Damn you, Mitch
April 30, 2009
I just took a few minutes to read an article from the online version of the Detroit Free Press depicting the promising start for the youngest player in the majors, 20-year-old Tiger starter, Rick Porcello. I can’t lie. I was swept away by the eloquant writing. I felt as if I was there, as if I was the 20 year Tiger starter who grew up a Mets fans, hating the Yanks and holding them scoreless thorugh three innings. Much to my chagrin, when I reached the end of the column I read:
“Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or malbom@freepress.com“
The damn piece was written by a guy I can’t stand. Well, everyone can get lucky sometime, right? But honestly, do yourself a favor and take a look at it:
Up-and-down night for new kid in town
Equal Eye 
dude, what is this unfounded distaste for Mitch Albom that everyone seems to have these days…how can you hate a writer that has been a staple in the sports section for one of the best newspapers in the country for over two decades, been named best sports columnist in the nation an unprecedented 13 times by the Associated Press, has done tremendous amounts of philanthropic work in our beloved city of Detroit, co-wrote an autobiography with/about Bo Schembechler long before your good friend John Bacon did, and wrote arguably one of the greatest sports books of all time (i.e. The Fab Five)? Everyone seems to love to hate this guy and I just don’t get it…while his recent books may leave something to be desired, I don’t think that should discredit his unbelievable career and quality writing. I think one needs not look past his recent article in the Free Press, “The Courage of Detroit” to understand what an amazing writer he is. Alright, I said my piece…thanks.
p.s. if you haven’t read that last article I mentioned, do yourself a favor and check it out…it’s soooo good.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/01/07/detroit/
Thanks for reading my blog. Please keep reading and leaving comments. I really appreciate the support as well as the challenges.
I’ve been a mitch hater for a while so don’t lump me in with the angry mob that is finally after all these years fed up with the clown.
I read the Detroit article months ago and talked about it with a few people who agreed with me and my reasons why the article misses the point on a few accounts. I guess that is what you can expect from a “reporter” who only comes on the scene a little late or only when there is a spotlight to step into.
My comments about the Detroit piece are as follows:
Copied from an e-mail I sent Jan. 15, 2009: Mitch sort of left out one of the main reasons Detroit is vacant: white flight, race riots, divisive Mayor Young, race relations. [of course the economy doesn’t help but just like any problem there is more than one reason for it.] What pissed me off the most was how he began to describe how he is such a good person, man of the people, always helping out on Christmas eve at a homeless shelter…. then he says: “EVEN the homeless are sick of the lions” What a dick. EVEN the sub-human homeless? How dehumanizing.
And lastly about Fab Five. I read it. I loved it. Without a doubt a childhood favorite. Funny though, how he didn’t mention Ed Martin throughout the entire book. Right? I mean wasn’t Mitch just “one of the guys” when researching that book? Didn’t he essentially live with the prep stars when researching for the book? So why no mention of Martin? Was he not really as close as says he was? Or, did he know about Martin but neglected to mention him in the book? From a professional journalism standpoint neglecting to mention or not actually knowing who he was (even as a self proclaimed expert on the Fab Five)-a man who is partly responsible for at least a decade of disgrace at Chrysler Arena is fraudulent either way.
As we found out, Martin was a pretty big figure in Chris Webber’s young life: “Martin noticed Webber during a middle school game. Martin attended Webber’s church, where Webber’s father was deacon and began fostering a relationship by making frequent visits to the Webber family home. Between 1988–1993 Martin gave Webber about $280,000. Eventually, Webber would confess to having received and repaid only $38,200, an amount identified via a specific transaction tied to Webber.” Taken from a NYT article; BASKETBALL; Webber Avoids Jail, Pleading Guilty on a Contempt Charge
Rebuttal?
Did you see the piece your boy Mitch wrote in yersterday’s Freep taking a swipe at the ACLU?