Schadenfreude Is Sexy!
That fella sporting the vampiric byline and all the cuddliness of a soggy blanket, Dave Van Dyck, got the call to write up Saturday night's White Sox game story. Good news for codgers everywhere; lousy news for White Sox fans.
In just the past couple of weeks, Tribune lede distortions have hit an all-time high. Just two examples: When the White Sox won a 14-inning thriller August 5, the lede addressed shaky starting pitching. On July 26, when the White Sox won their second of two straight games from a heated division rival in come-from-behind fashion, the lede invented angst from GM Ken Williams.
But Tricky Van Dyck dialed it up a notch last night, busting out the schadenfreude and hardly stifling his glee over the happenings at U.S. Cellular Field:
Will this be remembered as Black Saturday, the day the bottom fell out for the White Sox?
In only one gloomy evening, the White Sox lost pitcher Jose Contreras, their postseason ace in 2005, for the season and again lost their grip on first place in the American League Central as they made a flurry of roster moves.
While such vulturing is never appropriate for a journalist, it's especially sick when such joy erupts from a career-threatening injury (keep Tricky Van Dyck away from Kerry Wood by all means necessary!). As the Trickster himself mentions, Contreras was the team's postseason ace in its World Series season. Is it too much to give the guy a smidge of dignity as he limps off a baseball field, perhaps for the last time? And does anyone dare guess at an over/under for the number of times Van Dyck cites his invented "Black Saturday" over the course of the rest of the season?
The second part of Tricky's lede is, as usual, misleading at best. If you didn't know any better, you'd think the White Sox have been yo-yoing in and out of first place all season long. The truth is the White Sox have held first place for all but two days since May, in the first case falling a half-game back before regaining first the next day.
But in Tricky Dick's world, those waiting-to-disappoint White Sox are at it yet again, falling out of first place in their slipshod, Three Stooges fashion.
To his credit, the Trib's Nosferatu of the Diamond does modify the "again" statement five paragraphs in, mentioning that in reality, this loss dropped the White Sox into second place for (only) the second time this month. Still, what's unsaid is that the White Sox were alone in first place for a solid 10 weeks, from May 17 to August 2, have been in first a total of 93 days, and haven't been farther from first than two games all season long. Those latter two marks, by the way, better those of the Trib's beloved Cubbies.
But there go the White Sox, falling out of first again.
--Brett Ballantini
In just the past couple of weeks, Tribune lede distortions have hit an all-time high. Just two examples: When the White Sox won a 14-inning thriller August 5, the lede addressed shaky starting pitching. On July 26, when the White Sox won their second of two straight games from a heated division rival in come-from-behind fashion, the lede invented angst from GM Ken Williams.
But Tricky Van Dyck dialed it up a notch last night, busting out the schadenfreude and hardly stifling his glee over the happenings at U.S. Cellular Field:
Will this be remembered as Black Saturday, the day the bottom fell out for the White Sox?
In only one gloomy evening, the White Sox lost pitcher Jose Contreras, their postseason ace in 2005, for the season and again lost their grip on first place in the American League Central as they made a flurry of roster moves.
While such vulturing is never appropriate for a journalist, it's especially sick when such joy erupts from a career-threatening injury (keep Tricky Van Dyck away from Kerry Wood by all means necessary!). As the Trickster himself mentions, Contreras was the team's postseason ace in its World Series season. Is it too much to give the guy a smidge of dignity as he limps off a baseball field, perhaps for the last time? And does anyone dare guess at an over/under for the number of times Van Dyck cites his invented "Black Saturday" over the course of the rest of the season?
The second part of Tricky's lede is, as usual, misleading at best. If you didn't know any better, you'd think the White Sox have been yo-yoing in and out of first place all season long. The truth is the White Sox have held first place for all but two days since May, in the first case falling a half-game back before regaining first the next day.
But in Tricky Dick's world, those waiting-to-disappoint White Sox are at it yet again, falling out of first place in their slipshod, Three Stooges fashion.
To his credit, the Trib's Nosferatu of the Diamond does modify the "again" statement five paragraphs in, mentioning that in reality, this loss dropped the White Sox into second place for (only) the second time this month. Still, what's unsaid is that the White Sox were alone in first place for a solid 10 weeks, from May 17 to August 2, have been in first a total of 93 days, and haven't been farther from first than two games all season long. Those latter two marks, by the way, better those of the Trib's beloved Cubbies.
But there go the White Sox, falling out of first again.
--Brett Ballantini
Labels: Black Saturday, Dave Van Dyck, Jose Contreras, Misleading Ledes, Nosferatu of the Diamond, Schadenfreude
posted by Chicago Cubune Watch permalink
