The Player.
June 8, 2013 10:17 PM Subscribe
Interesting story, but ouch, the tone! This guy is a journalist like Montaous is a baseball player. Even a conman like Wilson doesn't deserve a story written in such an infuriatingly condescending tone.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:22 PM on June 8, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:22 PM on June 8, 2013 [6 favorites]
Not sure where you're getting that from. I found it gentle and wry, sort of admiring of his chutzpah. In fact, he seems sort of fascinated by the guy.
posted by dhartung at 12:13 AM on June 9, 2013 [11 favorites]
posted by dhartung at 12:13 AM on June 9, 2013 [11 favorites]
This was a great story. If you don't like the journalist's style, you've got to appreciate he did a huge amount of legwork.
It made me think of the Masal Bugduv affair: a soccer player, supposedly a 16 year old prodigy playing in the top division in Moldova, who ended up featured in The Times (amongst others) in a list of top prospects and was linked with a transfer to Arsenal. The only problem was he didn't exist, and was a completely manufactured hoax designed to catch out journalists who are constantly scouring the internet for scouting reports for their 'hot-new-thing' articles and have a perpetual need to create transfer tarradiddle to fill column inches.
posted by hydatius at 2:25 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
It made me think of the Masal Bugduv affair: a soccer player, supposedly a 16 year old prodigy playing in the top division in Moldova, who ended up featured in The Times (amongst others) in a list of top prospects and was linked with a transfer to Arsenal. The only problem was he didn't exist, and was a completely manufactured hoax designed to catch out journalists who are constantly scouring the internet for scouting reports for their 'hot-new-thing' articles and have a perpetual need to create transfer tarradiddle to fill column inches.
posted by hydatius at 2:25 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
Go Montaous Walton! Be as fake as the sports you try to defraud.
posted by telstar at 2:59 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by telstar at 2:59 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
I knew a couple of people in my life with "obvious tells" like Wilson's laugh. The one that springs to mine is someone very close to me who always used to bite their lip EVERY TIME they were lying. Interestingly, even after this was pointed out to them multiple times they continued with the same compulsive tell. Maybe a psychologist could put a name on it, but I find that disturbing level of "lack of self-awareness/control" pretty alarming in people.
posted by eparchos at 4:02 AM on June 9, 2013
posted by eparchos at 4:02 AM on June 9, 2013
Montaous needs to stop posting on this board as Anonymous.
By the way, his court case hearing is July 15.
posted by dhartung at 4:12 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
By the way, his court case hearing is July 15.
posted by dhartung at 4:12 AM on June 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
Slightly reminiscent of this earlier FPP about Walter Mitty cricketer Adrian Shankar, who, in my favourite ever Mefi sentence, "blagged his way into an embarrassed Worcester side" in 2011.
posted by Sonny Jim at 4:36 AM on June 9, 2013
posted by Sonny Jim at 4:36 AM on June 9, 2013
Agreed. It makes Wilson sound like a character in a Brer Rabbit story. Which doesn't exactly do anything to alleviate the tone of race and class condescension emanating off this piece.
posted by Sonny Jim at 4:49 AM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sonny Jim at 4:49 AM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
I found this article to be a better read: Who is Montaous Walton? More journalistic in tone, less of this poor attempt at creative nonfiction.
posted by graymouser at 6:55 AM on June 9, 2013
posted by graymouser at 6:55 AM on June 9, 2013
One of the kids I grew up with is currently playing in an MLB farm system. The realities of his life as a AAA ballplayer ar so far removed from the made-up life Walton crafted for himself, It's a wonder that anyone even remotely associated with the game believed any of it.
I currently own my own business, and there will be times when I'll be sitting out front talking to some random person and they'll ask what I do for a living. And I always feel weird saying, "I own this right here" because really, a person could go stand in front of any small business, and claim to be the owner of it. I think the reason people always seem to believe me has something to do with the response I usually get. 9 times out of 10 they want to know how I got started, and then they tell me of their ideas for having their own business.
People believe because they want a bit of it for themselves. Which obviously is what keeps Nigerian email scammers in business, but is fascinating in cases like this because it originates not out of a desire to defraud others, but to mask some sort of internal dissatisfaction.
posted by billyfleetwood at 9:13 AM on June 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
I currently own my own business, and there will be times when I'll be sitting out front talking to some random person and they'll ask what I do for a living. And I always feel weird saying, "I own this right here" because really, a person could go stand in front of any small business, and claim to be the owner of it. I think the reason people always seem to believe me has something to do with the response I usually get. 9 times out of 10 they want to know how I got started, and then they tell me of their ideas for having their own business.
