when i became a nmallist, bygart became my hero very quickly. my dad told me about him. he was a new yorker so he remembered bygart from his time at the herald tribune and the times. bygart's great skill set was that he didn't mind being a jerk or an ass hole. not like an ass hole but like a goof. i'm serious. journalism is supposed to be an innately curious profession. i can't tell you the number of people i worked with that didn't want to be seen asking stupid questions, or didn't want to be seen asking any question, or didn't want to ask a question where it wasn't clear they already knew the answer and they were trying to catch you. the idea of a journalist asking -- sort of walking into a room and saying, gee, i don't understand any of this, help me. there's a great story about -- bygart had a terrible speech impediment and they didn't let him be a reporter until his 30s at the herald tribune because they thought, he's an idiot. he's a copy boy. finally they let him be a reporter and he was great. i mean, he was just pulling back things as a metro reporter nobody els