AJC got it wrong, Hudson has words!

I really can't help myself, and I know I have written about Griffey a lot this week, but there is more Braves/Griffey news to tell. Rumors have it, that
the recent miss fire by beat write Dave O'Brien in the AJC may have aided Griffey's decision to go to Seatle.

Tim Hudson seems to be of this mind. Yahoo sports is reporting:

... there was clearly some bitterness over the turn of events, some of it directed at media outlets that reported Griffey had decided to play for Atlanta. Pitcher Tim Hudson got into a heated argument in the clubhouse with a newspaper reporter, claiming his story angered Griffey and led him to back out of dealings with the Braves. A team official had to step in and lead Hudson to a back room.

We can only presume, since the Braves have only two beat writers, O'Brien and Bowman, and since only one of them writes for a 'newspaper' then these 'heated words' were directed at Mr. O'Brien.

Dave O'Brien defends himself on his blog (b.t.w. that title is strikingly similar to my last post):

But let’s be clear: What we wrote was a story that said Griffey told a close friend that he had decided to play for the Braves over the Mariners. We wrote it, because that’s what the close friend told our Terry Moore, who goes back a long way with them (Moore is from Cincy, like Griffey).

We did not write that Griffey had agreed to a contract, or that he’d even told the Braves he was going to sign with them. We wrote that Griffey told his good friend that he had decided to play for the Braves.

Now, as for the headline in today’s paper, I knew nothing of it until tonight, when someone at the paper informed me that it said “Griffey to play for Braves.” Folks, I’m in Florida, and I send my stories to the paper, not headlines. I have absolutely no control over headlines in the paper.

...

If we’d written something that was erroneous, if I’d written that Griffey had agreed to terms with the Braves, that’d be one thing. We did not write that, at least I don’t think we did.

Hudson has a right to be upset - we all wanted griffey - but I find it hard to believe that someone would choose to move accross the country (Griffey lives in Orlando) because of one idiot report.

I have read the AJC my entire life, and never can I remember such a failing by the sports desk. I haven't read a formal contraction, correction, or for that matter an apology. Don't apologize to Griffey. The AJC and Dave O'Brien owe an apology to the paper's loyal readers and to Braves fans everywhere for simply screwing up.

That's right, you blew it, so fess up!