from Bob Young of the Arizona Republic,

If there were any justice in the world, the Cleveland Indians would be leading the American League Central Division and en route to the World Series, Ohio State would win the college football national championship this season, the Browns would at least make the playoffs, LeBron James would announce that he’s going to return to the Cavaliers next summer as a free agent to lead them to an NBA championship.

And our friend Jim Gintonio would be around to see all of it.

Instead, we are left in a lesser world without Gintonio, who passed away Sunday from lung cancer.

Gintonio was a friend and colleague who worked for the Phoenix Gazette, Arizona Republic and azcentral sports and was probably best known to readers for his coverage of the Coyotes before he retired just more than a year ago. If there is a kinder human, we have not met that person.

There were many things that Gintonio loved, such as hiking up Piestewa Peak before the crack of dawn and, for reasons we will never quite understand, eating tofu.

continued

I met Jim Gintonio once, at the NHL Awards Show in Vegas and found him to be a very down to earth man. We chatted for about 15 minutes and it was more about OSU vs. Michigan than it was hockey, he loved the Buckeyes and all things Ohio sports.