Mistakes Were Made

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 8:20 AM CDT in News

When I make mistakes here -- and I do, every now and then -- I'm usually fairly quickly corrected by a sharp-eyed BCB reader or three, and I'll acknowledge the mistake, fix it and move on.

I'm kind of bored this morning with no Cubs game till tomorrow night, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to point out an error made by AP writer Dave Skretta in this recap of the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Royals on Saturday. In the notes paragraph at the bottom of the recap, he writes:

Yankees INF Cody Ransom made his big league debut in the seventh, pinch-running for [Jason] Giambi.

Cody Ransom is 32 years old and has bounced around the minor leagues since 1998, mostly in the Giants' organization. He played in the majors for Dusty Baker with the Giants in September callups in 2001 and 2002 and Dusty remembered him well enough to have the Cubs sign him to a minor league deal and invite him to spring training in 2005, where he hit .160 in 17 games (4-for-25, 2 doubles, a HR) and spent about half that year at Iowa.

Before he made his first appearance for the Yankees on Saturday he had played in 133 major league games.

Now, I remembered seeing Ransom in spring training in '05 and knew he had played for the Giants. But even if I hadn't, looking up the above information took about five minutes. Maybe I'm being nitpicky, but then again, I'm not being paid by the Associated Press to write game recaps. Dave Skretta should have done just a bit of research -- and especially when you consider that in the AP recaps posted at Yahoo, player names are linked to their profiles, meaning anyone could click on Ransom's name in the Yahoo recap and see that Saturday wasn't his ML debut.

Incidentally, Ransom celebrated his recall to the Yankees yesterday; he was sent up to bat for Giambi in the 7th inning with the Yankees leading 12-3 and hit a two-run homer off Jeff Fulchino.

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HOIST!

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Aug 18, 2008 8:33 AM CDT 0 recs

Nice, or even:

"We are not equations with hats." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Aug 18, 2008 11:14 AM CDT up 0 recs

Feist?

by dr stabbingworth on Aug 18, 2008 12:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Christ?

make/art

by neverAcquiesce on Aug 18, 2008 12:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

The truth

behind the Shroud of Turin! Wondrous!

"We are not equations with hats." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Aug 18, 2008 1:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

Winner!

"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." - Jacque Barzun

by Bump Bailey on Aug 18, 2008 12:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Al, reading the Saturday's game recap

I think you made a mistake when you wrote that Jim Edmonds had a hit in the 7th. I think Reed Johnson pitch-hit for him because Arthur Rhodes was coming in. I know it’s little, but I’m a detail kind of guy.

by lexmarklover on Aug 18, 2008 8:49 AM CDT 0 recs

You're right.

Did I write that? I knew Johnson had hit for Edmonds, who was hitting for the pitcher.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 8:55 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'm not surprised at something like this.

It seems like with the addition of several media outlets including blogs, writers don’t seem to feel the need to be as accurate as possible. Maybe it was an honest mistake, but it seems like if you are producing material for a wire service, you should be as accurate as possible. If it was just lazy-assed reporting, then shame on him. The profession deserves a better effort.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 8:50 AM CDT 0 recs

Oh sure, Ransom has played in the majors before...

…but you haven’t played in the BIG leagues until you’ve played in YANKEE STADIUM.

by hokie316 on Aug 18, 2008 8:56 AM CDT 0 recs

Mistakes are overrated,

I’ve made a ton of them!

On another note, yesterday Pat Hughes was talking about he cubs wins in one run games and two run games, throwing a little caution in the wind. Does anyone have those? The numbers did not bode well for close games in the playoffs and I was a little surprised.

Make no mistake about this, it is fun being a cub fan right now!

This is only the beginning....Lou Pinella end of '07 season and Chicago Transit Authority (the band when they were really good).

by mrcubsfan on Aug 18, 2008 8:57 AM CDT 0 recs

Are they really overrated? Would you tend

to trust a story from a writer who constantly makes mistakes in his reporting? I agree that there doesn’t seem to be the attention called to mistakes as there once was. Reading some articles is apparent that there isn’t the importance to proofreading as ther once was, but a wire service article or a column in a major city paper are not responses to a blog post. They should be accurate and it’s the writes job to research the facts.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:06 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sorry. Hope this isn't taken as snarky

but I was laughing hard reading this.

apparent that there isn’t the importance to proofreading as ther once was

sic. :)

by Archie on Aug 18, 2008 10:07 AM CDT up 0 recs

Maybe you were trying to do this as a joke?

it’s the writes job to research the facts.

by Archie on Aug 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

You get my point?

