We're late to this Saturday story from Lodi, Calif., that's been the toast of the Internet's oddball sector for having one of the great opening sentences in the history of journalism. Here goes:
"A jazz musician was injured Friday after jumping from a burning motor home driven by a one-time roller skating stripper from Lodi."
It is a thing of beauty that packs so much drama and broad life experience into a mere 22 words, ending with the comic finality of "Lodi." (Try substituting "Palo Alto" or "Mt. Lebanon," and, you'll agree, the sentence doesn't work as well.)
Au contraire! Let me spell it out:
"A jazz musician was injured Friday after jumping from a burning motor home driven by a one-time roller skating stripper from Mt. Lebanon."
Right there, that sentence is a thing of beauty. They're roaring in Lodi, I'll tell you what, and in Upper St. Clair and Churchill. In Mt. Lebanon maybe, not so much.
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