Fixing a Joe Torre quote

Just saw this quote from Torre in an AP story from the offday between games 4 and 5 of the NLCS...

Obviously, it should be "blinders." If you working the desk and that comes in front of you, what do you do?

I have no idea if the reporter mis-typed or if Torre mis-spoke. I guess you have to determine that first, huh.

 

From m-w.com (I looked it up the first time I heard it, because I thought it was wrong as well):


Main Entry: 1blink·er
Pronunciation: \ˈbliŋ-kər\
Function: noun
Date: 1636
1: one that blinks ; especially : a light that flashes off and on (as for the directing of traffic or the coded signaling of messages)
2 a: blinder 1 b: a cloth hood with shades projecting at the sides of the eye openings used on skittish racehorses —usually used in plural
3plural : blinder 2

 

Torr

The question is still valid. Let's pretend there was a mistake. Do you correct mistakes like that? I might omit the mistake and replace it with the proper word in parentheses. "We can't put (blinders) on, yada, yada."

 

We should stop quoting Joe Torre after the way he totally over-managed and mis-managed Game 4.

 

That actually is the best way to fix the quote. You never want your subject to appear foolish. However, there have been many times when athletes such as Mike Tyson, say things so outrageous that the quotes are in verbatim.

 

I saw blinkers and knew what Torre was talking about. But maybe that just makes me old.

And how, exactly, do you determine the difference between foolish and outrageous?

 

I might be the only one, but when I read that quote, I immediately thought that I wouldn't use it.

 

That's a good question goalmouth. I don't have a clear-cut answer.

 

If it's a white guy, it's foolish. If it's a black guy, it's outrageous.

 

You ask the reporter. If it really was blinkers, then the quote stays. We can't assume Joe Torre's intention

 

Two thoughts:

First, I think young editors have to be prepared to confront words they've never seen. Assuming the reporter confirms the quote, "blinkers" and "blinders" are perfectly interchangeable and correct, especially for someone Torre's age. I'd check a dictionary before making a decision to "correct" a quote.

Second - what if he meant the turn signals on the team's car?

 

I believe Torre is big into the ponies. If I am not mistaken, the trainers have horses wear blinkers so they can only see what is in front of them.