Wright Thompson on McGwire

Because he's one of this board's Pollyannas and he's a cut above everyone else.

The Grbac piece should never have been printed.

 

BASW disagrees...

 

Which BASW was the Grbac piece in - anybody know?

The McGwire piece was beautifully written - weird in a good way.

But along the lines of what 21 said... He seemed to have a thesis and wanted to write the piece around the thesis... and it wasn't a perfect fit.

He says McGwire was private growing up... so why wouldn't he be private now?

We all lose touch with old friends... so what?

So he plays a lot of golf... so??

The O.C. isn't exactly what I think of when I think of Hermitville. I think of Montana or something (sorry sc).

Two nitpicks -- he says McGwire hasn't visited his boyhood home since ____. A few weeks ago, my mom visited one of her girlhood homes. Drove to it, got out, looked around, got her picture taken in front of it... decided not to knock. How does WT know for sure he hasn't visited or driven by since ____.

He also makes the statement "He feels safe here." How does Wright know that if Mac wouldn't do an interview.

He paints a chilling picture of a guy who's "hiding"... I wonder what the reality is.

 

Do remember to gargle.

It took the stud emeritus 2,000 words to get to this conclusion.

"His black Suburban is parked in the driveway; Elvis [Grbac] is home. There are a thousand reasons to go knock on his door. There are so many questions to ask, like: 'Why'd you quit?' and 'Do you hate Kansas City?' Your boss wants you to do it. He might go ballistic if you don't.... What to do? There's only one thing to do. The right thing. You turn the car back toward the airport and leave."

What an artiste elegante. What craftsmanship. We even get the Hitchcockian ending.

 

anyone have a link to the Grbac piece?

 

Please keep this thread on the McGwire piece...

 

I'm no huge fan of the Grbac piece, but I do like Wright, and ever time his name comes up, LJB inevitabley arrives one the scene to tell us what a hack he is. It's weak. (Slappy is to Albom as LJB apparently is to Wright Thompson.) Wright has penned several stories that are BASW quality, but some people still have a giant hard-on for that Grbac piece every time his name comes up, as if we should all be defined by one single feature story we did when we were 25. Please. By the way, the Grbac piece made it into the back of the book, along with 100 others, not the reprinted part, so temper your rage. Wright did make it in the book in 2005 for a story about the first black college football player at Iowa State, a story I've never once seen discussed here or elsewhere, apparently because it doesn't have enough wrong with it for people to mock.

I no, I ain't him.

EDIT: (Sorry Mizz, you're right on that last point. I would be nice if we could keep this about McGwire.)

 

Wright is a great writer. If you didn't like something he wrote a few years ago, that's your prerogative...

The McGwire piece is outstanding...

 

Never once said he was a hack. I don't see the fuss over his talent, but whatever.

The Grbac piece is glaring proof that he has a hell of a lot to learn, and is brought up in response to his admirers.

 

You're aware it was four years ago, right? Not making excuses for the guy, but it's not like Thompson wrote the Grbac story last month.

 

Actually, that's a lie. When Katrina hit New Orleans, you, uprovoked, commented on a story that was being praised (I believe written either by Chris Rose, or from someone at the NYT) on the Katrina and the Waves thread saying, "I'd just like to point out how woefully inept Wright Thompson would be in a situation like this."

WTF?

 

Who doesn't know at age 25 to follow through on a story? Who doesn't know that it's probably not a good idea to just say fuck it and decide not to interview someone?