he had the biggest trombone and he wasn’t afraid to use it

[dbwhitaker]

I was surprised to see this phrase in a newspaper article today about a sports columnist who just passed away. I've never heard this phrase before.

“He didn’t seek out other opinions, he liked the idea of setting the law to his own standard,” said longtime columnist Ray Ratto, who worked alongside Dickey. “He was the most powerful sports columnist in the Bay Area because he had the biggest trombone and he wasn’t afraid to use it. I think he enjoyed the conflict and I think he imagined that was the job of the columnist. Eventually that runs out, but he had a long run. That’s the thing you take away from it. He did this for a long time.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/gian ... t=MA%3D%3D

[Kbiggs]

My favorite line from this obituary/appreciation:

“He was about as subtle as a punch to the jaw,” Sullivan said.

[Doug Elliott]

That goes perfectly with having the biggest trombone.

[AtomicClock]

I've never heard this phrase before.

It could be a malapropism. "he had the biggest megaphone and he wasn’t afraid to use it" is a reasonable thing to say. Megaphone is often used to describe access to people through mass media.

I imagine it's easy to misspeak when speaking to a reporter.

[ghmerrill]

I imagine it's easy to misspeak when speaking to a reporter.

Or for the reporter to misreport or simply make up something or "rephrase" it. Local nightly news (not to mention network news) is now full of these howlers. It's often worth watching just for that. On the other hand, That sort of linguistic contest between a contemporary reporter and a "sports commentator" would be a race to the bottom.

[MahlerMusic]

From Copilot:
It appears the snippet from the San Francisco Chronicle–based obituary actually reads:

“He was the most powerful sports columnist in the Bay Area because he had the biggest trombone and he wasn’t afraid to use it.” [sports.yahoo.com]

This is likely not a literal mistake referring to a musical instrument—it’s a deliberate metaphorical twist, contrasting the more conventional phrase “megaphone” with “trombone” to underscore how loud, brash, or bold Glenn Dickey’s voice and opinions were.
Likelihood of a Mistake and Possible Alternatives


Typo vs. creative metaphor

A true typo (e.g., “trombone” instead of “megaphone”) seems unlikely. Journalistic editing would likely catch such an egregious substitution if it were accidental.
More plausibly, “trombone” was intentionally chosen to amplify the imagery of resonance and volume—just as a trombone projects sound—but in a more colorful, tongue-in-cheek way.



Other likely intended words
If it were an error, the most plausible intended words would be:

megaphone – literally amplifies voice; common metaphor for broadcast or communication. [en.wikipedia.org]
bullhorn – synonymous with megaphone, also widely used figuratively.
microphone or microphone – a less likely but possible substitution.



However, the musical instrument metaphor—particularly “trombone”—fits Dickey’s persona as someone who spoke loudly, boldly, and perhaps even ceremoniously.
Conclusion:
The use of “trombone” appears intentional and metaphorical, not an editorial mistake. If replaced, the most logical alternative would be “megaphone”, though the vividness of “trombone” better reflects Dickey’s character and voice.

[ghmerrill]

Ummm ... in the current vernacular of the NFL ... that's unconscious, man.

[Posaunus]

This is likely not a literal mistake referring to a musical instrument—it’s a deliberate metaphorical twist, contrasting the more conventional phrase “megaphone” with “trombone” to underscore how loud, brash, or bold Glenn Dickey’s voice and opinions were.

Trombone - loud? brash? bold?

And then some!

[slidesix]

“I like big sackbuts and I cannot lie!” LOL

[elmsandr]

“I like big sackbuts and I cannot lie!” LOL

IMG_1064.jpeg

Indeed.

[henrysa]

To know him was NOT to love him. As I was growing up in the Bay Area, he could be amazingly aggravating. But that doesn't mean I didn't listen to or read everything he said or wrote. Dickey could be very combative and bombastic. I ran into him at a fancy liquor store in Oakland in the '70s. He couldn't have been nicer. His mute was in

[MrHCinDE]

We have a verb in German ‘ausposaunen’ which broadly translates to broadcasting something loudly, possibly without the appropriate discretion.