Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Don Knotts of sportswriters

Sean Brennan, a very nervous basketball writer for the New York Daily News, gets absolutely terrified at the thought of covering the NCAA Tournament in Detroit. And he's even more squeamish about Flint:

"You want assaults? Hey, we got ‘em, ranked second in the nation. Murder? Got that, too, with Detroit also landing the silver medal in homicide. Want your car ripped off? Give it a minute or so. Guess who’s No. 2? We are!

"Apparently, Detroit criminals are more into working outside than inside, as burglaries came in at an anemic 17th place.

"But if that’s not enough mayhem for you, nearby Flint, Mich., can supply you with your fill of felonies. In an attempt to show up Detroit, Flint apparently went on an assault binge to come in first in the country. And while it only took the bronze in murder, Flint does receive a silver medal for burglary.

"But at least you can park your car in Flint - for a little while anyway. It ranked a mere 28th nationally in car theft.

"I’m not sure what I’m going to do here on my free time. Maybe visit the Drive-By-Shooting Museum. Or maybe I’ll just sit in my hotel room, push my big dresser in front of the door and watch documentaries on TV.

"Maybe one on Beirut."

I think it's safe to say Sean won't be signing up to be a war correspondent anytime soon.



5 comments:

  1. This is the kind of cheap shot that outsiders think is funny.
    We all know that Flint has its problems, but as a longtime police reporter in Flint who spent a lot of time on those "dangerous" streets I somehow survived.
    This guy probably wears pink panties and lives with his mother.

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  2. And no mention of how all the college players from Flint and Detroit survived to even make it to the NCAA's.

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  3. Here's the comment I left on his blog:

    "I spent 24 years as a police reporter in Flint and Pontiac, Michigan before retiring last year.
    It is so rich that some pink laced reporter from New York is dissing cities in Michigan. Have you ever looked around the above ground sewer you live in.
    I guess they make reporters a little tougher around here because I spent many of those 24 years visiting some of the roughest neighborhoods in southeast Michigan and I've survived to tell about it.
    So cuddle up with your teddy bear in your plush little hotel room and don't venture out unless there's a cop, or at least a Detroit coed to escort you to the game.
    Unlike New York reporters, reporters in Michigan don't live with their mothers. Grow up, strap on a set and write about basketball and not something you obviously know little about.


    Posted by Jim of L-Town on March 30, 2008 3:32 PM "

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  4. Flint Expats returns with a vengeance! Maybe train war zone reporters in Flint?

    But considering the 4 homicides in 40 minutes in SF this past weekend...we might train them here.

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  5. Great idea, firedande. That could help the local economy. But my fear is that once the journalists saw Flint, they'd never want to leave.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.