The Boston Herald has been apologizing more lately than Jason Hanke (James Spader) working through AA's Step Nine in Episode 165, The Apology. The Herald, of course, published a story the day before this year's Super Bowl that the Patriots had taped the Rams' walkthrough leading up to the Super Bowl six years earlier. This week, we all learned conclusively that no such tape existed (though Patriots employee Matt Walsh was, in fact, looking on at the "closed" walkthrough in question while setting up video equipment).
A few days after the Herald plastered a mea culpa to the Patriots on both its front and back pages -- the better to forestall a potential lawsuit, perhaps -- comes this morning's apology from John Tomase, the writer who penned the Feb. 2 account. The short version is that Tomase heard that Walsh had taped the walkthrough and went with the story, though neither he nor any of his sources had actually seen the supposed tape firsthand. Alas, it seems Walsh didn't actually record the practice, though one can understand how a story might have gotten around that he did.
In sum, though, Tomase's story turned out to be fiction. But was he more unscrupulous than, say, J. Peterman? I say no.
Please recall that in Episode 148, The Van Buren Boys, Peterman buys Kramer's lifetime of stories for $750, intending to pass the tales on as his own in the autobiography that Elaine is ghostwriting for him. That's much worse than what Tomase did. Peterman, like James Frey, intended to fool readers into thinking that he'd had amazing experiences that he hadn't had, such as single-handedly fending off the Van Buren Boys, or slipping on the subway tracks and muddying his pants. (The very pants he was about to return!)
This is also the episode in which Jerry can't figure out what's wrong with the new woman he's seeing (played by Mrs. Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor) and George wants to pick a younger version of himself to win a scholarship at the Ross Foundation.
Since this post is all about honesty, though, I do think I should correct a historical inaccuracy in this episode. At one point, Kramer implies that our eighth president, Martin Van Buren, was known to be mean. As one of the nation's leading MVB scholars (that's actually true, if mostly by default), I can say that's patently false. The Little Magician was, in fact, a charming and personable man. The Sage of Kinderhook was also overjoyed when his home-state (sort of) Giants beat the Patriots this year.
Olympic Track Stars to Watch
Comments (79)
Hey! I'm distantly related to MVB. Though charming and personable, didn't he also preside over the country's first Depression?
GeorgeW | 05/16/08, 12:10 PM
Report Offensive Comment"Mr. Peterson, can I have my stories back?...I think I made a big mistake".
Met2008 | 05/16/08, 12:11 PM
Report Offensive CommentI could see Rock being a Devils kind of man.
Anthony Verna
Well, I felt at home when I was in Newark ...
rock_chalk | 05/16/08, 12:14 PM
Report Offensive CommentJames Frey's writing is terrible and I can't imagine that people ate his garbage like it was rich ice cream.
Anthony Verna | 05/16/08, 12:17 PM
Report Offensive Comment4 blogs..............
shaoshanboy1893 | 05/16/08, 12:18 PM
Report Offensive CommentHey! I'm distantly related to MVB. Though charming and personable, didn't he also preside over the country's first Depression?
GeorgeW
-----
Now you're going to pin the Panic of 1837 on him? He'd barely gotten into office!
You second-guessers are all alike. How's the view from the cheap seats?
The 10 Spot | 05/16/08, 12:21 PM
Report Offensive CommentTomase used the all too comfortable crutch every journalist uses when he makes up a story and gets it wrong -- protecting his anonymous confidential source. Of course, nine times out of ten, there is no such source; never was; and can never be refuted or challenged - how convenient our First amendment is for unscrupulous writers such as Tomase, and most of the Si.com staff ( anonymous sources that I cannot reveal have told me Si.com writers routinely just make stuff up).
In his defense, Tomase did say that his source promised to mail him the tape the day before Tomase decided to run the story on the eve of the SuperBowl. But , alas, his Postman, Newman, lost the package on the way to the Herald offices.
Larry B | 05/16/08, 12:22 PM
Report Offensive CommentI think Kramer has the tape ... not of the rams walkthrough, but of the San Diego cheerleaders
Larry B | 05/16/08, 12:23 PM
Report Offensive CommentI go to a meeting, squash a rebellion among the operators and Pete puts up 4 posts. Meanwhile on a normal day we're still waiting on his first post at this time and waiting for lunchtime in Hawaii for our laughs.
