A final burst of bad-boy journalist news (final for a while, at least):
The final word on Jack Kelley. It looks pretty bad.
In contrast, this 6,000-word (!) hit job on Frank DeFord is absurd. I’m not much of a DeFord fan — I think he’s too emotionally manipulative — but geez, this article (which seeks to tar him with the Jayson Blair brush) is waaaaay too much of a stretch. Among the things the reporter considers crimes against journalism:
– Calling Larry Bird “the greatest basketball player ever” in 1988. (The reporter presumably thinks Wilt or Jordan would be better picks.)
– Saying “except for the 1960s, the United States has produced a great [tennis] champion in every decade of the 20th century.” (The reporter thinks Arthur Ashe should qualify.)
– Writing that “Curious as it may be for this nation of immigrants, we Americans have never cottoned to foreign athletes.” (The reporter thinks that Wayne Gretzky proves this statement wrong.)
Are any of these demonstrably false? They’re opinions. DeFord is a columnist, and he’s allowed to have opinions. This reporter needs to get off his high horse and stop trying to make a name for himself by tearing down someone bigger than him.