Shaughnessey of the Boston Globe: Orlando 'Ultimate Yahoo Town'

July 10th, 2006 4:56 PM

What is it with Boston Globe sportswriter Dan Shaughnessey and Florida cities? Trouble booking a tee time? Lines too long at his favorite Disney World ride? Bad OJ in his screwdriver, perhaps?

For the second time this year, Shaughnessey took the occasion of a TV appearance to gratuitously label a Florida city a 'yahoo town'. As I wrote about here, back in January, appearing on ESPN's 'Rome is Burning', he called Jacksonville a 'yahoo town,' comparing it unfavorably with Detroit, which he dubbed a 'real city' because "you can get the New York Times here."

Appearing again today on 'Rome is Burning', Shaughnessey was back on the yahoo beat. The topic was whether basketball great LeBron James would remain in Cleveland, and Shaughnessey reviewed the history of other superstars remaining in smaller markets. That's when, out of the blue, he called Orlando "the ultimate yahoo town." So out-of-left-field was the comment that it left host Rome muttering.

Is this Shaughnessey's one-man vendetta against the Sunshine State, or is it reflective of an MSM culture that sneers at the sunbelt?