Dear dimwit on the phone

apeman33 · Feb 24, 2011

HanSenSE said:

spikechiquet said:

HanSenSE said:

This story does bring up a valid point, however. At what age does an athlete have to have residence in the area before moving away to warrant a story?

In the last couple years, as part of the local odds-and-ends column I did, I did an item on a kid who started his hockey career in the area before moving away at the age of 6... and is now in the NHL (although he has relatives who still are in the area, and cousins who are currently successful athletes in HS).

Also did a story on a kid who only lived in the area for a year, but it was his senior year of high school, led his golf team to a state title... and is now on the PGA Tour.

Both of these might be a stretch, just like yours. But if he's legitimately on a Team USA, it might warrant a small mention.
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Both examples I think are fine. The odds-and-ends piece works and since the golf kid was a high school student, a story was probably fine as well.

Now, had it been a full-on story about the NHLer, eh...that's overdoing it.

If you are "hyper-local", using the tag: Jimmy Skater, who is the grandson of Homer and Judy Skater, left Podunk when he was six...I think is fine also. Depends on how local you want to go.
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How much to localize? I always keep in mind an example of overdoing it I saw in college: "Harry S. Truman, whose whistlestop tour during the 1948 presidential campaign stopped here, has died ..."

We have a similar situation too. There's a boxer whose family left here after his freshman year in high school for SoCal, mostly to get him better competition, but he still has some family and a good following here. And he did compete for the USA ... in the Beijing Olympics! He's since turned pro, still based in SoCal, but does fight here a couple of times a year at the local casino, where the PR folks list Podunk as his hometown. When I write about him, I mention "he calls Podunk and Smogville home."

But to put in a story "just so his grandparents can read it," I draw the line. We're the sports section, not the club newsletter. Or, in the spirit of my sig line, the yearbook!
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I've got a set of grandparents who keep sending me stuff sending me stuff about one of their grandkids who is on the swim team at the University of Iowa. They've been sending me things since his senior year of high school.

The kid was born in Iowa and has never lived here. And I don't put it in.

Had another woman try to get me to run a photo of a grandson who was named all-league in baseball in Arkansas. Um, no.

And I put this once on another thread. An aunt of some kid who was breaking field-goal records at an NAIA school not in our area tried to get me to run a story on the kid. This kid had also never lived here. I think the aunt was his only relative in town. I refused to run it. She went over my head. The publisher told me to run it. I ran a photo of the kid just basically saying, "Here's a kid who kicks field goals at Faraway College" with no mention of the relatvies or anything that would justify why it ran. (Maybe you can make me run it, but I get to decide how it runs.)

Big Circus · Feb 24, 2011

Rhody31 said:

Paul Konerko? Rhode Islander (Born in Providence, moved out of state when he was real young but he still has relatives who live in Cranston).
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Is he related to Freda Felcher?

peacer84 · Feb 25, 2011

Felcher???...From Cranston??? OHHH YEAH!! I mean...I heard ya talk about her...

BillyT · Feb 25, 2011

Rhody31 said:

If you lived in Rhode Island at any time, we take credit for you.
Justin Fargas? Rhode Islander (IIRC, he dad was a Navy guy and he lived in Newport for a year or two when he a pre-teen).
Paul Konerko? Rhode Islander (Born in Providence, moved out of state when he was real young but he still has relatives who live in Cranston).
Rheal Cormier? Rhode Islander (Went to CCRI before a career in the majors)
Billy Andrade? Rhode Islander (Grew up in Bristol, then went to Wake Forest and when he hit it big on the PGA Tour, moved to Atlanta).
We don't have much, but once a Rhode Islander, always a Rhode Islander.
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Marvin Barnes!!

Ernie D.

Rocco Baldelli

Various Stenhouses.

Me!

"I'm Rhode Island born, and I'm Rhode Island bred, and when I die, I'll be Rhode Island dead . . . "

BillyT · Feb 25, 2011

sgreenwell said:

peacer84 said:

Rhody31 said:

If you lived in Rhode Island at any time, we take credit for you.
Justin Fargas? Rhode Islander (IIRC, he dad was a Navy guy and he lived in Newport for a year or two when he a pre-teen).
Paul Konerko? Rhode Islander (Born in Providence, moved out of state when he was real young but he still has relatives who live in Cranston).
Rheal Cormier? Rhode Islander (Went to CCRI before a career in the majors)
Billy Andrade? Rhode Islander (Grew up in Bristol, then went to Wake Forest and when he hit it big on the PGA Tour, moved to Atlanta).
We don't have much, but once a Rhode Islander, always a Rhode Islander.
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You have Family Guy. Nuff said.
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I went to URI, and toward the end of my time there - 2006 and 2007 - people started asking me where Quahog was. They weren't joking. (For the record, it most closely resembles Cranston or Warwick, in my opinion.)

That being said, it's only a matter of time before Buddy Cianci gets his name on a school. In certain portions of RI, people love him, even though he has multiple felony convictions.
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Buddy should have been quicker.

The Tri-City Valley Cats minor league baseball team plays in Joseph Bruno Stadium, even though the former state senator is now, like Buddy, a convicted felon.

Get it named *before* you get convicted.

I would think Cranston is too much of a city (yes, I said that) yo be Quohaug.

BillyT
URI grad
Westerly Guy!

jlee · Feb 25, 2011

Rhode Island: It's roughly the size of Rhode Island.

Dan Hickling · Feb 25, 2011

the smallest state and bears the largest official name of all the states .... I'll be there tomorrow in good old Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ...

KP · Feb 25, 2011

sgreenwell said:

peacer84 said:

Rhody31 said:

If you lived in Rhode Island at any time, we take credit for you.
Justin Fargas? Rhode Islander (IIRC, he dad was a Navy guy and he lived in Newport for a year or two when he a pre-teen).
Paul Konerko? Rhode Islander (Born in Providence, moved out of state when he was real young but he still has relatives who live in Cranston).
Rheal Cormier? Rhode Islander (Went to CCRI before a career in the majors)
Billy Andrade? Rhode Islander (Grew up in Bristol, then went to Wake Forest and when he hit it big on the PGA Tour, moved to Atlanta).
We don't have much, but once a Rhode Islander, always a Rhode Islander.
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You have Family Guy. Nuff said.
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I went to URI, and toward the end of my time there - 2006 and 2007 - people started asking me where Quahog was. They weren't joking. (For the record, it most closely resembles Cranston or Warwick, in my opinion.)

That being said, it's only a matter of time before Buddy Cianci gets his name on a school. In certain portions of RI, people love him, even though he has multiple felony convictions.
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Pawtucket for Family Guy
Buddy Cianci Classical High School has a nice ring

BillyT · Feb 25, 2011

Dan Hickling said:

the smallest state and bears the largest official name of all the states .... I'll be there tomorrow in good old Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ...
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At the Dunkin' Donuts Arena, Dan?

I will be at the GFCC Sunday for Bingo.

Dan Hickling · Feb 25, 2011

nah ... down at Salve ... mileage, baby .... ;D

sgreenwell · Feb 26, 2011

Dan Hickling said:

nah ... down at Salve ... mileage, baby .... ;D
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Bring your sailor suit and the ladies will be all over you.

Dan Hickling · Feb 26, 2011

think that suit shrunk a bit ... but it was what helped me land Mrs. H. in the first place ....

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