Dunleavy retires

His health, his age, the new generation who know too much to learn from the giants among us, and the passage of time all lead to what we've known about for some time but have kept it close within the tabloid family because Steve's family.

The "mainstream" journos will write and talk about Dunleavy like he's a relic, but even as a columnist he's always been the world's oldest cub reporter, always as hungry to chase down the next story as he was the last, never sitting back to toss snark or pontificate, but scared to death he'll miss out on the next scoop. "All's fair in love, war and newsgathering," he'd say, but he also taught us to do anything for a story but do anything for a friend.

We'll not wait until October 1st, but lift a glass tonight to Dunleavy.

And tomorrow night...

(Read the best Steve Dunleavy tales, and they're all true, in Tabloid Baby.