FreeThrowGate

While I certainly agree that it's deeply fucked up for a youth basketball coach to pay players $10 for made free throws and spank the ones who missed (an approach, I feel compelled to stress, that I never tried during my coaching days), I'm not sure it's quite as serious as the Daily News suggests. The article, which comes in at less than 400 words, is the work of not one, not two, not three, but four staffers. Upon consideration, though, its completely bizarre intensity-- which includes use of the phrase "alleged cash-for-baskets deals"-- makes total sense: someone threw the summer interns a bone. All of them (especially, I sense, young Kathleen Lucadamo, who for some reason only gets "with" credit at the end), needless to say, have been deeply inspired by Bob Woodward and are determined to rip a story (any story) from the shadows, no matter the risks to their personal safety.

I, for one, am glad they're around-- like I always say, cash-for-basket deals today, smack tomorrow. You just watch. (via Romenesko)