Dear dimwit on the phone

My all-time favorite caller was the one who said we published a lot more stuff about NASCAR than the NBA, so we must be racially motivated.
Me: "Well, we run a lot more about the NBA than the NHL. What does that mean?"
Caller: Silence.

 

No women's bracket? Really?

 

We usually do, but with cutbacks to the art department and no artist on Monday night when they did the draw...well, we couldn't do one...so we just ran the games as agate.
There is pretty strong mid-major women's teams around here, so I kind of get it...but yeah, it was pretty funny.

 

Want to hear racial motivation? An older African American guy used to call us all the time to complain about race regarding our college and pro teams. One time he actually said, "You don't fire a black coach and replace him with a white coach."

Every time a has-been black superstar gets cut in the middle of the season because he sucks, the guy calls to suggest that the local team should sign him. There's nothing wrong with the player already on the team who's starting in that position... other than he's white.

He kept ripping one of the teams for being racist because of the lack of black players, even though the majority of the starters were actually made up of non-white players ( in fact, I think there was one season where only one of the starters was white). One time he accused them of bringing in yet another whitey... even though he was Asian.

 

I got a call from an old lady telling me to "get some balls" and write the truth about increasing water rates, the truth I tried to tell her but she wouldn't listen to.

She then launched into the senior mantra of "we're on fixed incomes." Who isn't? I've had one raise in 10 years, and that's because I changed jobs. In fact, my income was docked last year by furloughs. And I don't get Medicare.

She said I should take the senior's side, not the city's side. I told her I don't take any sides, I'm just the messenger.

 

I guess the AP bracket wasn't an option. I ran it, but hated that I couldn't change all the times to Central. My version of Illustrator no longer groks the AP graphics.

 

Yeah, AP bracket wouldn't have worked since we make our own and it would look way different...and then, I'm sure this caller would have bitched about THAT! LOL

 

Old woman should be greatful she's on a "fixed income." My income decreased by 20 percent because all I could get was another sports writing job.

 

"Hey, MTM, I read your article in the Podunk Press and I'm wondering who to contact at City Hall about the upcoming event."
"I don't work at the Podunk Press, I'm at the Town Times, and I didn't write about that event, but you can call Bob at 555-5555."
"OK, thanks, that was a great article you wrote, by the way."
"Thanks for not listening, ma'am."

 

Ha! I got a similar one of these the other day. A fan is a fan, but it's somewhat offensive in a way, since the paper that competes with us is pretty much a festering tire fire of suck.

 

So what is worse: a tire fire of suck or a dumpster fire?

 

Oh, definitely a tire fire. The one in Springfield has been going for years, whereas a dumpster fire will just burn itself out eventually.