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:10 AM CDT up 0 recs

Clearly.

by Archie on Aug 18, 2008 10:10 AM CDT up 0 recs

Well played, sir.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 10:10 AM CDT up 0 recs

I stand accused.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:11 AM CDT up 0 recs

Cubs are 17-18 in 1 run games

will have to do check the scores individually to get the 2 run games…

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 9:22 AM CDT up 0 recs

Looks like 11-13 in 2 run games

if I didn’t miss any.

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 9:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

That is because the only way to beat the Cubs

Is by one run or two. It’s not like they get blown out very often.

I think this is more unnecessary hand wringing.

Current temperature in hell: 45 degrees F - and falling!

by wnielsen on Aug 18, 2008 9:28 AM CDT up 0 recs

It might pay to check those

numbers agaist recent WS winners. I suspect most good teams would win slightly over half of thier 0ne and two run margin games. Those games tend to go either way based on breaks the fact that most of those games tend to be against better competition.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:33 AM CDT up 0 recs

Just for grins

The TB Rays are 23-13 in 1 run games but only 19-16 in 5+ run games, so I guess it’s 6 of one, half dozen of another. WIns are wins.

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

And...

… the Rays had two of the former (one-run wins) and one of the latter (a five-run win) over the Cubs.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 10:11 AM CDT up 0 recs

FYI the Cubs are 25-11 in games decided by 5+ runs

So, we may not have a GREAT record in close games, but in all others, we rock! We’ll see what the numbers are in 1 and 2 run games are at the end of the season. We’ll probably be pretty close to .500 when it’s all said and done.

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 10:06 AM CDT up 0 recs

and how many of those games were 1-run games until we blew it open?

"Every team will win 60 games, every team will lose 60 games, it's what the team does in the other 42 games that decides the season."

by flachimesa on Aug 18, 2008 10:53 AM CDT up 0 recs

Wow, I would have to look at each boxscore to filter that

give me some time to work on that. Have to squeeze in some actual work here at work today, so don’t know when I’ll get to that LOL

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 12:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

Just going back

and looking at the box scores on some of the early season blowouts, most of our blowout wins were well in hand early in the game. Of the first 11 blowout wins, we were only one run up or actually behind in 3 of them in the 6th or 7th inning. The other 8, we were 5 or more up by the 4th or 5th.

Of the first 4 blow out losses, the opposition was ahead by 5+ by the 5th, on average. There are 36 individual games to look at, and I really don’t have the time to document them all. Head over to HERE to view each game.

"WGN, Channel 9 Cubs Baseball, Excitingly, Importantly, Dramatically Yours." - Jack Brickhouse

by BigJohnAZ on Aug 18, 2008 12:23 PM CDT up 0 recs

This is strange timing

I was at the I-Cubs game on Friday night and in the sky box area there are a bunch of pictures of former I-Cubs…pretty impressive list….well there was one of Cody Ransom..for the life of me I couldn’t remember who he was…..well now I do…

thanks

I'm a reader not a poster, but I'm also a poster so don't get any ideas.

by cozmotaylor123 on Aug 18, 2008 9:07 AM CDT 0 recs

forget about a reporter who does not do his research I could care less

First thing most reporters are not sports fans or former athletes, they are writers and don’t really know the games they cover.

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Aug 18, 2008 9:10 AM CDT 0 recs

Is it they don't know the

games or are some just a bit lazy? Maybe they figure the casual fan doesn’t know when they read innacurate information or they don’t care. I know I would have a hard time witing stories on a regular basis if I felt that the readers aren’t paying much attention to what I write.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:17 AM CDT up 0 recs

That's not an excuse.

