Ratliff, rescued

I read a lot of anti-Ben Ratliff remarks that really baffle me. Some people don't like his (or the NY Times's) relatively uncritical relationship with Jazz @ Lincoln Center/Wynton Marsalis, others don't like his metaphors. And Thomas Bartlett just thinks he sucks.

No need for me to complain any further, though, as Michaelangelo Matos strikes back against Bartlett far better than I could. It's not exactly a Ratliff defense, but it'll have to do.