TGIF-Prep Football Thread

Actually, it wasn't that great at this game -- cold cut subs (waaaaay too much bologna) and stale chips. But I have to cut the stadium folks some slack. It was the third game of four on that field over the weekend, so things almost had to be spread rather thin by that point.

 

During the state basketball tournaments, we'd all go out as a group of reporters; odds were, some of the coaches we'd cover would be there. I've also done it a few other times; you'd be surprised what you can overhear. Obviously, don't ever use the info directly, but it gave me a jump-off point for a few stories.

 

I played poker with a coach on the main high school baseball team I covered. Strangest thing ever, considering I took $20 off of him and he was trashed. If he would have been pulled over that night, we possibly would have done a story on his DUI.

 

Wow. I don't like my job as much as you do.

 

That stadium had chicken fried steak, with rolls, salad and chocolate cake on Thursday night.

 

It's more that I totally detest having sending problems on deadline. To quote Dan Jenkins, I am an avowed enemy of inconvenience.

 

I do have an admission regarding food. One night, a softball coach whose team was in the playoffs offered me a free slab of BBQ rib dinner, which the boosters had been selling for $10 a pop. Normally, I wouldn't accept. In fact, I don't eat ribs. But I knew I'd earn some points with my wife, who was growing tired of late night games by early May. I haven't seen that coach since then, but my wife still talks to me, sometimes daily.

 

a few places I have been have had food in press boxes, which is always nice. I also occassionaly go out to eat with a couple coaches. Nothing big, and we all do a good job of being able to distinguish the lines of our jobs and then just talking.

as for this friday, my story was in by 9:40 after the blowout I watched, which was awful. then i had to wait 45 minutes for this new guy to come in, write his story and for me to rework it in 5 minutes to send out. Good times.

 

My first Friday sucked, too. I covered a 5 p.m. game at an NFL stadium with wireless Internet built in. I was done by 9 p.m. The highlight was a 5-foot-3, 130-pound senior RB who had 186 yards on 10 carries. He got 82 and the winning TD on a play in which he ran 1 1/2 times across the width of the field. Do the math - 163 yards on one play. Hopefully the rest of the season doesn't suck so much.