Why the article name change on mlb.com?

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 11:23 AM PDT

Did anyone notice and read this story:

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050717&content_id=1134809& ;vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

It is now called "Notes: Zito's option in his hands" when it use to be called "Notes: Zito's Dad is a Genius" or something to that extent. I wonder why they would change it. Does anyone think that maybe Zito didn't want to portray his Dad as a genius? I just don't see why not. Very confused over something very little.

Mychael Urban, you wrote the piece! Explain yourself, sir!

...I hope i'm just not flipping out and imagined the article up, or had a vision and saw the article before it was posted.

Poll

What mail provider do you use?

you@*.edu

6 votes

your ISP (earthlink, AOL, etc.)

6 votes

fire@macha.now

8 votes

Yahoo!

19 votes

Gmail

7 votes

Hotmail

8 votes

54 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 22 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I hope you haven't lost much sleep over this. :-)

independencefieldsac.org
Please help disabled kids in Sacramento play baseball by helping the Rivercats build a specially equipped field for them.

by kaweahkaweah on Jul 18, 2005 11:30 AM PDT reply actions

WHY GOD WHY!??

His DAD is a GENIUS!! Why would they take it down?! What cruel twist of fate that zito's father is not recognized for his genius-ness!! SOB

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, these kinds of things bother me too.

independencefieldsac.org
Please help disabled kids in Sacramento play baseball by helping the Rivercats build a specially equipped field for them.

by kaweahkaweah on Jul 18, 2005 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions

I saw the "genius" article too...

Didn't realize they changed the title until just now...though when I read through it the first time, I didn't see any quote calling him a genius, so maybe that's why they changed it...

I can't answer your poll. I use at least four of those email providers.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jul 18, 2005 11:30 AM PDT reply actions

There..

maybe you can answer it now.

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions

I noticed the change

I figured it was to attract more readers to the article.

by textonly on Jul 18, 2005 11:40 AM PDT reply actions

Exactly

"Zito's dad is a genius" doesn't tell anyone what the story is really about.

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

by day-to-day on Jul 18, 2005 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions

I've seen them change article titles often

Athletics Nation Chatroom! Join us at #AthleticsNation @ irc.zirc.org

by Zonis on Jul 18, 2005 11:46 AM PDT reply actions

I think the very first version

of the headline was actually "Notes: Zito's Dad is a Genius, and his kid's butt looks totally HOT when he's wearing high socks!"

I wonder why Urban changed it...

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Jul 18, 2005 12:04 PM PDT reply actions

You can Bet the House

He didn't change it.

Writers anywhere-- newspapers, magazines, the Internet-- have little or no control over headlines. I wrote a piece for a major publication and all I could do was negotiate about the headline between their choices, not mine.

oaktoon

by oaktoon on Jul 18, 2005 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I did change it, actually

I didn't write the original one, and when I saw it, I felt like it didn't accurately reflect what the note was really about.

by MychaelUrban on Jul 18, 2005 8:11 PM PDT up reply actions

often on Yahoo...

they'll list more than one link to the same article, with a different title for each link. I ran into a recent post-trades article about Beane's lack of concern for chemistry 3 times, all under different titles.

Rock over London, Rock on Oakland. Wheaties: It's the Breakfast of Champions.

by Cutthemullet on Jul 18, 2005 12:11 PM PDT reply actions

I could have picked any of them

except my provider ...

I have
my name @yahoo.com
my name @hotmail.com
my name @gmail.com
my name @my alma mater.edu

as well as

my name @my employer.org

The next time I slap a guy's ass, can we all just assume it's because I wish I was a baseball player?

by devo on Jul 18, 2005 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

Dump Gmail.

Unless you want your email provider keeping copies of your emails sent and received to use as 'marketing data', or providing your personal details to law enforcement at the drop of a hat.

GMail is dead evil.

by Ozzz on Jul 18, 2005 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I actually tried to change it to

"What mail provider do you use the most?" but apparently I haven't figured out how to update polls, or its not possible.

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 12:27 PM PDT reply actions

I don't use any of those

Though I want to get my own address sometime. I use qwest.net.

by Squeaky on Jul 18, 2005 12:28 PM PDT reply actions

isn't qwest

an ISP?

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions

I.....

have absolutely no idea.

by Squeaky on Jul 18, 2005 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions

According to www.qwest.net

they're your dialup internet service provider, which I assume are also your mail provider if you have yourname@qwest.net. Not that this is a big deal, but you would answer with the ISP choice (earthlink, AOL are just the bigger ISPs that I used as examples)

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 18, 2005 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions