Newspaper editor loses job over using Caddyshack quotes in golf story

ESPN/AP ^ | 07/07/03 | AP

[Pikamax]

Monday, July 7

Editor loses job over 'Caddyshack' embellishment

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press

ROSWELL, N.M. -- The sports editor of the Roswell Daily Record has been fired for fabricating part of a news story about a golf tournament in which he quoted a fictional character from the movie "Caddyshack."

Gregory M. Jones was dismissed by the Daily Record on June 17, the day after his article about a Father's Day golf tournament at the Roswell Country Club appeared on the sports page, editor Mike Bush said.

"He got a bunch of scores and wanted to make it more interesting," Bush said Thursday. He said he did not know if Jones attended the tournament.

He said the newspaper insists on accuracy and objectivity and "we don't tolerate anything less than that."

Jones, 24, said he was shocked by his firing and did not intend to deceive his editors or readers.

"It was tongue-in-cheek. It was sports. I was trying to be light and breezy. I was trying to put out a story that people might like to read," he said in a telephone interview.

Jones was hired in July 2002 as a reporter, was promoted to state-business editor in November and became sports editor in April.

Bush said the story contained three fictitious paragraphs referring to a Carl Spangler who claimed to work at the course. In "Caddyshack," Bill Murray played a golf course worker named Carl Spackler.

Jones quoted Spangler as saying he invented a new kind of grass for the tournament. The quotation in Jones' story is taken directly from "Caddyshack."

"'This is a hybrid ... of bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bent and northern California sensemilia (sic),' Spangler said. 'The amazing stuff about this, is that you can play 36 holes on it in the afternoon, take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt that night on the stuff."'

Bush said the Daily Record received "a couple of complaints" about the story. The newspaper ran a correction.

[ElkGroveDan]

"You're all jumping around like a bunch of Kansas City faggots"

The correct quote is, "I hired you boys to get some track laid, not to jump around like a bunch of Kansas City faggots."

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Ironically, this weekend I cleaned/consolidated my basement. I found a lot of treasures that I've carted around for years, boxed up, including my old Mad magazine collection - which included a great spoof on that movie, and I read it again, LOL.

That movie had the most senseless beginning of all time.

[Laura Earl]

I'll give you asthma!

[Feiny]

So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me and I say: 'Hey Lama, hey how about a little something, you know, for the effort?!' And he says: 'There'll be no money, but when you die, on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me, which is nice."

[lorrainer]

Real Women Know their Caddyshack quotes also!!!

Fifty bucks says the Smails kid picks his nose...

[Chancellor Palpatine]

50 bucks says the kid picks his nose.

Another 50 says he eats it.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Gunga. Gunga galunga.

[Feiny]

Ty, I didn't see your name on the club registry this year...I thought you'd be the man to beat this year."
"I guess you'll just have to keep beating yourself!"

[wimpycat]

"What are you doing in this nape of the woods...neck of the way...how come you're here?"

[Feiny]

The Zen philosopher Basho once wrote 'a flute without holes is not a flute and a donut with no hole is a danish.'

[Laura Earl]

ping!

[lorrainer]

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line...in the opposite diredtion.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I've sent boys younger than you to the electric chair. Felt like I owed it to them.

[jriemer]

...Use of unreasonable force to arrest the Blue Brothers has been authorized...

Hup, Hup, Hup, Hup, Hup...

[Feiny]

Hey Smails! My dinghy is bigger than your whole boat!

[new cruelty]

I've sent boys younger than you to the electric chair. Felt like I owed it to them.

That is one of our favorite lines in the movie.

[Feiny]

Ty, what did you shoot today?
Oh, Judge, I don't keep score.
Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
By height.

[Feiny]

I love this exchange:

I want you to kill every gopher on the course.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key.

Gophers! You great git! Not golfers! The little brown furry rodents!

We can do that. We don't even have to have a reason.

[lorrainer]

Ahoy, paloi!

You two look like a couple of boogies!

I christen thee the Flying Wasp!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

BRAAAAAAAP - Did somebody step on a duck?