I'm Peter King- I Don't Pay No Stinkin Tolls

The Illinois Tollway must be run by a bunch of idiots. Last Wednesday morning I had to drive from north of Chicago, site of the commissioner derby on Tuesday, to Packers camp in Green Bay. Easy drive, a little more than three hours.

So around 6 a.m. I'm heading west on Lake Cook Road, a major thoroughfare in the burbs there, toward the tollway up to Wisconsin. As I get in the lane to enter the tollway, there's a sign that says you've got to have an automatic toll tag or exact change at this toll plaza. I did not have four quarters. I had, actually, 92 cents.

There was a sign saying if you didn't have the right change, call a number and report the time, the vehicle plate number and the tollbooth site, and you could remit the correct toll by mail.

Are you kidding me? In order to take this road without a pocketful of change, you have to stop, write down a phone number, call the number, report all this information, AND THEN mail a dollar bill WITH ALL THE INFORMATION YOU REPORTED WHEN YOU CALLED THEM UP! Kill me now. Please. Kill me now.


So much for the honor system

 

I hate FIBs. And their fuckin' tollways.

 

Brett didn't send a jet for him?

 

I say this, oh, about every Monday during football season.

 

I agree it's a dopey-ass policy, but it still goes along with all the other 'the public doesn't care about our problems' grievances aired in print and on the web.

 

Not only would this have been better written by someone not constantly waxing ecstatic about lattes and pitching travel tantrums in print, but it would appear he doesn't have a clue about the purpose of the spot. Not saying the spots are brilliant, but when the ads include lines like "I won't ask Mrs. Mort to make her mango salsa" it's pretty clear they've dressed Mort that way for a specific reason. He has an excuse for looking like a doofus - what's Peter King's? I guess Mort's just not manly enough to steal foul balls from little kids like he is.

 

King spent more than 100 words on whining about a $1.00 toll. That's less than $.01 a word. Talk about petty.

 

yeah, it was a strong piece. not easy to make a battle between two centers interesting, but he did it.

I've never understood the resentment on here toward MMQ. so it's not hard-core sports, so what? who is he hurting? readership for this weekly piece is astronomical. it's always a good, breezy read.

Peter is a hard worker, a thorough reporter, worked his way up - why so much hostility?

 

Overtime in MMQB King has reveled himself to be a tad self entitled when it comes to dealing with the "little people". He also comes off as a bit of NFL toady who plays favorites with certain teams and players.

If you would like we can go over countless examples. The SportsJournalists.com fav is when he uses his position as writer to get Tejada foul ball from a 9 year old or when he dresses down US Air gate agent in South Bend.