People believe because they want a bit of it for themselves. Which obviously is what keeps Nigerian email scammers in business, but is fascinating in cases like this because it originates not out of a desire to defraud others, but to mask some sort of internal dissatisfaction.
posted by billyfleetwood at 9:13 AM on June 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
Interesting story, but it's written and reads like the novelization of a kids' movie about a talking pig.
Some pig!
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:01 AM on June 9, 2013
Some pig!
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 10:01 AM on June 9, 2013
Wow, this is just sad on many levels. That a guy who's apparently not very bright and cannot write for shit managed to at least somewhat pull this kind of scam repeatedly for so long and anyone at all bought it. That a guy who is apparently the worst baseball player on the planet doesn't get that and won't let it go. Just...oy.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:50 PM on June 9, 2013
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:50 PM on June 9, 2013
item, he has not been convicted; he entered a guilty plea in January, but is in a deferred prosecution program, so his case remains open. Also, "this article" (the one on sbnation) is brand new.
More journalistic in tone, less of this poor attempt at creative nonfiction.
It's magazine writing. Feature writing. It isn't a wire service article in AP Style, for pity's sake.
posted by dhartung at 6:25 PM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
More journalistic in tone, less of this poor attempt at creative nonfiction.
It's magazine writing. Feature writing. It isn't a wire service article in AP Style, for pity's sake.
posted by dhartung at 6:25 PM on June 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
it really doesn't cover much that the year-old OnMilwaukee article doesn't.
IT'S A MAGAZINE ART .... oh, fuck it. Just, the news is not a goddamned database, for pity's sake.
Anyway,
State of Wisconsin vs. Montaous D Walton
Milwaukee County Case Number 2012CF002836
01-14-2013
Deferred prosecution agreement hearing
Defendant Montaous D Walton in court with attorney Neil C McGinn. Warren D Zier appeared for the State of Wisconsin. As to Count 1: Defendant was advised of constitution rights and maximum penalties, waived all rights and pled GUILTY to the Amended Information. Defendant examined as to the plea. Plea Questionnaire/Waiver of Rights and Addendum received and filed. Stipulation by parties to complaint as a factual basis to sustain the guilty plea. Court found the defendant guilty. Court WITHHELD entry of judgment of conviction. Deferred Prosecution Agreement received, signed and filed. Count 2: Dismissed and read-in. Court ordered case adjourned for review hearing on APRIL 16, 2013, 8:30am; verify community service. kmw
04-16-2013
Defendant Montaous D Walton in court with attorney Neil C McGinn. David Malone appeared for the State of Wisconsin. Based upon the defendant's compliance with DPA, matter adjourned for final review hearing in Branch 34 on JULY 15, 2013, 8:30AM. kmw
Deferred prosecution means the case is on hold until whatever conditions in the agreement are met, or unmet. I'd hope that Lindsay Lohan has fully educated the public on how this works.
posted by dhartung at 4:00 AM on June 11, 2013
IT'S A MAGAZINE ART .... oh, fuck it. Just, the news is not a goddamned database, for pity's sake.
Anyway,
State of Wisconsin vs. Montaous D Walton
Milwaukee County Case Number 2012CF002836
01-14-2013
Deferred prosecution agreement hearing
Defendant Montaous D Walton in court with attorney Neil C McGinn. Warren D Zier appeared for the State of Wisconsin. As to Count 1: Defendant was advised of constitution rights and maximum penalties, waived all rights and pled GUILTY to the Amended Information. Defendant examined as to the plea. Plea Questionnaire/Waiver of Rights and Addendum received and filed. Stipulation by parties to complaint as a factual basis to sustain the guilty plea. Court found the defendant guilty. Court WITHHELD entry of judgment of conviction. Deferred Prosecution Agreement received, signed and filed. Count 2: Dismissed and read-in. Court ordered case adjourned for review hearing on APRIL 16, 2013, 8:30am; verify community service. kmw
04-16-2013
Defendant Montaous D Walton in court with attorney Neil C McGinn. David Malone appeared for the State of Wisconsin. Based upon the defendant's compliance with DPA, matter adjourned for final review hearing in Branch 34 on JULY 15, 2013, 8:30AM. kmw
Deferred prosecution means the case is on hold until whatever conditions in the agreement are met, or unmet. I'd hope that Lindsay Lohan has fully educated the public on how this works.
posted by dhartung at 4:00 AM on June 11, 2013
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There have been a number of people in my life with elaborate back stories that are entirely fictitious. I've always wondered whether that indicates a large percentage of Walter Mitty's in our midst or whether I'm simply a magnet for the type. I do seem to have an unusual aptness at entering into other people's realiy. :-)
posted by janey47 at 10:59 PM on June 8, 2013 [4 favorites]