If you’re going to put facts in your articles, you should check to make sure the facts are correct.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 9:25 AM CDT up 0 recs

+1

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:26 AM CDT up 0 recs

(Joking) But Facts Get In the Way of Good Stories

(Joking) Find out the conclusion you want and manufacture facts to support your claim. Accuracy doesn’t matter. (Again, joking)

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Aug 18, 2008 9:42 AM CDT up 0 recs

You may be joking, but you aren't too far from the truth.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT up 0 recs

and that is the viewpoint

it is not the facts that matter, it is the storyline…the drama, the irony, their interest, the angle, the dea that the reader is easily amused and not interested in the real story.

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Aug 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

If facts don't matter, don't include them.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:12 AM CDT up 0 recs

I gotta disagree with this.

It seems to me that most sports reporters are, indeed, huge sports fans – that’s why they pursued that career path in the first place. And even if a reporter isn’t a sports fan, he or she should still know the games in question. Would a reporter sent to cover the war in Iraq not be expected to be familar with the history and current events in that region?

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Aug 18, 2008 9:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

And if not...

… I’d think it’d be that reporter’s job to do enough research so that they DO know those things, no matter what the topic.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 9:35 AM CDT up 0 recs

I think it shows a complete lack

of professionalism when a so-called sports reporter doesn’t know about a particular sport he or she is reporting. You are in the sports business, you should know what the hell you are talking about. If you don’t know, find out. With the internet, information is right at your fingertips. I don’t care if it’s pro football or cricket. If I as a casual sports fan know more about a subject than the person reporting, it wrong!

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:44 AM CDT up 0 recs

Exactly.

In this case, Skretta’s error was particularly egregious because it was so easily avoided. Does this guy have an e-mail address? Someone should send him a link to this thread – it might ruin his day, but it could save his job.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Aug 18, 2008 9:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

The sad part about it is

that I don’t even think his editor would take him task for this. There really doesn’t seem to be a lot of outcry about stuff like this. No one seems accountable. I had heard that news outlets had fact checkers to catch things like this, but I haven’t seen much evidence that they exist.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:04 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sullivan used to get one fact wrong per game

He seems to have gotten a bit better.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 18, 2008 10:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Paul Sullivan? Don't get me started on that hack!

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:06 AM CDT up 0 recs

Sullivan's OK...

… but the point above is relevant. Isn’t that part of the editor’s job? To fact-check? Or to hire someone for that job?

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

The reporter is supposed to check any facts included in their story

but NOTHING that is factually incorrect should get by the editor…They are the last line of defense. It is understood that reporters are on deadline and often working more than one story, and t the editor is supposed to catch the little mistakes…

Brian McRae's 5 O'Clock Shadow

by PurpleLineToWrigley on Aug 18, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

With cutbacks everywhere

sometimes there is NOBODY to proof somebody’s copy. When reporters are working on very tight deadlines, sometimes they forget to check facts.
That’s no excuse, but without other layers of people to edit — these days, stuff is going to leak through. The media has been stripped to the bone in many ways.

When I am a one-person radio news department on weekednds, I try to double-check my work before it airs. However, mistakes happen when writing quickly. I’ve caught and corrected them ASAP.

Just sayin….

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Aug 18, 2008 12:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

Especially hard to catch

stuff when it’s your own, and your eyes are doing the checking…Many brain farts…

Brian McRae's 5 O'Clock Shadow

by PurpleLineToWrigley on Aug 18, 2008 12:33 PM CDT up 0 recs

Sorry!

I did say “a bit”, tho…

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 18, 2008 10:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

How much research does it take?

That reporter could have:
1. Looked on the Internet (Baseball Reference, MLB.com, etc.)
2. Read the Yankees’ press notes for Saturday, p. 8.
3. Asked the Yankees’ PR director
4. Asked any media member who regularly covers baseball and remembered the error Ransom committed in the playoffs for the Giants
5. Gone into the clubhouse and asked Ransom

Not a huge amount of effort required.

"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007

by DeRoMyHero on Aug 18, 2008 1:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

really?

When I make mistakes here — and I do, every now and then — I’m usually fairly quickly corrected by a sharp-eyed BCB reader or three, and I’ll acknowledge the mistake, fix it and move on.

