“As I was swimming naked through the living room …”

It might have been the best newspaper lead ever. It was the opening phrase of the first post-Hurricane Katrina column penned by Ronnie Virgets, a New Orleans original who died Monday night at age 77. As the Crescent City’s media world loudly laments the loss of one of its most beloved characters, we all should lament the nationwide decline of his species, namely, the ink-stained newspaper guy whose lifeblood is one with the audience he serves.