How offensive is this column?

[manifold]

Many odd things have happened in sports the past 18 years

Mark Whicker
Columnist
The Orange County Register


It doesn't sound as if Jaycee Dugard got to see a sports page.

Box scores were not available to her from June 10, 1991 until Aug. 31 of this year.

She never saw a highlight. Never got to the ballpark for Beach Towel Night. Probably hasn't high-fived in a while.

She was not allowed to spike a volleyball. Or pitch a softball. Or smack a forehand down the line. Or run in a 5-footer for double bogey.

Now, that's deprivation.

Can you imagine? Dugard was 11 when she was kidnapped and stashed in Phillip Garrido's backyard. She was 29 when she escaped. Penitentiary inmates at least get an hour of TV a day. Dugard was cut off from everything but the elements.

How long before she fully digests the world she re-enters? How difficult to adjust to such cataclysmic change?

More than that, who's going to explain the fact that there's a President Obama?

Dugard's stepfather says she's going to need a lot of therapy — you think? — so perhaps she should take a respite before confronting the new realities.

So, Jaycee, whenever you're ready, here's what you've missed:

•Barry Bonds, who was just leading the Pirates to their second NL East title, wound up breaking Henry Aaron's home run record. How did such a skinny guy manage that? We'll deal with that later.

Read the rest here:

Many odd things have happened in sports the past 18 years | world, won, most, never, one - Sports - OCRegister.com

 

[manifold]

Whicker responds with regret over Dugard column

For Tuesday's Register, I wrote a column that clearly offended and outraged large portions of our readership.

It was not my intention to do so. But it's obvious that I miscalculated the effect the column on Jaycee Dugard, and the events that she might have missed during her captivity, had on those who read, buy and advertise in our newspaper.

For 22 1/2 years at The Register, I feel like I've had a good and direct relationship with our audience and I think most of the regular readers know how I go about reporting and commenting on sports.

This column appears to have disconnected that bond with at least part of our readers. For that I apologize.

Read the rest here:

Whicker responds with regret over Dugard column | column, apologize, readers, register, most - Sports - OCRegister.com

 

[Xenophon]

You would think sports is the least of her worries.

 

[Mad Scientist]

You would think sports is the least of her worries.

Right.

The OC Register is going bankrupt, looks like this is one of the reasons.

 

[xotoxi]

Many odd things have happened in sports the past 18 years

Mark Whicker
Columnist
The Orange County Register


It doesn't sound as if Jaycee Dugard got to see a sports page.

Box scores were not available to her from June 10, 1991 until Aug. 31 of this year.

She never saw a highlight. Never got to the ballpark for Beach Towel Night. Probably hasn't high-fived in a while.

She was not allowed to spike a volleyball. Or pitch a softball. Or smack a forehand down the line. Or run in a 5-footer for double bogey.

Now, that's deprivation.

Can you imagine? Dugard was 11 when she was kidnapped and stashed in Phillip Garrido's backyard. She was 29 when she escaped. Penitentiary inmates at least get an hour of TV a day. Dugard was cut off from everything but the elements.

How long before she fully digests the world she re-enters? How difficult to adjust to such cataclysmic change?

More than that, who's going to explain the fact that there's a President Obama?

Dugard's stepfather says she's going to need a lot of therapy — you think? — so perhaps she should take a respite before confronting the new realities.

So, Jaycee, whenever you're ready, here's what you've missed:

•Barry Bonds, who was just leading the Pirates to their second NL East title, wound up breaking Henry Aaron's home run record. How did such a skinny guy manage that? We'll deal with that later.

Read the rest here:

Many odd things have happened in sports the past 18 years | world, won, most, never, one - Sports - OCRegister.com

Duh! Steroids!

Maybe this guy hasn't been paying attention to current events either.

 

[Harry Dresden]

You would think sports is the least of her worries.

Right.

The OC Register is going bankrupt, looks like this is one of the reasons.

the Register is a piece of shit and is on its way out.....it gets thinner every month....

 

[manifold]

I just realized I should've quoted the most truly brain-dead excerpt from the column (the very end).

•And ballplayers, who always invent the slang no matter what ESPN would have you believe, came up with an expression for a home run that you might appreciate.

Congratulations, Jaycee. You left the yard.

 

[Valerie]

I just realized I should've quoted the most truly brain-dead excerpt from the column (the very end).

•And ballplayers, who always invent the slang no matter what ESPN would have you believe, came up with an expression for a home run that you might appreciate.

Congratulations, Jaycee. You left the yard.

How offensive is this column?

Very.