Really? Because the Lee/Aram bases loaded thing hasn’t been fixed.

visit the mindful mission

by big_lowitzki on Aug 18, 2008 9:15 AM CDT 0 recs

I don't know if you are being serious or

needling Al, but he really isn’t the issue here. Reporters and columnist are being paid good money to do their jobs. Al is running a blog. There is a difference. Part of reporting and writing columns is being accurate. If I can’t trust the validity of the facts in a story, it’s not worth the paper on which it’s being printed.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:21 AM CDT up 0 recs

You seem to only show up here when you're correcting me...

… but didn’t we go over this yesterday?

I think it’s time for this:

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 9:27 AM CDT up 0 recs

heh...

I just thought it was funny that you are talking about correcting your mistakes when you didn’t correct yesterday’s. :)

visit the mindful mission

by big_lowitzki on Aug 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT up 0 recs

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 18, 2008 9:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

I think we knew you were making a joke at Al's expense, and believe me I am all for that,

I think that maybe this subject does warrant some serious discussion.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 9:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

Get out

by dr stabbingworth on Aug 18, 2008 12:13 PM CDT up 0 recs

my old coaching friend will like this I have to save it to my desktop

he used to beat dead horse more than a politician

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Aug 18, 2008 10:09 AM CDT up 0 recs

Just in case he'd rather have the classic look...

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Aug 18, 2008 10:12 AM CDT up 0 recs

That one is much classier.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Aug 18, 2008 10:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

That's the one I prefer.

Lowitzki, Ramirez is a better hitter right now, and has been since April. That’s why they shouldn’t have walked Lee. Get over it.

by sackings108 on Aug 18, 2008 10:33 AM CDT up 0 recs

I agree...

… not sure what your point is.

I never say that they should have walked Lee.

visit the mindful mission

by big_lowitzki on Aug 18, 2008 10:53 AM CDT up 0 recs

Epic

That made my day, on a day when two weeks of work got ruined.

by dr stabbingworth on Aug 18, 2008 12:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

Maybe he had Joe Morgan do his fact checking

"Destiny is a matter of choice, not chance"

by MerlinDog on Aug 18, 2008 9:21 AM CDT 0 recs

the AP writer Dave Skretta, not Al!!!

"Destiny is a matter of choice, not chance"

by MerlinDog on Aug 18, 2008 9:22 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'd like to give a thumbs down to Dave Skretta

by daeviant on Aug 18, 2008 9:36 AM CDT 0 recs

Facts

Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts don’t do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Facts don’t stain the furniture
Facts go out and slam the door
Facts are written all over your face
Facts continue to change their shape

No point, I just like getting a Talking Heads reference in there now and again. :)

The only stats I care about are the ones on the back of a baseball card

by carmen_fanzone on Aug 18, 2008 9:49 AM CDT 0 recs

This has inspired me to create a signature line.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Aug 18, 2008 9:56 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'm still waiting.... I'm still waiting....

by hokie316 on Aug 18, 2008 9:56 AM CDT up 0 recs

I still think "Lost my shape, trying to act casual/Can't stop, I might end up in the hospital"

Is one of the most bizarre opening lines to a song ever….lol

The only stats I care about are the ones on the back of a baseball card

by carmen_fanzone on Aug 18, 2008 10:00 AM CDT up 0 recs

I think this post is inappropriate

First, you’re reading that sentence with an awfully narrow interpretation. It’s possible, and maybe even likely, that the reporter was referring to a big league debut for the YANKEES. Perhaps he should have been clearer but, in my opinion, you’re nitpicking like crazy.

Second, you too have made mistakes, Al, and you readily admitted that in your post. But you are attacking this writer’s credibility based on a mistake which could easily just be one of omission of three words, rather than a factual error. I expect, based upon your response to posts at Desipio in the past, that you would be pretty upset if they went through random posts of yours and called you out for your tiny mistakes with articles on their website, in front of the community that you write for. I get the AP/Blog distinction, but how is that any different?

by tal1286 on Aug 18, 2008 10:09 AM CDT 0 recs