Now That's Original

I missed this yesterday, but Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News wrote a column that hit on some topics of interest in the House of Georges.

Now I actually like Krieger. He's not a complete idiot or mandatory contrarian like so many of his brethren. He doesn't try to be the "voice of the fan." He's critical when necessary and circumspect the rest of the time. His work is generally rational and careful, if a little dry. What I'm saying is the man is not funny, but he is professional.

I had no idea until now, though, that he was a plagiarist. Juxtaposing the Broncos with their closest geographical rival, using the theme of this rivalry to expand upon a larger point? That's really sharp, Dave, as well as being exactly what we do here every single flipping day.

A little credit would have been nice, there, Dave. Or should I say Joe? Jayson? Doris?

As a quick aside, I'd known about the accusations of plagiarism against Doris Kearns Goodwin for a long time. She's now back in the spotlight quite a bit, and I don't really have a problem with it. One reason for that is that I think she's paid her penance--most people see her on TV and think "plagiarist." That's pretty rough when you write for a living. Another is that Team of Rivals is fantastic (and conveniently fully attributed, apparently), and still another is that she's a Red Sox fan. So back off on Doris.

What I didn't know until this very morning is that Mike Barnicle is in the same Accused Plagiarists' Club as Doris! Now I watch a lot of MSNBC, because well, I'm a fucking socialist. I have Morning Joe on daily, and I knew Barnicle was some sort of a defrocked Boston legend, but I had no idea why he was bounced from the Globe after 25 years. Now I do. Goodwin and Barnicle are on Morning Joe at the same time quite often--I don't even know what to say.

Anyway, back to Dave Krieger. I shouldn't be too hard on him, I'm sure he's a loyal HoG reader and simply forgot to mention it. Right, Dave? Plus, Dave's about to be unemployed, let's cut him some slack. If you need a job, Dave, come see us. You can start immediately and sling that Broncos-Chiefs shit all day, baby. Just remember your sources.