Press article on Gil Thorp using local schools

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Followers of the "Gil Thorp" comic strip in the Press & Sun-Bulletin no doubt took notice of Southern Tier references in Thursday's and Friday's editions, and can expect more in the near future.

 

Friday's strip focused on Milford High's 13-6 season-opening baseball victory over Chenango Forks, one day after the fictional home team played a softball season opener against the Binghamton Patriots.

 

"Milford every year plays Tilden, Central, Oakwood and all those teams," said Neal Rubin, a features columnist with The Detroit News who took over as writer for the Gil Thorp strip in March of 2004. "But it occurred to me, they have to play some non-conference games-- might as well deliver a shout-out to readers of the newspapers who carry the strip.

 

"It's fun for me. It's kind of a way to say 'Thank You' to readers of the strip though I can't actually say 'Thank You.' "

 

Call it writer's license, along the lines of, say, Rubin weaving into one plot a 50-point Milford whipping of Cherry Creek High-- which happens to be the archrival of Rubin's alma mater in Arapahoe County, Colo.

 

"It's a comic strip for Heaven's sake, it's supposed to be fun," said Rubin, who has been known to incorporate friends' names into strips, or auction for charitable purposes naming rights to a character.

 

As for his choices of local schools, Rubin said he begins by researching high schools in the circulation area of newspapers that subscribe to his strip.

 

"Binghamton, well, that was obvious," he said. "Chenango Forks, I just love the name."

 

He added, "I don't want to give away anything, but you'll see a couple more familiar names in upcoming weeks," noting that the Binghamton area will be represented into about the second week of May.