Today's winner is Tampa Tribune sports writer Mick Elliott. He was covering the US Women's Open last weekend. In an article on the last round of play, Elliott writes-
Her(Inbee Park) best finish before Sunday's victory came earlier this season when she tied for second in Portland after a final-round 64The Portland tournament Mick is referring to was last year, not this year. Once again a golf writer falls flat on his face getting a simple fact straight.
That's the secondary reason for Elliott getting the Knucklehead award. The main cause is this sentence.
Sweden's Helen Alfredsson finished second, four shots behind Park's winning 9-under 283, while Lewis was joined by South Koreans In-Kyung Kim and Angela Park in third place at 4 under.Since when is Angela Park South Korean? Oh she's of Korean heritage, but born in Brazil and never lived her life in South Korea. More importantly, she became a US citizen this month.
Actually, she has taken an oath, too. The reigning LPGA Rookie of the Year became a United States citizen earlier this month, attending a massive naturalization ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Along with about 5,000 other teeming, beaming immigrants.Angela has taken the time to become an American citizen. She therefore earns the right to be called an American, not South Korean a country she has only visited on vacation or when golf career requires it. Park has been living in the US since age 9, she's 19 now. I may also add this to further cement Angela's status as an American.Unlike the vast majority of international athletes competing in this country, Park went through weeks of preparation for the tests required of new citizens, exams most of us homegrown sons and daughters of Uncle Sam would butcher beyond comprehension.
When the family relocated, the Parks made it a point to become fast immersed in the culture and traditions, which in her case, included golf. Angela, the youngest of four kids, has three brothers -- all of them have already passed the difficult U.S. naturalization exam.Mr. Park has a lot to be proud of between his sons serving in their adopted country's military plus Angela being last year's LPGA Rookie of the Year.More impressive, two of her brothers are in the armed services -- one in the Marines, another in the Navy.
"My dad is so proud of that," Angela said. "It was such a long journey for him, to Brazil, to the U.S., so for us to become citizens, he took great pride in that."
I wrote Mick Elliott yesterday, this was his reply.
Angela Park's parents both are South Korean. She was born while they were living in Basil. I think it would be an insult to her not to acknowledge her natural heritage.By Mick Elliott's rules, I'm Polish because I got Polish blood in my family(Paternal Great Great Grandfather) and been there on vacation. Don't you just love the way Mick Elliott spells Brazil?
Angela Park has earned the right to be called an American, and Mick Elliott of the Tampa Tribune has earned the right to be called today's Knucklehead of the Day.
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Comments (9)
Yeah, them Basilians are su... (Below threshold)1. Posted by MunDane | July 1, 2008 12:42 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Yeah, them Basilians are sure tasty people, especially when they are found near Oreganoians, cause those people up near Portland are nice.
1. Posted by MunDane | July 1, 2008 12:42 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 12:42
2. Posted by GarandFan | July 1, 2008 1:45 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Hey! Watch it! The press has MULTIPLE layers of fact checkers to see that everything is CORRECT before it's printed!
2. Posted by GarandFan | July 1, 2008 1:45 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 13:45
3. Posted by Gmac | July 1, 2008 2:09 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Speilchk is yur fiend.
/sarchasm off
He's obviously search engine illiterate.
3. Posted by Gmac | July 1, 2008 2:09 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 14:09
4. Posted by hyperbolist | July 1, 2008 3:43 PM | Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Gmac, I don't think spell check utilities would pick up basil, as it's an English word. Spelling is not this douche bag's issue.
4. Posted by hyperbolist | July 1, 2008 3:43 PM |
Score: -3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 15:43
5. Posted by Baron Von Ottomatic | July 1, 2008 5:38 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oh man, I bet that guy's e-mail box was just overflowing with correction letters. He's got to be totally chagrined. Or gobsmacked. But probably ambivalent...
5. Posted by Baron Von Ottomatic | July 1, 2008 5:38 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 17:38
6. Posted by XBradTC | July 1, 2008 8:51 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Look, just because Ms. Park's parents went to the trouble of leaving South Korea for Brazil and then moved again to the US, raising their children who sought out, and earned US citizenship doesn't mean we don't have to bow down to Mr. Elliott's greater sensitivity to her heritage. He knows better, because he's in the MSM.
6. Posted by XBradTC | July 1, 2008 8:51 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 20:51
7. Posted by Deas | July 1, 2008 9:30 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The "polite" liberal worldview makes race a bigger issue than it needs to be sometimes. I can understand how it is occasionally tricky to describe someone - but "American" is not a race, nor is it an ethnicity; it's a nationality. I live in Japan, where "Japanese" is both the race and nationality of more than 99% of the people living here. I can see how the line blurs in that case. But for Ms. Parks, who impresses me, I'd be indignant if someone so culturally sensitive made my efforts moot so casually. We need more people like her, and we need to recognize their accomplishments and welcome them.
7. Posted by Deas | July 1, 2008 9:30 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 1, 2008 21:30
8. Posted by Scrapiron | July 2, 2008 12:33 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Then you are Polish by the same percentage and rule that Hussein O is black. Forget the white and Arag, 6% black makes him black.
8. Posted by Scrapiron | July 2, 2008 12:33 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 2, 2008 00:33
9. Posted by Double | July 2, 2008 8:22 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
How about this for July 2nds knucklehead?
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Burglar_Yard_Sale.html
9. Posted by Double | July 2, 2008 8:22 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 2, 2008 08:22