Detroit News on one-time MBB commit Alex Legion's long strange trip
DEEEEEEEEtroit PUUUBBBlic Schoooools
...thinks that someone is going to make a movie about his life!?
...thinks that he's still going to the nba...after getting kicked off of florida international!?
...his mom is lying about the harlem globtrotters offering him a contract?
stupid meets insanity meets ignorance meets laziness meets detroit public schools meets the average detroit family
oh, and how nice of mr. izzo to kick him while he's down - what an arse hole
Examine yourself Mr. Lacy, one sentence paragraphs make for a tough read. Should have put a bullet in front of each sentence. These rag writers are hacks. Having said that, I hope the kid (Legion) turns his life around.
While Lacy is "examining" himself, one of his critics may want to consult a style book. When someone calls a writer a "hack" but uses a comma splice to do so, it can be quite difficult to take the critic seriously.
True enough, but it really is a poorly written article.
stillMichigan is not getting paid to write for the Detroit News.
Criticizing someones grammar on a blog post is pretty juvenile.
There's nothing wrong with criticizing a poorly written newspaper article for being poorly written.
Really, that peice looks like it was written in about 20 minutes.
Is the one sentence paragraph thing getting old yet?
I can keep it going without adding any factual information that hasn't been known for weeks.
I hope DetNews's editors aren't wondering why print media is dying...
I disagree emphatically. If you are going to criticize someone else's writing style you really should make sure you have yours nailed down while doing so.
I can't play football worth a damn, so should I refrain from criticizing pro football players? It doesn't take an english major to see that that article is poorly written
someones
someone's
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piece
Critisizing grammar against a newpaper article written by a professional is acceptable.
Critisizing grammar against a MGoBlogger for critisizing the newspaper is petty and juvenile fo sho.
Professional journalists must submit their stories to several editors. If the final product contains grammatical solecisms, punctuation errors, etc. ad nauseum, you should not immediately assume that responsibility falls on the writer. Editors nod too.
Journalism schools traditionally taught their students to write one-sentence paragraphs. A narrow newspaper column makes even a short sentence look like a paragraph. So writing one-sentence paragraphs was thought to be the best way to reach a hurried reader trying to glean essential information without having to work through a long sentence full of clausal modifiers, prepositions, appositives, interjections, or worse yet, a second independent clause like the one ending this awful sentence.
The Internet imposes different strictures. A story written for a newpaper column in one-sentence paragraph doesn't look pleasing on a web page. But an unpleasing look should not be confused with bad writing.
The story looks to me like a piece put together from several other sources, perhaps under a tight deadline. In no way does it merit the criticism it has received in this post. It's competent; not great, but not "poorly written."
Weirdly-written artcile, but an interesting read. I wish Legion the best, but it does sound like a kid who just stopped caring about basketball but is surrounded by the type of yes-men/enablers that latch on to HS stars and shield them from life a bit too much.
Alex Legion is a sad, sad story. It sounds like his mother and his AAU coach have been preaching entitlement to him since he was young, while the person who would have and should have made a much better role model was forced out of his life.
Legion appears to suffer from a classic lack of focus. He has grandiose dreams of a movie, a job as a sports reporter, and playing in the NBA, but has failed to truly follow through on any of those goals.
Legion has blown a golden opportunity. Well, actually, he has blown four golden opportunities. Most people don't even get a chance to blow one. By the time he realizes what he has done, there probably won't be any more of those opportunities left for him.
Unfortunately, his mother's role with him was/is a big issue. "...people want to put their hands on the prize." WTF is that? She also said in the past that when Michigan ended its commitment to Amaker, then "their" commitment to Michigan was also ended. That's likely her decision, not his and was a bad one. When you hear someone talking about a movie being made about their lives (or their son's) you know there is something off...I mean, my life has been interesting too, but no movie will be made about it to my knowlege.
That was the part that got me. Technically, she said "...hands on the trophy" but either way, she's totally objectifying her own son.
While it's easy to blame Alex, and some fault does lie there, I feel bad for him. I was lucky to have caring parents. I can't imagine having a mother like Annette Williams, at least the way she is portrayed and comes off in the article.
Legion's mother sounds like she has some type of mental disorder. She definitely seems like the person who has led her son astray. I mean, does he really think someone is going to make a movie about his life?!?
I can make a movie about him using xtranormal.com. That's about all he's gonna get.
Interesting Article, I do however agree with the consensus that, it was a tough read do to the formatting. I hope the kid finds whatever it is he's looking for.
I know I have to work for everything I have. It seems like when the going gets tough, it time for him to move on. They seem to think they deserve a free ride. Nothing comes easy in life and hopefully Legion and his mon will figure that out sooner than later.
Who? :)
See: Legion, Alex; Williams, Annette
Seriously, some of those quotes from his mother are just plain ridiculous. Who the hell is going to make a movie about Alex Legion's life? And the claim about a Globetrotters offer...all I can do is shake my head and laugh.
Hey, I can make shit up, too!
I am shocked, yes shocked that a post about Alex Legion and his mom has not mentioned that she is a prophet, and that God led Alex to Kentucky. That was some USDA grade A prime comedy a few years ago.
Sorry, but I find it hard to feel bad for someone who has the world handed to them on a silver platter and wastes not just one or two but multiple opportunities. Hopefully his scholarship can now go to some kid who actually deserves and will take advantage of it.
Aug
"but claims his plans involve a movie about his life, completion of a bachelor's degree in journalism, and pursuit of an NBA career."
This woman lives in a fantasy-land, and the person who's most guilty of trying to "get their hands on the trophy" is her. Add in the leeches and parasites like Green, it's hardly surprising that Legion has been a spectacular bust. I sort of feel sorry for him, and his wasted potential.
The movie will probably be on SyFy at 2 AM and involve a mutant anaconda in the role of "Mother".
......Eric Lacy's writing does not make it easy to finish it.
If Legion ever decides where and for whom, and indeed, if he actually would like to play basketball, then I wish him all the luck in the world. Maybe a few years guarding the Gatorade cart will humble him and allow him to realize that he is not a divine gift to the sport.