Kerry Eggers

[January 25th, 2006] The Rogue desk knows it's tough to be optimistic about this year's Trail Blazers.

But Portland Tribune sports columnist Kerry Eggers took it one step too far recently when he incorrectly anticipated a Blazers loss, then roguishly hung his editors out to dry when his column appeared with his mistake.

Here's the replay: Eggers' Jan. 13 "Fair Game" column began with "Seems there's a little panic out there about the Trail Blazers' 10-25 record and seven-game losing streak...."

Now, there's no shame in anticipation, nor in working ahead. But the Blazers didn't have a seven-game losing streak. They had won their previous game Jan. 11, against the Los Angeles Lakers, two days before Eggers' column ran.

In his next "Fair Game" column on Jan. 17, Eggers apologized, writing, "No excuses—a bad mistake." But he also made sure to give his editors credit for an assist, writing, "A post-game rewrite didn't make it through the editing process."

Meanwhile, the online version of the Jan. 13 column rewrites the original column to start with the Blazers' now six-game losing streak and crediting the team with an "impressive" 113-103 victory over the Lakers.

Eggers declined further comment when contacted by WW. And Tribune sports editor Steve Brandon didn't immediately return a phone call.

Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, said that while the mistake didn't rise to plagiarism or intentionally misleading readers, the Tribune and Eggers did get one thing correct.

"They are right—there are no excuses for that," Rosentiel said. "It is a bad mistake. It is also so obvious, it is hard to imagine."