Record hate mail

[Tom Petty]

I had an 11-year-old send me a hate letter through the mail. It's still in my desk somewhere.

And the answer to the original question is 24, I believe. Something I wrote got put on a fan message board and most of the people who wrote in were from out of our coverage area.

amazing, and mom and dad are still proud. probably telling the story over potato salad as we "speak."

 

[Ace]

oh definitely. it teaches kids the wrong idea, and it's bull**** for the reason stated before that games should only be rescheduled for legit reasons.

OK, It's kind of a bush league move, and the idea of the column is legit, but the other team doesn't have to agree do they?

 

[Breakyoself]

not sure how that works. would be interesting to find out. maybe the other coach agreed to it being moved, so he could they that team at its best?

 

[ralph russo]

Got about 100 for a column I wrote last season the day after the Oklahoma-Oregon and LSU-Auburn games. The premise was simple, teams lose games not officials. If the losing teams had played better they would've won, so please stop crying about the bad calls. I had been dying to write that for ever and couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Since most came from Oklahoma and LSU fans, you can imagine they were pretty nasty. Though come to think of it, I'm counting responses and not just negative responses. I had about a dozen or so who agreed with what I wrote, though most of them came from Alabama and Oregon, as you'd suspect.

I replied to some.

Some notable responses to what I wrote:
_ One simpleton accused me of being the type of liberal lefty who blamed the United States and the victims of 9/11 for the terrorist attacks. So he was equating Oklahoma's victim status to those of 9/11. Nice.
This was the only guy I struck back at. Called him the biggest idiot on the planet or something like that. I was dying to tell him I voted for Bush twice, but just couldn't bring myself to lie about that.

_ The funniest by far, a person wrote in all caps and big type _ MAY YOU SPEND ETERNITY BEING ****ED IN THE ASS BY A ZEBRA. That made me laugh and I wrote back to tell him so.

_ The most interesting criticism came from a newspaper in Big 12 country _ not Oklahoma _ that basically made me the geek of the week or something like that. Maybe it was dumb comment of the week. Very professional of them to trash another writer.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Every week, I receive at least one e-mail from somebody who said they sent a youth soccer or youth baseball write-up that didn't make it into the paper.
Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. Damned if I can tell the difference between the U12A Kickers and the U11B Kickers and the U5C Methodist Marxist Lenninists Against Whaling in Poland Kickers.

 

[zeke12]

Hey, U5C Methodist Marxist Lenninists Against Whaling in Poland Kickers are going to have a solid team if they can shore up their midfield.

 

[Chad Conant]

Got 27 after the college I cover lost in the D3 Final Four, most saying the gamer should have been complimentary and that pointing out the two best players were a combined 7-for-35 from the floor was a cheap shot.

Got 15 more in the last two days about a column advocating that Michelle Wie go hide for six months.

 

[93Devil]

Got about 100 for a column I wrote last season the day after the Oklahoma-Oregon and LSU-Auburn games. The premise was simple, teams lose games not officials. If the losing teams had played better they would've won, so please stop crying about the bad calls. I had been dying to write that for ever and couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Since most came from Oklahoma and LSU fans, you can imagine they were pretty nasty. Though come to think of it, I'm counting responses and not just negative responses. I had about a dozen or so who agreed with what I wrote, though most of them came from Alabama and Oregon, as you'd suspect.

I replied to some.

Some notable responses to what I wrote:
_ One simpleton accused me of being the type of liberal lefty who blamed the United States and the victims of 9/11 for the terrorist attacks. So he was equating Oklahoma's victim status to those of 9/11. Nice.
This was the only guy I struck back at. Called him the biggest idiot on the planet or something like that. I was dying to tell him I voted for Bush twice, but just couldn't bring myself to lie about that.

_ The funniest by far, a person wrote in all caps and big type _ MAY YOU SPEND ETERNITY BEING ****ED IN THE ASS BY A ZEBRA. That made me laugh and I wrote back to tell him so.

_ The most interesting criticism came from a newspaper in Big 12 country _ not Oklahoma _ that basically made me the geek of the week or something like that. Maybe it was dumb comment of the week. Very professional of them to trash another writer.

I love hearing this.

My response normally is, "Sure the officials cost you this game, but can you tell me all the games won for you? Surely there has been a time where you were totally outclassed on the field and a little homecooking got you the much needed win, right?"

That always works.

I have coached, written and blown a whistle in my career, and I have never had anyone say their team has won a few games because of the refs.

Gotta love John Q. Public.

 

[alleyallen]

There is no end to the offense the reading public will take, sometimes. I actually had hate mail from a woman while writing about my soon-to-be-born son. I made some comment about how there'd been a bit of a medical scare with my (now) ex-wife and I was talking about how I'd prayed to God that she'd be OK and so would my Little Man.

The woman who wrote me had lost three children prior to/during childbirth and was basically criticizing me for not showing sensitivity to those who couldn't have children or had lost them.

Jesus wept. Literally.


And my favorite is STILL the woman who said we'd have to answer to God for downplaying the Dallas Cowboys after a victory, since God obviously loved the Cowboys.

 

[Ace]

I am constantly surprised at what people will take offense to. One of the delights of this profession.

 

[writing irish]

I got my record dose o' hate for writing something unflattering about the late, great Coach Rupp. ::)

 

[HejiraHenry]

I am constantly surprised at what people will take offense to. One of the delights of this profession.

A-men. My wife, who writes a weekly lifestyle/humor column, gets some wacky e-mails.