The Ruination of Mitch Albom's Name Continues

Things aren't getting any better for disgraced Detroit Free Press columnist, and best-selling author Mitch Albom, who was recently caught in a whopper of a white lie.

The author of the feel-good Tuesdays with Morrie has made his name synonymous with misleading journalism. The current Sports Illustrated has a column by Bill Scheft (subscribers only) that begins:

"More bad news for Mitch Albom. Turns out he may have seen Morrie on a Thursday."

I promise you, he is hating this.

By the way, a funny little side story about that. I have wondered at times what his editors were thinking, signing off on an article about something that hadn't happened yet. Yet I passed up a golden opportunity to ask them that directly the other night.

I was in the media room at a Sixers-Pistons playoff game, where several dozen reporters were working away on their laptops.

Often in these workrooms, news organizations pay for phone lines to be installed so the newsroom can reach reporters to get the latest. One such phone, very near where I was standing, kept ringing and ringing, rather annoyingly for the many people who were trying to get work done in the vicinity. These temporary lines don't have voicemail, so it can ring all night. It seemed the editor at the other end wanted it to.

After about ten rings I toyed with the idea of picking it up. Before I did, I glanced over to see whose phone it was. The neat little laser-printed placard taped to that part of the folding table read: "Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press. "

It stopped ringing before I could answer with a peppy "America's most creative sports reporter speaking, how can I help you?"