Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Is This The Greatest NY Times Correction Of All Time?
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 8, 2011
Modified May 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 8, 2011
Modified May 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There really is one NY Times correction to rule them all: last weekend, the Gray Lady wrote a cute little piece about well-read Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, and his unusual predilection for naming his baseball bats after Beowulf and The Hobbit references...except it seems someone hasn't been reading their Encyclopedia of Arda lately.
In the original piece, it said: "One bat іѕ called Orcrist thе Goblin Ax аnd thе οthеr іѕ Hrunting. Dickey, аn avid reader, ѕаіd thаt Orcrist came frοm Thе Hobbit; іt іѕ thе blade Bilbo Baggins uses іn thе Misty Mountains. Hrunting — thе H іѕ ѕіlеnt, Dickey ѕаіd—came frοm thе epic poem Beowulf; іt іѕ thе sword Beowulf uses tο kіll Grendel’s mother." However, as the correction points out, "Orcrist was the sword used by the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield in the book." Thus, the Times, and Dickey to a lesser extent, were publicly shamed by Middle Earth enthusiasts the internet over. One reddit user aptly reads between the lines: "Read as: 'Please, please, for the love of God just stop writing in about it....' They'll know better than to fuck with Tolkien fans next time."
Tagged
bats
corrections
mets
ny times
ra dickey
swords
the hobbit
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .