How did I become a Bertuzzi defender?  I wasn't really a huge fan when he played in Vancouver.  I didn't buy his sweater or hang posters of him on the wall.  I didn't bore my buddies at work during coffee about how great he played in the game last night.

It just seems unsportsmanlike for reporters to continually slip subtle but incredibly misleading statements in about Bertuzzi in their articles. 

Yet, what sports reporters write is pretty harmless, right?

Here is a paragraph from the National Post:

Flames divided on acquisition of Bertuzzi

Vicki Hall, Canwest News Service 

Published: Tuesday, October 07, 2008

"In visiting cities across the NHL, Bertuzzi, 33, is booed every time he touches the puck. Those boos reached deafening levels in the Pengrowth Saddledome in recent years, especially after Bertuzzi broke Colorado rookie Steve Moore's neck with a sucker punch in March 2004."

99% of you should pick it up, but let me translate the statement.

"Starting in his rookie year, Bertuzzi has always been scum of the NHL. Calgary fans hated him so much they booed him every time he touched the puck. Years later when he really did do something stupid, they were justified for their hatred."