Feb 12, 2010

Setting the record straight

The scribes made a few mistakes this week that I've been meaning to mention.

Most noticeable is the curious report I woke up to Sunday morning that the Phillies, with no real warning, signed two pitchers from Japan. It was quickly retracted by Matt Gelb:

Contrary to reports from Japan, the Phillies have not come to agreements with Japanese relievers Shigetoshi Yamakita and Naoyo Okamoto, a Phils spokesman said yesterday.

Gelb was the only American reporter who bit on the story and reported it as fact. He hasn't been heard from much since, and Andy Martino is back on the beat. Coincidence?

More discreet, but much more offensive, was this little passage in Steve Buckley's Kevin Youkilis story that I talked about yesterday:

The late Dick Radatz landed a job with a local oil company. Carl Yaztrzemski, among many other ventures, owned a car dealership. Mike Andrews became so entrenched a Bostonian that he wound up running the Jimmy Fund.

How in the world can a Boston Red Sox beat writer and his editors allow Carl Yastrzemski's name to be misspelled? I know it's a difficult name, but c'mon, we're talking about a pillar of the franchise.

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