Dayton's McCoy removes paragraph referencing Wainwright from blog

Hal McCoy, who retired from the Dayton Daily News last year but continues to write a blog on the Cincinnati Reds for the newspaper, removed the lead paragraph of a blog entry referencing Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes singing happily about the injury to St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright.

The blog entry in question (I cannot find an archived link that has the top on it) can be found here: http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2011/02/23/reds_on_alert_over_loss_of_wai.html

McCoy's apology paragraph, in which he writes, "[Jonny] is one of my favorite people and I would not do anything to hurt him," is here: http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2011/02/23/gomes_says_he_wasnt_singing_ab.html

After the uproar of the Mark Buehrle saga, in which he told an MLB.com reporter he wished Michael Vick got hurt this season but the quotes were removed from the story, I find this kind of troubling. McCoy is a Spink Award winner, so you almost think he would know better whether or not to remove something. But there could also be a couple other issues going on here - Has he gone soft? (Was he always?) Does it being in a blog, as opposed to being in a traditional print story, make it more acceptable? Does that last question play into the understanding of a 70-year-old not entirely familiar with the changing medium finding it acceptable? Is the blog subject to editorial approval if he no longer works for the paper?

Perhaps more importantly, with the way McCoy continues to reference subtle digs to it actually happening ("If I had it to do over, I would ignore what I 'thought' I heard - as did a couple of other people") point to a higher power removing the quote?

 

Just another thing for the Cardinals to bitch about, all of them, they're little bitches.

 

Just another lesson in a 50-year career that the "cute, harmless" stuff is usually what bites you in the ass.

 

Spoiled rotten by a pillowfight press (as re, the Cards) and an adoring populace.

 

John Fay ran to his blog and threw water all over this yesterday, as did Sheldon at MLB.com.

God forbid if some guy comes out of retirement and writes something actually interesting about the Reds.

 

I just can't imagine ANY writer quoting a rival player singing "Wainwright's gone, Wainwright's gone" as he enters the clubhouse - and not understanding the shitstorm that would come with it.

Not saying he shouldn't have written it. Or that he should have.
But how do you not understand the reaction that's going to come with a story like that?

The whole thing is just bizarre.