Gary Parrish feature

My goodness, what a story.
Well done, but I couldn't get through it.
Had to stop reading when it got to the part about Ryan saying bye-bye. I was literally getting nauseous and couldn't stop thinking about my 19-month-old daughter.

Got to get home now and stare into the crib for a while.

 

About the placement of the note from the wife: I think the easy thing is to get it up high in the story. Gary did much better to let the story develop, let you feel for this guy before you even know just how cruel his story is. It's like "you think you sympathize with him now?" ... very well done.

 

This is so bizarre. The timing of the relationship is so suspect, don't you think?

No knock on Gary, because we all can run into this at times, but there is always more to these stories than we care to get into. Good reporters have to dig around and get it all in there, as painful as it can be. If we don't, then we're doing the story a disservice. I have also fallen victim of this, too.

When I read the mainbar, it's clear there is a second side to the story. The wife is evil for what she did, and she's certainly not to be let off the hook for killing her son, but I felt like the story could have reported her side better. Why not interview her family? Did she have any legit beefs like domestic violence or was she mentally imbalanced? I think those ideas need to be looked at and answered for in a story like this. That woman was clearly having issues and perhaps this could have been avoided.

Her actions may also point to the development of the new relationship. It sure makes me wonder.

I guess we all can't sow a neat story sometimes that purely jerks tears. Sometimes there is dirt on the ones we wish could be clean.

 

And that is so unbelieveably cruel I'm surprised the coach showed anyone. But it sure makes the point. He's a brave man.

 

This doesn't diminish from Gary's article, but as a follow up...

The coach has recently been fired and accused of having sex with a minor. Thought it was worth an update, so here's the link from a paper in that neck of the woods:

<a href="http://eacourier.com/articles/2008/01/23/local_news/doc479684034f946009730890.txt">Coach accused of sexual misconduct with minor</a>

 

A rare DB in the same post.

 

Maybe I'll feel real stupid when I get this answer, but what does DB mean?