Few columnists can say their words triggered that kind of reaction. Shaughnessy could and often did.

It’s work like that and much more over a 53-year career that has earned Shaughnessy the 2026 Red Smith Award. The award is presented by the Associated Press Sports Editors each year to a writer or editor who has made major contributions to sports journalism.

Shaughnessy grew up in Groton, Mass., about 35 miles west of Fenway Park. His love of Boston sports comes naturally. His knowledge and experience are unquestioned. But as a sports columnist, he has long been a polarizing figure.

“He views himself as the ombudsman for the fans,’’ said Bob Ryan, his fellow Globe columnist and a Red Smith Award winner, too. “He definitely feels that his job as a columnist is to afflict the comfortable. He inherently challenges authority. He knows there’s going to be pushback. He doesn’t mind it; he can take it. He is fearless in that regard.’’

There has certainly been pushback in sublime and ridiculous ways.

At Fenway Park, Shaughnessy likes to position himself on the suite level during games. People with information they want to share are constantly parading past. Unhappy with this, Red Sox management instructed a security guard to escort him back to the press box. Undaunted, Shaughnessy solved the problem by getting a ticket from a suite owner he knew.

Then there was the man in full clown regalia on the streets of New Orleans before the Super Bowl in 1997 who recognized him.

“Shaughnessy, you suck,’’ he yelled.

Dan’s response: “Well, you’re a clown.’’

None of it ever stopped him from writing what he believed needed to be said. He is known for biting criticism, but he is a gifted writer when crafting a poignant, touching tale.

“Whatever he was doing, whether as a beat writer or a columnist, he would always know what story was the most important one to write,’’ said Don Skwar, the Globe sports editor who named Shaughnessy a columnist. “He’s a really good reporter and he knew what people wanted to read about. He had a bead on what was most important.’’

Despite his reputation, not every reader, fan, athlete or coach dislikes Dan. In fact, perhaps the grumpiest of all, Bill Belichick, likes him. During one Super Bowl week, Belichick agreed to take a survey Dan devised, featuring questions of incredible importance, such as Coke or Pepsi? Mary Ann or Ginger?

That may seem trivial; Dan’s work mostly wasn’t.

He has been named the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 14 times and has earned APSE Top 10 columnist honors in the large-circulation category 15 times, including this year. He is the author of 13 books, most notably “The Curse of the Bambino,’’ which chronicled the tribulations of the Red Sox as they failed to win the World Series from 1918 until 2004.

Despite his great love of sports, Dan himself would acknowledge he was not a great athlete. It makes it all the more remarkable that he and his wife of 44 years, Marilou, have had three Division 1 athletes – daughters Sarah and Kate, and son Sam. With five grandchildren, there may be more big-time athletes on the way.

Despite a career forged in print journalism (and Dan has never forsaken his beloved print readers), he clearly discerned the best way to acquire readers was to adapt to the changes in how his column was delivered. He adapted his habits to make sure his column was in front of online readers at the best time of day.

His columnist persona is also balanced by his charitable work, notably with The Jimmy Fund and UNICEF. His connection to The Jimmy Fund is especially personal – his daughter Kate is a leukemia survivor. His co-workers will tell you he is a great teammate, someone willing to assist colleagues from the sports department’s high school writers to its managers, and even the Globe’s “Love Letters’’ columnist.

Shaughnessy was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award in 2016. He is the ninth person to win that award and the Red Smith, joining Red Smith, Shirley Povich, Jim Murray, Joe McGuff, Wendell Smith, Sam Lacey, Jerome Holtzman, and Thomas Boswell.

He is the sixth person associated with the Boston Globe to receive the Red Smith Award, joining Bud Collins, Dave Smith, Vince Doria, Leigh Montville, and Ryan.

Garry D. Howard, Hal Bodley, Mark Whicker, Michael Wilbon, and Gary Smith were the next five candidates receiving the highest totals in this year’s Red Smith voting and will automatically return to the ballot in 2027.

Joe Sullivan was sports editor of the Boston Globe from 2004 to 2018.

