You have to be kidding me! This is just awful!

[jesusfan]

They should be very ashamed of themselves, that's just low!

www.theonion.com/content/node/52040

Ken Griffey Jr. Diagnosed With Hamstring Cancer
August 24, 2006 | Onion Sports

CINCINNATI—Just days after the Reds centerfielder learned that his father Ken Sr. has prostate cancer and his mother Birdie would be undergoing surgery for colon cancer, a routine medical checkup Tuesday resulted in more bad news for Ken Griffey Jr., as doctors found a large malignant tumor on his right semitendinosus hamstring muscle. "This is the rarest and deadliest form of hamstring cancer," Reds trainer Mark Mann said. "The only way to eradicate the cancer is to go in and slice the three hamstring muscles completely in half and permanently remove them—as well as the three titanium screws holding them in place—from his leg." Next Wednesday, Griffey Jr. and Griffey Sr. are expected to become the first father-son duo to undergo chemotherapy together.

[reds44]

That isn't even the least bit funny.

[Reds4Life]

Disgusting, and not funny at all. :thumbdown

[Caseyfan21]

That's just sick. That's way past crossing the line. I can't believe they would try to make fun of a guy who has had 2 parents become sick in the past month.

[BurnYrHouseDown]

I usually like the Onion--but this is way, way, way out of line.

[steig]

This isn't funny. Cancer isn't something to be joked about and I as a person dealing with the possibility of cancer am offended.

[GridironGrace]

You dont poke fun at cancer.
I lost my Father in Jan. to cancer.. and frankly i wouldnt mind one bit if the ppl who came up with that crap and wrote it.. than had the gall to post it online should be shot

[JEA]

I am usually the last person to say someone went too far or crossed a line. Words can't physically hurt anyone, so I don't care about how far people try to stretch their comedic boundaries, even if they fail miserably. I don't overreact and push my beliefs on anyone else. I don't get dramatic and act horrified to make my point.

With that being said, this is one of the most offensive and insensitive things I've ever read.

I used to love The Onion. But they just proved how arrogant and smug they've become with their success. And the brow just went from high to low.

How much longer till they're smashing watermelons with sledge hammers?

[Matt700wlw]

That's just wrong.

[redsfan30]

Agree with all the above comments.

[cjs07484]

why did you even post this.. that is tasteless and inhumane

[cincrazy]

What an awful, disgusting piece. I can't even find the words to describe how I feel.

[keeganbrick]

Wow, I think I am done reading the things they put on that website after this disgrace. This is really pathetic.

[cincrazy]

I emailed "business@theonion.com" Not sure if that email is going to the right person, but I completely lit into them. I wish someone else in the national media would call attention to this. I don't even think an apology would be enough though.

[jamess697]

That's low and repulsive!

[Wyatt Earp]

They just lost a reader.

[paintmered]

They just lost a reader.

Make that two.

:thumbdown

[gilpdawg]

I'm a regular reader of the Onion, and I tell ya, that's a little bit much. Now, if both his parents hadn't just got sick, then joking about something like "hamstring cancer" would be hilarious, but come on guys, wrong time, wrong place.

[kyred14]

I'm about speechless. That's beyond low. Disgusting. I better stop before I write something I shouldn't.

[Tom Servo]

I'd have to echo some sentiments here. I generally find the Onion funny, but I really don't see anything in the article I could catergorize as funny or clever, just dumb and inappropriate.

[Falls City Beer]

It's doubly bad: not only insulting, but not even humorous. If you're going to go all the way with a comic schtick, make it funny. Instead, it's just dumb.

[MartyFan]

boooooooooooooooooooo


hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss



booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[redlegs7089]

wow what is this website, i almost had a heart attack thinkn it was real.

[guttle11]

wow what is this website, i almost had a heart attack thinkn it was real.

It's satirical news site. It's usually chuckle inducing at the least, but I see no reason to read it ever again.

That's just plain disturbing. Those writers have serious issues if they find that funny.

[mth123]

Never read it. Never will now.

[lo ryder]

I never heard of The Onion until now, this is pathetic. These people should get off their butts and make a real living. Guess I'm getting old. This is one of the most pitiful things I have seen for quite a while.

[Johnny Footstool]

I'm offended that they produced such an unfunny article. I think you can joke about anything as long as you do it well, but this article is probably the weakest writing I've ever seen in the Onion.

[Bob Borkowski]

I'm offended that they produced such an unfunny article. I think you can joke about anything as long as you do it well, but this article is probably the weakest writing I've ever seen in the Onion.


