It started innocently. A friendly little prank, one publisher razzing another. Call it horseplay. Grabass. Dinking around. Call it a newspaper war.

Or call it: “The publisher of the Stranger needs more to do.”

But first, and for the record: The Stranger was not spamming Seattle Weekly classified advertisers. Either of them. If you can find someone who has ever taken out an ad in the Seattle Weekly classifieds, let us know. We’d be happy to forward that person some of the spam we receive every day. Our penises are big enough, our sperm count is high enough, and our mortgages are low enough.

So what the heck is the Weekly upset about? After getting Erin’s email, I marched into the offices of Tim Keck, publisher of The Stranger, and demanded some answers. Here’s what he had to say for himself:

This is what happened: The Seattle weekly's publisher Terry Coe had been trying to sell his skis on the Seattle Weekly classifieds site for at least a year. But as everyone knows, Seattle Weekly classifieds don't work. His skis weren't moving. So as a gag we posted his skis on our classifieds site and forwarded all of the responses to him. The ski's then disappeared from the Seattle Weekly site, apparently because they had been sold through The Stranger Classifieds.

So it looks like Terry did what any publisher in his position might do. He had a good cry, maybe a couple of stiff drinks, and then overreacted and blocked everyone at the Stranger from the Weekly's website. I'm sure his wife heard all about what a tuff guy he is.

Anyway, Gary from the Seattle Weekly is right: We spammed a Seattle Weekly classifieds advertiserthe Seattle Weekly's publisher. At least we got some action for his sad little skis. Like all ads in The Stranger Classifieds' "For Sale” section , Coe's was free. And unlike all ads in the Seattle Weekly's classifieds, Coe's ad in the Stranger Classifieds worked. We sold those skis, Terry, and this is the thanks I get?

Well! Mystery solved! Now it's back to work for me. I've got a column to write.

For your part, Terry Coe, you keep right on sulking. And Seattle Weekly? You keep sucking. (But keep the porn coming! Woo-hoo! But it's odd, isn't it, that the Weekly, which hates everything about LA, and people from LA, runs photos of naked ladies that were clearly taken in LA? I mean, look at this picture from the Weekly's wank-a-riffic porn archives. After you're done checking out her tits and shaved crotch, check out those baseboards. Blue and green and gold ceramic tiles? Only in LA! And check out this hotsy-totsy . I don't think that photo was taken in Ballard. Nor was this one, I suspect. Hey, LA Babes! Mossback says: Don't move up to pristine Seattle! But send more titties!)

As for you, Tim Keck, publisher of The Stranger: If you need something to do, Tim, maybe you should go see a movie or something instead of searching the Internet and causing trouble. And you're looking a little sallow. Perhaps some time spent outdoors playing, say, ding-dong ditch or something would put some color in your cheeks. But no more pranks, you rapscallion.

And you, Mike Lewis, the intrepid reporter who may be writing this up for the PI tomorrow? I smell Pulitzer, man! At the very least SPJ. But wouldn't you really rather wait until after Amy Jenniges writes this up? Why should the PI start doing its own reporting now?