Spring Break
The Daily OrangeSchonbrun: Running rampant
Carr rumor shows how Internet blurs line between fact, fiction
By Zach Schonbrun
Posted: 9/30/08, 11:22 PM EST Section: Sports
Everybody wants to be the "inside guy" - with no strings attached. Clever screen names hide the liars from the liable. And a rumor can be born from spontaneous generation or colorful imagination.
"And it's tough, it's really tough," Axe said. "You don't know who's making stuff up just to stir the pot. You don't know who is legit trying to get their message out there."
Thus, while Lloyd Carr may be more interested in Michelangelo than coaching at Syracuse, the news was only that he was here. Or was he?
Some 10 days after Axe said he first heard Carr's name mentioned around SU, still nothing substantial has confirmed he was ever around. Like a ghost, he vanished without trace. Or the fabrication's legs have worn down.
It's worth a question: have we all been duped?
"We're in a time with Syracuse football where anything like that is at least interesting," Harrison said.
A jumpy fan base can't be blamed for following leads. Just ask Lloyd Carr. It was only last year that Michigan was supposed to have a new head coach - named Les Miles - after a rumor made its way onto ESPN.
The Wolverines settled, after an embarrassing apology by the Worldwide Leader, for Rich Rodriguez. But not before the rumor was exposed as an apparent prank call.
The joke's on us, fans and media alike, who gobble up gossip without a touch of sensibility, constantly blurring the boundary between news and nonsense. It's only to be expected that a phone call and an "insider" can throw a world out of whack.
Such is sports and entertainment these days: nothing comes cheap. Just keep a handful of salt at your side at all times.
Was Lloyd Carr really here? I don't really care. Until he's on the sidelines, it's no news to me.
Zach Schonbrun is the sports columnist for The Daily Orange, where his columns appear every Tuesday. He can be reached at zsschonb@syr.edu.
"And it's tough, it's really tough," Axe said. "You don't know who's making stuff up just to stir the pot. You don't know who is legit trying to get their message out there."
Thus, while Lloyd Carr may be more interested in Michelangelo than coaching at Syracuse, the news was only that he was here. Or was he?
Some 10 days after Axe said he first heard Carr's name mentioned around SU, still nothing substantial has confirmed he was ever around. Like a ghost, he vanished without trace. Or the fabrication's legs have worn down.
It's worth a question: have we all been duped?
"We're in a time with Syracuse football where anything like that is at least interesting," Harrison said.
A jumpy fan base can't be blamed for following leads. Just ask Lloyd Carr. It was only last year that Michigan was supposed to have a new head coach - named Les Miles - after a rumor made its way onto ESPN.
The Wolverines settled, after an embarrassing apology by the Worldwide Leader, for Rich Rodriguez. But not before the rumor was exposed as an apparent prank call.
The joke's on us, fans and media alike, who gobble up gossip without a touch of sensibility, constantly blurring the boundary between news and nonsense. It's only to be expected that a phone call and an "insider" can throw a world out of whack.
Such is sports and entertainment these days: nothing comes cheap. Just keep a handful of salt at your side at all times.
Was Lloyd Carr really here? I don't really care. Until he's on the sidelines, it's no news to me.
Zach Schonbrun is the sports columnist for The Daily Orange, where his columns appear every Tuesday. He can be reached at zsschonb@syr.edu.
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