Tell me this AP credit really is in error

Please, someone restore my faith in good, acceptable standards and tell me this really wasn't written or sent by the AP, that the Web site where I read this inadvertently added it. If the second sentence in the fourth graf is what we're turning out, I'm at a loss for words.





FRESNO, Calif. (AP)--Freshman guard Paul George broke out for a career-high 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double as Fresno State beat the second-place Boise State Broncos, 88-82, during Monday Madness in the Save Mart Center.

Junior forward Sylvester Seay added 23 points as four Bulldogs reached double figures. Freshman guards Mychal Ladd and Bryce Cartwright each netted 14 points in Fresno State's second Western Athletic Conference victory of the season.

"Tonight was a very important night for our team," head coach Steve Cleveland said. "We attacked and showed that we can win in this conference. This team has been through a lot and I am happy they were rewarded with a victory."

George shot 9 of 11 from the field while hitting three 3-pointers and draining all eight free throw attempts. He also tied career marks with a trio of thievery and a pair of swats while climbing into the spot as the sixth highest scoring freshman in the country.

 

I've said it many times - I'm not a fan of slamming someone anonymously - but really, there couldn't be a better quote than that?

Also, yeah, that fourth paragraph is absolutely revolting. I still am not sure what "a trio of thievery" is.

 

The last graf reads is if it were randomly run through a thesaurus.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the AP. The quality of copy they're sending out has diminished drastically, particularly when it comes to stringer-written stuff.

 

Looks like an SID release that somebody at the bureau forgot to clean up.

 

A guy at my old shop once concluded a high school baseball summary, "Jones flied to center, and that was the whole can of corn," just to see who noticed. It ran that way, and no one did.

 

We had a stringer cover a college basketball game for us. When we were editing his story, the final score didn't match the score in the box score. Then we checked the AP gamer and it had the same score as our stringer's story. So we're wondering which was wrong, the story or the box score.
We called the stringer and asked him. We said we couldn't figure it out because AP had the same score he had.
He said, "Oh shit, I was stringing for AP, too."

 

My EDITOR pulls out crap like the thievery line.

The worst ever was "xxxxxx finished with 14 points and eight caroms for xxxxxx"

I edited it out since it was my night to do the pages and he got all fussy the next day.

 

Did you know if you Google "trio of thievery" the only thing in the universe that shows up is that story?

And I'm sure this thread in about 15 minutes.

 

That's the kind of thing a guy I work with would put in.

He hasn't sunk to that level though.

 

Trio of Thievery is the name of my new smooth jazz group.

 

Once had to edit a gamer that included "This was where heroes would be made, where boys would become men." Same gamer also said "Bill Smith, like most of his teammates, goes both ways." The story took five hours to get to me, and when it did and I transferred it from e-mail to News Edit, it ran better than 60 inches. Good times.