What do you think of this Plaschke gimmick?

I think it would have worked better if it had been shorter. Very quickly in columns such as these, you can end up repeating yourself, which I sort of think he did. Perhaps not Lewis Grizzard short but half or third the length it was. Better sting that way. (And definitely make sure to be creative with the white space).

This column struck me as, he came up with the idea but couldn't fully commit to it.

I like taking chances, though, which he did. I've always enjoyed reading Plaschke.

 

And then you get an artist says he doesn't want to paint at all
He takes an empty canvas and sticks it on the wall

-- Mark Knopfler

 

I enjoy Knopfler, but at least Plaschke didn't try to string a rhyme worth less than a dime.

423 words was a perfect length. In and out with the salient Lakers' moments of ineptitude and nonchalance.

Last time i was so bummed about a Lakers' playoff loss -- and I think Plaschke more than anything was bummed in this column -- was the "Memorial Day Massacre", which was Boston 148, Lakers 114.

 

So if I don't want to tak about it and a white space where the column should have been connected with Grizzard's audience, would that mean they don't have a thought in their heads?

 

Of course. It is the South, you know. :

 

Grizzard's attempt was BS.

At least Plaschke spelled it out in 423 words.

As Jim Murray once wrote, "You have to know when to be sharp with the pen," and 423 well-thought-out words, in this case, were sharper than Grizzard's 7 lazy words.

 

I liked the misspellings. Just sort of reminded you that he was doing a gimmicky column. And I'm sure he knows that it's a gimmick. Wouldn't expect him to do it again.

But as a device, it's useful this one time. And because he's an established columnist, you're not like, "well maybe he's just too dumb or lazy to really write something." as others on here have said, he could've plugged in the cliched quotes in the midst of ripping the team for 900 words, but i think this is far more effective. you can't do it every time a team turns in a stinker, but given how overmatched houston should have been by the lakers, the device is a perfectly executed (though far short of "brilliant") way to show that. it says, hey i'm a good columnist, but i decided not to bring my A game. and by doing that, he comes a lot closer to his A game than the lakers did. i think that says enough to make it a worthwhile gambit.

 

He should have written twice as long this morning! 1,800 words, dammit!

 

One question for the Plaschke haters:
Isn't this supposed to be fun? If you don't like it, fine, but don't make it out to be bigger than it is.

 

That's kind of what I was thinking. I wasn't overwhelmed, but I don't get all the calls to burn the guy at the stake.

 

Who's calling to burn the guy at the stake? Simply saying I (and many others) thought it sucked.

 

And that's fine. I'll be honest. It's the first thing of Plaschke's I've even thought was remotely entertaining in a long time.
I just don't like 99 percent of his stuff anymore.