A deal is in place that will allow Pittsburgh City Paper to relaunch under new ownership, restoring its online presence as well as a monthly print issue, its leadership said Thursday.

“City Paper is a legacy free paper. I think alt-weeklies, even if they don’t print quite weekly, are a real gift to any city, and I’m so excited to bring it back,” said Ali Trachta, who will resume her role as executive editor.

After 34 years of operation, City Paper was closed on Dec. 31 by Block Communications Inc., the publication’s owner since 2023. BCI also owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is set to close on May 3.

Under the new agreement, Pittsburgh-based nonprofit LocalMatters is the majority owner of a for-profit entity called Pierogi Press LLC, which operates City Paper. LocalMatters is designed to help local news organizations become self-sustaining.

On Wednesday, Trachta and Chris Maury, who is affiliated with Pierogi Press LLC, declined to disclose the purchase price of City Paper.

“(The Block family) recognize that the dollars going to the Blocks are dollars that are not going to the longevity and kind of the funding necessary to see City Paper to a successful place, and so the terms of the deal reflect that,” Maury said to TribLive.

Who’s behind the relaunch?

Maury is a former engineering manager for Apple and founder of the civil engagement nonprofit InformUp.org. He reached out to Trachta around the beginning of the New Year to see if she thought BCI might be interested in selling the paper.

Maury, who lives in Pittsburgh, then assembled some nonprofit groups to invest time and money in City Paper.

The board chair of LocalMatters is Tracy Certo, a longtime Pittsburgh journalist and editor. She founded the online media company NEXTpittsburgh in 2014 and sold it in late 2020.

The other board members are Mike Capsambelis, a former product management director at Google who is board chair of the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise; Kevin Gieder, a strategic consultant for nonprofits and treasurer of Tree Pittsburgh; and Kamal Nigam, the former leader of Google’s Pittsburgh office who now works in nonprofit leadership.

The relaunch is funded by private investment and partnership with LocalMatters and The Lenfest Institute, a Philadelphia nonprofit that supports local journalism. Lenfest, which owns The Philadelphia Inquirer, serves as City Paper’s fiscal sponsor.

Pittsburgh City Paper was founded in 1991. Steel City Media owned the publication from the late 1990s until 2016, selling it to the publisher of the Butler Eagle. A subsidiary of BCI, Cars Holding Inc., purchased City Paper in January 2023.

A week after closing City Paper, BCI announced the May 3 closure of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which the Block family business has owned and operated since 1927.

What will City Paper look like?

City Paper’s return to print will begin with monthly issues and resume coverage of its signature beats: community-rooted news, politics, arts, counterculture, events, food, and the creative, weird and unique Pittsburgh stories.

Trachta said readers can expect to see familiar bylines as nearly all the editorial staff will be returning as of Wednesday.

“The identity of City Paper will not be changing. It’s what everyone recognizes and believes in and has supported for this long and readers will recognize exactly the kind of covenant and community journalism that we have been doing for a long time,” Trachta said.

Trachta and Maury are aiming to have reporters back on the ground and new articles posting on the website in April. The first print issue is expected to be published in April or May.

The paper’s circulation should be remaining relatively the same, Trachta said.

The relaunch will also include a membership program for readers to pledge their support.

“Our content is always going to be free. That’s just part of who we are,” Tratcha said. “We’re not going to have paywalls, but for those who are able to contribute as members, that helps us keep it that way.”

Membership tiers will include: early access to the print product at level one, early access and a discounted ticket to future events at level two and early access, discounted tickets and attendance to an inaugural meeting with City Paper’s editorial staff to give feedback.

There’s a mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures are cooler than normal on Thursday.

High temperatures are in the mid-40s. A lot of clouds came through overnight, so the day is a little grey at the start.

Friday will also be partly sunny with milder temperatures in the lower 50s, cooler at the shoreline. There will be showers late in the afternoon and into the evening on Friday.

Showers will be gone by Saturday, and highs will be near 60 degrees.

Temperatures will likely stay near 60 through the weekend. There may be another batch of rain on Sunday night.

It will be much colder on Monday morning.