HTML SNAFU In Times Op-Extra Column

Today's Op-Extra column on the Web site of The New York Times, an enlightening piece titled "Bling Training," was temporarily handcuffed by an HTML SNAFU. As you can see in the highlighted screen shot below, the contraction "that's," in the article's eighth paragraph, was surrounded by an HTML tag used to make the word appear italicized to readers. The blunder was quickly corrected, even without the Proofreader notifying Times editors of the mistake.

The "Heading Home" Op-Extra column is written by former MLB player Doug Glanville and is always insightful and sometimes even poignant. Glanville is adept at taking readers inside the mind of a real MLB player, no small achievement. Unfortunately, the column is not always error-free, which subtly undermines its greatness. It's a shame it's not typically better copy-edited before being published.