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The Word "Rest" is in R. I. P. for a Reason

By all accounts, Dom DiMaggio was a fine man, and his record as a ballplayer speaks for itself. If Kevin Cullen of the Globe wanted to write a column commemorating DiMaggio's death, it would have been entirely appropriate.

If Cullen wanted to write a column ripping Manny Ramirez several new ones for failing a drug test, I surely woudn't have objected. I wouldn't have read it, because Cullen wouldn't exactly have been breaking new ground, and frankly, the topic seems to fit a little too well with the "middle aged Irish male with lots of grievances" slot that some Globe metro columnist has held since I first moved here in 1974. But it's a topic in the news, so it's fair game.

To try to do both, as Cullen did today, REALLY bothers me. It's lazy, simple-minded writing, but as I can testify from personal experience, every columnist falls into that trap once in a while. Wisdom on demand can be a tough racket. That's not my problem with Cullen. What he did was wrong because it disrespected DiMaggio. He took the last occasion in which the general public is likely to consider the life and times of an accomplished human being and used it to make cheap debating points. For shame.

The mid 20th century British diplomat Duff Cooper said it best. "A man's funeral is his last appearance. He ought to have the stage to himself."

posted by Michael Gee @ 4:30 PM