A reader e-mail that irks me...

brilliant, newb.

 

I'll leave it up for interpretation.

 

Not the worst letter in the world.. but I agree with whoever posted and said you shouldn't have gone to the other runners to find out how the kid you were writing about did.... for one thing, I don't quite understand how you could be at the race and not see how the kid did.. for the other, go to the coach... and if you don't know the kid, have the coach point him out.... dude, kids pull pranks... it's horrible to find out you interviewed joe blow when you had asked to find tom or dick. a simple 'thanks for you feedback,' really is all you need to say to the guy.

 

Reminds me of a story about a old-time columnist who was at a local AA hockey game. Goes to the rafters to talk to a couple of boys, 8-11 years old I think, who are sitting alone in the section. Back at the office, he's typing away and turns to one of our veteran temps, and says, "Hey, call directory assistance and ask for a Ben Dover in Podunk."

Half a dozen of us almost spit our drinks or dove out of the department to burst into laughter. Best part, said temp made the call.

 

What I got from the letter was the parent really doesn't like Mike Smith ....

 

Hmmm. I think Mike does a great job at Martinsville Speedway.

 

"Thank you for reading, and for taking the time to write."

Micropolitan Guy.



You cannot win in these situations. Sports is not an equal-opportunity employer. Acknowledge their correspondence, thank them for reading, and then exit, stage right.

Or, ask the guy, "If Tom Brady doesn't play for the Patriots, should we not ask the other players what happened to him, and if they will miss him?"

 

I'd be more than happy to write a nice, non-snarky e-mail back if:

1. He didn't e-mail it to my SE, EE and PUBLISHER. What the hell is that about?
2. Didn't tell me about progressing as a writer as if he knew anything about it.
3. There were 50+ teams at this meet and I couldn't find the local teams' tents for shit. When I saw kids on the team I was looking for, I jumped at the opportunity. I seriously had looked around for a while for the kid.

Also, the kids this guy mentioned didn't even finish in the top 100 of 400 runners in the race.

 

Classic case of "They try just as hard ..."

Get used to it. This will not be your last e-mail or letter in this vein.

 

Everyone thinks their kid tries harder than everyone else.
If that's true, why are they always getting their asses kicked?
Seriously, there's little to be gained out of arguing with the guy. You're best to be polite, thank him for the e-mail and move on.

 

Ask the dad why he thinks cross country should be considered a team sport? That will make the guy's day.

 

The letter wasn't rude, so there's nothing to be gained by giving the guy an attitude. There was one time when a prep wrestling coach copied about half the people in my newsroom with a bullshit complaint and then attacked me on an internet message board. I simply went to his AD, showed her the e-mail and the posts, and that basically shut him up.

I once indirectly criticized Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a column and got bombarded with angry e-mails. I answered every one. Most readers were just glad I replied. All them wrote me back again and none of them were nasty. I have hammered a few readers in my career who crossed the line, but most are just glad you wrote them back.