• Portfolio, Thursday, March 5, 2009 10 AM

Sports Illustrated is finding out what happens when a magazine publishes an excerpt of a book that turns out to be bogus. It just ran a 6,000-word chunk of "Odd Man Out," Matt McCarthy's memoir of playing minor league baseball. This week, The New York Times revealed that many of the anecdotes from the book appear fabricated or embellished, and are being disputed by teammates and others.

Baseball editor Chris Stone says his magazine conducted its own, independent fact-check of the excerpt, but did not call up people who are quoted and read them back their quotes. He says SSports Illustrated's contract to publish the excerpt indemnify it against any possible legal action by parties who might seek to sue for libel.

Nonetheless, Jonathan Koch, a lawyer for Tom Kotchman, who managed McCarthy's former team and who is depicted unflatteringly in the book, says that a lawsuit is under consideration.

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