BoFett | 05/16/08, 12:23 PM
Report Offensive CommentTomase used the all too comfortable crutch every journalist uses when he makes up a story and gets it wrong -- protecting his anonymous confidential source. Of course, nine times out of ten, there is no such source; never was; and can never be refuted or challenged - how convenient our First amendment is for unscrupulous writers such as Tomase, and most of the Si.com staff ( anonymous sources that I cannot reveal have told me Si.com writers routinely just make stuff up).
In his defense, Tomase did say that his source promised to mail him the tape the day before Tomase decided to run the story on the eve of the SuperBowl. But , alas, his Postman, Newman, lost the package on the way to the Herald offices.
Larry B
-----
Ah yes, a conspiracy theory ... makes me think of the "Second Spitter" from "The Boyfriend," Parts I and II.
The 10 Spot | 05/16/08, 12:25 PM
Report Offensive CommentAs a non-follower of Sienfeld (due to one of my college roomates obsession with it), I feel I can't thoroughly enjoy today's post. I knew I should have watched that show for a reason.
Hart - | 05/16/08, 12:25 PM
Report Offensive CommentPete I do have a question I wanted to ask yesterday but forogt. When putting up the Caption This photos, do you have to get them from SI.com or can you get them from any website.... Always wondered...
Hart - | 05/16/08, 12:26 PM
Report Offensive CommentKeith Hernandez was Tomase's source? I despise Keith Hernandez
Pflebeau | 05/16/08, 12:33 PM
Report Offensive CommentAh yes, a conspiracy theory ... makes me think of the "Second Spitter" from "The Boyfriend," Parts I and II.
The 10 Spot |
--------
That was one magic loogie
Uncle Ben - Data Monkey | 05/16/08, 12:33 PM
Report Offensive CommentPete I do have a question I wanted to ask yesterday but forogt. When putting up the Caption This photos, do you have to get them from SI.com or can you get them from any website.... Always wondered...
Hart - Beginning of a New Era
----
It's not that I have to get them from SI.com, but it has to be a photo that we own the rights to. Thus it's typically from a photo agency with which we have a contractual relationship (Associated Press of Getty) or, less frequently, a shot from an SI photographer.
I can't just download any photo I want from the Web. That's called stealing. A lot of sites (especially small, independent blogs) do just that, but Time Warner's pockets are too deep and our legal arm too active to play with such fire.
The 10 Spot | 05/16/08, 12:34 PM
Report Offensive CommentIt's not that I have to get them from SI.com, but it has to be a photo that we own the rights to. Thus it's typically from a photo agency with which we have a contractual relationship (Associated Press of Getty) or, less frequently, a shot from an SI photographer.
I can't just download any photo I want from the Web. That's called stealing. A lot of sites (especially small, independent blogs) but Time Warner's pockets are too deep and our legal arm too active to play with such fire.
The 10 Spot
Thats what I was thinking, but was always curious about.
Hart - | 05/16/08, 12:34 PM
Report Offensive CommentBut , alas, his Postman, Newman, lost the package on the way to the Herald offices.
Larry B
+++++++++
Postmen cannot be trusted. If they are not going on a shooting rampage, they are losing important packages.
manta | 05/16/08, 12:35 PM
Report Offensive CommentKeith Hernandez was Tomase's source? I despise Keith Hernandez
Pflebeau | 05/16/08, 12:33 PM
So I guess you're not going to help him move on Saturday.
BoFett | 05/16/08, 12:36 PM
Report Offensive CommentPostmen cannot be trusted. If they are not going on a shooting rampage, they are losing important packages.
manta | 05/16/08, 12:35 PM
And whacking dogs, retuning empties in Michigan for an extra nickel, hoarding mail in storage bins, cheating at Risk.............
Pflebeau | 05/16/08, 12:37 PM
Report Offensive CommentSo I guess you're not going to help him move on Saturday.
BoFett-Bo Knows | 05/16/08,
Do you think it's too soon? Would that be too forward?
Pflebeau | 05/16/08, 12:39 PM
Report Offensive CommentAdd a comment
Remember to keep it clean. Bad words will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed. More Guidelines