa Athletic Department will do something to honor Steve Batterson, and here’s one suggestion from a Hawkeye fan named Ray Gilmore.
Gilmore thinks Iowa should leave Batterson’s seat on press row empty throughout the 2023 Iowa football season.
There is a press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in which select members of the Iowa men’s basketball team will be available for interviews.
The fact that Batterson won’t be there with his notebook and pen will be sad, strange and almost surreal.
It felt the same when Susan Denk died suddenly in 2014 at the age of 39.
Susan was working for the Burlington Hawkeye and covering the Iowa beat when she passed away.
And just like with Steve Batterson, she was adored by everyone on the beat.
I sometimes still have to remind myself that Batterson is gone because he was an Ironman.
He was the best among the best on the Hawkeye beat, and will be missed by so many.
RIP Batman!