Then Again, Maybe "The Bronx Bombers" Are Terrorists

In past years in this blog, I have done the odd comment about some of the really dumb "letters to the editor" I see in the local papers. I haven't been reading the papers much recently, but I did stumble across the "Voice of the People" column in today's New York Daily News saw this beauty about the recent Jorge Posada nonsense:

"I think the headline "Mad Bomber" (May 17), regarding Jorge Posada, was uncalled for. We don't need a terrific baseball player referred to as a terrorist."

Good lord. Where do I begin on this one? (I'll give the person a break and won't mention the person's name here who wrote this.) I guess we now have to stop referring to the Yankees as "The Bronx Bombers", the nickname they've had for decades, because we don't want to confuse them with terrorists, right?

The term "Mad Bomber" goes back to George Metesky, who planted crude bombs in places around New York City in the 1940s and '50s. (The book I have featured here is about the manhunt to get him.) Oakland Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica was referred to as "The Mad Bomber" in his AFL days, for his penchant for throwing deep passes, long "bombs." I don't remember anyone saying he was a terrorist.

"Mad Bomber" here can also be called "Angry Yankee", which was what the News headline was doing a takeoff on.

I have no idea if this person is a Yankee fan or not, but the letter smacks of PC to me. And I bet this person doesn't know the Yankees are known as "The Bronx Bombers."

It's too easy to say that all Yankee fans are idiots, so I won't say that.

Yep, love those letters to the editor. They never cease to entertain.