Jackson Free Press

The Washington Post's Michael Wilbon weighed in with a very cranky column on the hiring of Mississippi State football coach Sylvester Crooms. Wilbon makes a couple of good points, but they're undercut by his lack of knowledge on the 1963 Mississippi State basketball team. (The school didn't try to stop the basketball team from going to the NCAA Tournament, as Wilbon writes while taking a particularly cheap shot at MSU. Indeed, MSU officials defied state officials and state law by allowing the Bulldogs to make that historic trip to the NCAAs.) ... SI.com's Geoffrey Norman says everybody in America should be pulling for Sylvester Croom. Dr S says, he's right. ... The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins writes about how Croom's faith, dreams and drive helped him make history.

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Indeed. The '63 team was discussed in this JFP Blog Thread earlier this year. I like Wilbon's work, but his comments regarding the Maroons were-- in my opinion-- sloppy.

Ex

Dec 3 2003

I would say sloppy and mean-spirited. It's as if he is punishing Mississippi State for the idiocy of Alabama. Frankly, I don't have a problem with him mentioning the Confederate flag vote of late; the state's voters did that and should bear the criticism for it (and our Trent), as folks (especially black ones) care to dole it out, but getting the facts wrong in the "cheap shot" as the Doc called it is really disappointing. I say, let's make Wilbon the Goob o' the Day for trying to rain on Mississippi's good day with bum info. This does capture this state's circular legacy: either we shoot ourselves in the foot, or someone does it for us. Ironically, I think both of those things will stop at the same time; when we stop aiming at our our foot, others will, too. But that sure isn't an excuse for this cheap shot at State. Doc, did you write the Post on behalf of the JFP bomb squad?

ladd

Dec 4 2003

No, Dr. S was too lazy to find an address. ... Wilbon probably doesn't care, anyway. Wilbon appears to spend more time preparing for the idiotic "Pardon The Interruption" (where he's the weakest link) rather than doing mundane stuff like basic reporting

Dr. S

Dec 4 2003

I don't think it matters whether he cares. We should routinely point out incorrect media about the state. It's one thing to report what really happens here, like embarassing flag votes, but another to make sh*t up.

ladd

Dec 4 2003