So you're saying that the topic of the piece was fine, but the writing was poor.

Wow.

[Johnny Footstool]

So you're saying that the topic of the piece was fine, but the writing was poor.

Wow.

I'm saying that the whole thing was very badly done. It's possible to make light of any situation if you do it correctly, with the appropriate sensitivity and a delicate touch, but these guys failed miserably.

[registerthis]

It's doubly bad: not only insulting, but not even humorous. If you're going to go all the way with a comic schtick, make it funny. Instead, it's just dumb.

"You're offended because you're Jewish?"
"No, I'm offended as a comedian."

[registerthis]

I never heard of The Onion until now, this is pathetic. These people should get off their butts and make a real living.

The Onion typically provides some of the funniest and satirical pieces you'll ever see. The people at the Onion work very hard at what they do.

That being said, this piece just sucked.

[registerthis]

So you're saying that the topic of the piece was fine, but the writing was poor.


We'll laugh at anything until it hits too close to home, and then it "crosses the line" and isn't funny anymore.

Like Johnny said, there's nothing that should be off-topic for humor. Israel, after all, held a Holocaust cartoon competition. They key is to do it appropriately--that's where the Onion failed.

[MartyFan]

We'll laugh at anything until it hits too close to home, and then it "crosses the line" and isn't funny anymore.

Like Johnny said, there's nothing that should be off-topic for humor. Israel, after all, held a Holocaust cartoon competition. They key is to do it appropriately--that's where the Onion failed.

No...they did not.

That was in Iran and they had over 1200 submissions which are now in a museum that boast the holocaust never happened.

SICK!

[Hap]

I also lost my father to cancer. Some things cannot be joked about. Anyone who has been through that experience knows what I mean.

[TeamSelig]

Anyone think a Non-Reds fan might find this a little funny?? I can see where the "humor" is coming from, but I agree that its pretty sick.

[westofyou]

Anyone think a Non-Reds fan might find this a little funny?? I can see where the "humor" is coming from, but I agree that its pretty sick.
Yep, imagine the chuckles here if it somehow involved Bonds (a regular basbeall whipping boy in these parts)

Satire is supposed to be a sharp knife, this one's as dull as a butter knife, that said The Onion is a crack-up 90% of the time, but even the best comedy sometimes fails horribly for most people.

[UKFlounder]

Anyone think a Non-Reds fan might find this a little funny?? I can see where the "humor" is coming from, but I agree that its pretty sick.

I think only anyone who did not know of the illnesses his parents are now battling could find this funny. Perhaps a year or two ago when he was on the DL, this might have been worth a chuckle (if anything involving cancer, real or imagined) can.

[Johnny Footstool]

I don't think anyone would see much of a joke in that article. Even objectively, it sucks.

[UKFlounder]

Yep, imagine the chuckles here if it somehow involved Bonds (a regular basbeall whipping boy in these parts)


Perhaps I'm just too naive, but I don't know that anybody would laugh at an article involving Bonds having cancer, after his dad died of it. At least I hope nobody would, though I guess nothing should surprise me.

Cancer is just not a good subject for humor, especially in situations like these.

[registerthis]

No...they did not.

Yes...they did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Anti-Semitic_Cartoons_Contest

[westofyou]

Cancer is just not a good subject for humor, especially in situations like these.
I agree, however the trend of snarky journalism and needle pointing to be the funniest had led us down this current path, pick up a weekly in any major city and read the attempts of all the writers to be the most clever person in the room.

I for one am not surprised by it, annoyed yes, disgusted yes, but not surprised at all.

[smith288]

Yea, im usually a fan of the Onion but that A) isnt humorous B)taking advantage of the Griffey family's serious health concerns

Horrible.

[smith288]

I emailed editorial@theonion.com Everyone should.

[reds1869]

I love The Onion, but that article was disgusting.

[Johnny Footstool]

I agree, however the trend of snarky journalism and needle pointing to be the funniest had led us down this current path, pick up a weekly in any major city and read the attempts of all the writers to be the most clever person in the room.

I for one am not surprised by it, annoyed yes, disgusted yes, but not surprised at all.

I agree that the trend is there, but I don't think The Onion and this article in particular are an indictment of journalism in general.

While it's true that you can't throw a rock without hitting a journalist who fancies him/herself the next Jon Stewart, this article stinks on it's own, independent of that trend. It's simply pushing outrageousness in place of real, thoughtful humor.