Heaven hath no fury like an angry Raider fan
…
Caller 1: It’s not really a beef. My question is why don’t you put your sports on the Web site anymore? You know, we buy the paper and we want to send copies to people and it’s easier to send by the Web site. Thank you.
Wait Caller 1, we do update the sports section of our Web site. In fact, the entire July 2003 archive is now available – all the year-old junior golf everyone has been waiting for.
But seriously, the current stuff is pretty much available, too. On particularly busy days around the newsroom, updating the Web site might slip down the priority-list slide. The articles will almost always be included with the next day’s news, though.
If they are not – and you’d like them to be – point that out to us by sending an e-mail to sp****@gi************.com. We’ll take care of it.
Caller 2: Hi there. Thanks for mentioning the score of the JV football team in today’s Dispatch. As a mother of a JV player, it was nice to see the team mentioned. I was disappointed last week when I read two full pages of the varsity team and didn’t see a word mentioned about the JV team. For some of these players, it was there first time playing football.
Of course, my son would be extremely embarrassed if he knew I did this. But thanks again.
No problem, Caller 2. In fact, if there are any junior varsity or freshmen parents out there who would like to provide us with a little information about each game, we’d be happy to include even more details about the two teams.
We promise we won’t tell your kids.
NOTE: To understand the next three callers, a little background is needed. In Saturday’s Dispatch, Brett Edgerton turned his weekly column into a surprise tribute to departing sports editor Scott Forstner. In the Hollister Free Lance, though, Edge wrote an NFL preview by taking a glass half-full/half-empty look at both the Niners and the Raiders.
Well, the Raider Nation took notice …
Caller 3: I agree 100 percent with your assertion of Raider linebackers being sub-par. To pretend – given the legendary history of Raider linebackers – that they will be flying to the ball is ludicrous at this point.
What nice feedback. The caller understand understood Brett’s point exactly. The Edge was feeling pretty good about his analysis …
Caller 4: You people piss me off. You don’t know jack about football and obviously nothing about the Raiders.
Oh.
Caller 5: Is that the best you can do? Your glass half full/empty article was pure crap. Al Davis still knows more about football and the men who actually play the game than anyone I know. In fact, he is widely respected by the people who know the game.
I am getting so tired of lazy writers like you who have probably never walked onto the field of play taking potshots at people who can’t respond and making so called “informed predictions” without having to face any repercussions when you are proved wrong, which you will be. Did you actually go to any of the preseason games? It does not seem so. By the way – Danny Clark is going to have a huge season.
Brett, your writing career is obviously on the decline but don’t worry – McDonald’s is hiring …
Yes indeed, a columnist at the age of 22 … Edgerton’s writing career is obviously on the decline.
Nevertheless, Brett actually loved this response – he’s a big fan of angry feedback. But he did want to know one thing … what repercussions should he face if he is proven wrong about a subject as earth-shatteringly important as sports?
A pink slip? Jail time? A tar and feathering at town square? Maybe having to wear a Chiefs jersey in the middle of the Black Hole? And if Caller 5 is wrong about Danny Clark, will he have to face similarly dire consequences?
Meanwhile, if you – the good people of Gilroy – would like to read the “pure crap” column from the lazy writer that doesn’t know jack about football and obviously nothing about the Raiders, feel free to access it at www.gilroydispatch.com.
And yes, Caller 1, the column is most definitely on the Web site.
