I took John Tomase’s column to be an apology, but a few people — including Dale Arnold on WEEI Radio (AM 850) — have picked up on the lack of the words “I’m sorry.” Tomase has made amends on his blog. (Via Boston Sports Media.)
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Steve
From Tomase’s column: “I regret it, and that’s something I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life.”What else do the words “I regret it” mean, if not “I’m sorry”? I mean, this is English we’re speaking, right?
io saturnalia!
Because it’s English we’re speaking, I think it’s important to pay attention to the nuance of the language.”I’m sorry” really means “I feel terrible that I hurt you, and am implicitly asking for your forgiveness.””I regret it” can easily mean “It’s too bad I got caught and my life will be diminished as a result of my misdeed.”I don’t know Tomase well, though I have worked with him and believe that he’s generally a good joe. But he still should have explicitly said he’s sorry for breaking the trust of his readers.
Anonymous
EB3 hereDale Arnold? He’s clueless.But I like him as red sox play by play man. But as to having any idea of real life? You can’t take the backwoods of Maine out of the boy I guess.
Essteess
Hmm, this is starting to remind me of the Seinfeld episode when George insists on getting an apology for an insincere apology — as well as an apology for the original (alleged) offense in the first place.
Anonymous
You would be right if the people assaulting Tomase could actually write the mother tongue. Take a look at their posts. They are barely literate.As for Dale Arnold, he has made a career out of defending every team, player, and management person associated with Boston sports. What a shock that he would slide right over the word “regret” in order to pile on. He gives new meaning to the word “sycophant.” Or, as the posters would say, suck-up.
mike_b1
“Regret” is one of those weasel words that newspapers love because it can be construed as “we wish this hadn’t happened,” which is different than “we’re take responsibility for and are sorry that this happened.”
Amusedbutinformedobserver
I was looking for an explanation. I got it. I was not looking for an apology. Regretting the error is sufficient.
Anonymous
The explanation from Tomase completely omits any role played in the story by an editor. So it’s either Tomase taking one for the team, or the editor plays little to no role in shaping the story — or both.I’m not sure the explanation story was edited that heavily either:”For the first time, a pit settled in my stomach. That pit would become my constant companion for the next three months.”I always thought the pit of your stomach was a space, not an object, like a peach pit.Bob in Peabody