Wright Thompson on McGwire

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=mcgwire

Maybe I'm DB'ing. Not easy to write about a ghost who's still living. A little bit of an abrupt ending. But after Hyde got Jake Scott, I'm a bit disappointed Thompson couldn't get McGwire.

 

Good effort by Wright. Should've been written by the STL media long before now....

 

Did he see him at a coffee shop and decide leaving him alone was the right thing to do?

 

I agree the ending was a tad abrupt, but it was still a very well written piece. Kudos to Wright.

 

When you write something the caliber of this, please send us a link...

 

Wouldn't happen because if you pull something like chickening out of interviewing the focal point of your piece when you have the opportunity, most places ain't running the piece.

 

Don't big-time me.

 

That was an outstanding story.

Almost made better by the fact McGwire continues to hide out. Leaves an element of mystery that would have been removed had he just shown up and said "No comment."

 

The story did indicate that he declined to be interviewed.

I don't subscribe to the Wright Thompson-is-the-shit meme a lot of people here do, but that was a solid piece.

Only problem I had is that he doesn't say if McGwire has always had that small of a presence at his high school, or just since the drug stuff started. In 1998, you'd think the school would have wanted the world to know that he went there.

 

I thought it was pretty good, though the web design was weird.

 

It was but it worked. I liked splitting the story up by where he's lived.

Something that's easier to do online than in print.

 

It's a better piece without McGwire. His invisibility is the whole story.

Although: the last section (about how comfortable he is behind the gates, chatting in Starbucks, moseying through the grocery store) sort of diluted the earlier portrayal of McGwire as a reclusive hermit. Sounds like he's living a quiet life with his wife and kids, avoiding big public circuses and media. Given the events of the last year(s), can't say I blame him.

He'll materialize at some point, when it benefits him. He'll say how painful it has been to have the entire sports world turn against him, when he did nothing wrong, at least nothing anyone can prove. SI will do some cover story about his quiet hurt life, we'll all shriek and grieve about lying and cheating and fallen heroes, and then no one will care any more.