Far offbase

I ASSUME THIS WAS written for a weekly newspaper, given the date given, but it was amazing. Check it out.

The headline reads SPARTANS STUN CARDS Memorial jumps out to 22-0 lead and prevails 22-14. It's a simple high school football game story about a team losing on Sept. 11, 2009, and the writer made the mistake of comparing a 22-14 loss to 9/11.

I was stunned when I read it, and most other people have the same reaction. I suspect the writer has heard about this a few thousand times since then, and I hope he learns from it.

You simply can't compare the mundane -- thousands of teams lose every Friday night in the fall -- to the tragic.

Contact: Reach me at tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com.

More EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

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• 10 years with Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

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Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

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(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

More blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!