Gary Shelton hears a rumble (again)

If Gary Shelton’s sports column in today’s St. Pete Times seemed a little familiar, there’s good reason.

Back in January, when I analyzed Shelton’s penchant for dramatic, slow-burn lede grafs, I used the following passage to support my case:

The noise in the distance sounds familiar. Perhaps you have heard it before.
At first, it sounds like the rumble of thunder in the distance. Listen more closely, and it is more like the snapping of teeth and the popping of pads. It is the sound of trouble brewing, and in its wake, you can hear the whimpering sounds of disappointment.

That was from January. The following opening grafs are from today’s Shelton column, about Michigan State:

The noise began in the upper reaches of the stadium, squinting distance from the floor. It started out as a low rumble, like thunder in the distance, and its volume rose as it rolled through the grandstands and toward the players on the floor.

The sound came from the cheap seats, and it came from the club seats, and it came from faraway towns like Traverse City and Muskegon, from Kalamazoo and Battle Creek and all the other places across Michigan. It sounded like relief, and it sounded like appreciation. Most of all, it sounded like gratitude.

The similarities practically announce themselves, starting with the opening lines, in which a noise is apprehended from far away:

Jan. 11 — The noise in the distance sounds familiar

April 5 –  The noise began in the upper reaches of the stadium

Next, Shelton describes the initial impression of the sound in each as a rumble, like thunder:

Jan. 11 — It sounds like the rumble of thunder in the distance

April 5 — It started out as a low rumble, like thunder in the distance

Then, the sound becomes more clear, less like thunder and more like, well, something else:

Jan. 11 — It is more like the snapping of teeth and the popping of pads

April 5 — It sounded like relief, and it sounded like appreciation. Most of all, it sounded like gratitude.