Getting it right about Mr. Pettitte on an 8/26/07 item

A NY newspaper ran an item about Andy Pettitte on 8/26/07. So far I haven't seen a correction of it. Perhaps one ran and I missed it. Maybe it was Yankee media relations' fault. If a correction hasn't run, does that make the newspaper and the article's author

• "liars?"

Or are newspapers not obligated to tell the truth or post a "corrections" page online every day? If so, does that make them:

• superior

• or "liars" and "cheats"?

The post from 8/26/07: "Extremely powerful (NY Daily News) columnist Bob Raissman's item is titled, "Doubletalk."

• "What Andy Pettitte said: "I love him (Joe Torre) to death. He is like a dad to me. He is a great manager and great to play for."
• What Andy Pettitte meant to say: "I love him to death. But remember, that didn't stop me from leaving him to go to Houston for more cash.""

First, the Astros' offer was $7.5 million LESS than the Yankee offer, per ESPN.com, 12/12/03

• "Pettitte took $7.5 million less to sign with the Astros -- the Yankees' last offer was for $39 million over three years."

Second, the Boston Red Sox offered Pettitte much more than Houston or the Yankees, $52 million over 4 years, and Pettitte turned it down.

• Reported by Jack Curry, NY Times, 2/25/07, (posted on this blog 2/24/07)*source changed ESPN as of 3/19/08, for the following reason:

As of 3/19/08, The NY Times article has been altered from its original which I copied verbatim and linked to with attribution Feb.24, 2007 and was still there when I did this post on Feb. 19, 2008. The item about Boston's offer to Pettitte can still be found on and ESPN.com article dated 12/12/03, "Deal is $7.5 million Less Than Yankees' Offer" (referencing the Astro's offer to Pettitte).

• ***UPDATE, 3/19/08: THE REFERENCE TO PETTITTE'S OFFER FROM THE RED SOX HAS BEEN DELETED FROM JACK CURRY'S NY TIMES ARTICLE DATED 2/25/07. IT WAS STILL THERE WHEN I DID THIS POST ON FEB. 19, 2008, SO IN THE PAST 30 DAYS THE NY TIMES CHANGED THE ARTICLE.IT STILL REFERS TO MARIANO RIVERA SAYING HE COULDN'T IMAGINE WORKING FOR THE RED SOX, BUT THE REFERENCE TO PETTITTE WHICH I COPIED VERBATIM IN FEBRUARY 2007 AND WHICH WAS THERE UP UNTIL ONE MONTH AGO, HAS BEEN REMOVED WITHOUT EXPLANATION.

Third, it was Torre's superiors in 2003 who called the shots--not Torre.

• The Yankees left Pettitte no choice when they failed to make a simple phone call to the pitcher in the exlusive window allowed them after the 2003 post season. Andy had spent his entire career in the Yankee organization, had pitched very well for them especially in the post season just passed, didn't get in bar fights or pitch drunk. He was rumored to have an elbow problem, but the Yankees could have addressed the issue in a phone call if that had been their concern. There were open rumors that Steinbrenner wasn't big on Andy and had tried to trade him over a long period of time, at one point to the Phillies. Andy had no reason to think the Yankees wanted him so of course looked at an offer from his home town.

Perhaps the Yankees need to do more in terms of media relations, so misunderstandings like this don't occur in the future. Bob Raissman is an extremely powerful sports media columnist and his words about Andy Pettitte have now gone all around the world.

• Item from NY Daily News by Bob Raissman, end of column, 8/26/07, "Tiki's Rip of Eli Creates Rush of Coverage"

P.S. According to the website, RegrettheError.com, the New York Daily News does not have an online 'Corrections' page (nor an ombudsman). Therefore, if at any time it's concluded an error has occurred, it may be noted in the paper version but not the online version (or neither). So far, there's at least a difference in facts reported among media.

• Reposted from this blog, 8/26/07

I still wondered about this item, so posted it again. (sm)

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