Heya!

[AsylumSeeker]

I had to write a story on the basketball team losing in the playoffs. The team ended up getting their asses handed to them by this high school named Cave Springs, who eventually went on to win the state title. When I wrote the 'article', I wrote something along the lines of "As the Blues (a part of my high school's mascot) were down by 20 in the second half, Cave Springs' guard [insert name here] hit a 3-pointer, a coup de grace shot, putting the Blues out of their misery."

After the paper was passed around the school, the coach, who I've never liked (but also never had a confrontation until that point), asked to speak with me, and ensued to call me an asshole three or four times in a lengthy rant about how I disrespected the entire school by thrashing them in the paper.

Funny thing is that I didn't trash them at all in the paper. I just wrote the truth: they were obliterated by the eventual state champs!

Since I live in a small town, and not a lot of people like the coach that much, I'm known as "the guy who wrote that basketball paper a couple years back."

I've contributed like two puff pieces to the town press, but nothing big.

I'm actually planning to move to SC to attend the University of Winthrop. The reason being I don't have to live in a dorm; I''ll be living with my cousin, her husband, their son and their dog. Will be a very, very, very busy man then, though, trying to keep the 'ol grades up, holding down a job, and trying to study in a hectic household. But it's all good -- I'll end up living at the university library probably.

 

Two things:  ONE, I was the Sports Editor of a very small town newspaper, as a favor to the owners no less, and I can really have sympathy with your coach's confrontation.  People are so passionate about sports that no matter what you write, it will piss someone off.  I was "attacked" so many times in the 15 years that I did it, but I stood my ground and soon it became apparent that if you had something to say to me about sports, you better be ready to take as well as you can give.  I actually began to look forward to these "talks."  TWO:  Winthrop is an AWESOME university.  I was at USC for 25 years both as a professor and as an administrator.  Winthrop is one of those "sleeper" universities that do a really good job of educating their students.  It's also close enough to Charlotte, NC so you can enjoy the cultural life there.  Good luck!

Hey, thanks!

The thing is, it was for the high school paper, and regardless of how pissed he was about a little innocuous phrase, what was the reasoning for calling me an asshole two or three times? Hell, I could've taken it to the office and had that bastard fired, but I refrained from making a big deal about it. Instead I smirked at him and laughed my ass off, because he's a short little fella, and if he had a mustache he'd sort of look like Hitler.

It's all good, though. I can't wait to bring this up in a future column in twenty-five years from now!