I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but Jeff “Podunk” Pelline has actually praised a columnist for The Union.

I know, I know. For almost a decade now, the alleged former big time journalist has relentlessly pounded our local paper for real and imaged shortcoming. He even criticized the paper recently for covering an event he didn’t like.

But now he’s singing the praises of Ivan Natividad, digital editor for The Union who has written several thoughtful columns recently on race relations, harassment of women, and other social issues.

Actually, Pelline’s approval is more of a shot at me, but you have to take your praise where you can get it when it comes to Jeffie. My latest offense is writing a column in defense of millennials. Podunk labeled me a “pseudo millennial” and suggested The Union replace me with a real one.

He claims I’m trying to remake my image to “…perhaps save his job as a weekly columnist for fear of being pigeonholed for what he really is: just another ‘get off my lawn’ fellow that The Union parades out for its readers to preserve a declining, aging readership.”

With the departure of Hilary Hodge to seek elected office, Podunk believes The Union needs to find a new voice for millennials and progressives to build readership. Ivan is Jeffie’s candidate for the job. “Unlike Boardman, he gets the Internet as an agent of change.”

Of course, when Hodge becomes available again next June, that will give The Union two progressive choices. Jeffie might even be tempted to subscribe again.

But if I was Ivan, I wouldn’t get too comfortable because Pelline will turn on him in a New York minute. That’s just the kind of guy he is.