Rick Maese in Japan

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere, but I wanted to point out the extraordinary work being done by WaPo sportswriter Rick Maese and his wife, Erin, who were evidently on vacation in Japan when the earthquake/tsunami struck. Here's their story from today: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/anxious-foreigners-flee-japan/2011/03/15/ABrlvnW_story.html

Also, former Post Nationals beat writer Chico Harlan is in the middle of it all over there. I think Rick might have come home today (he was at the airport ready to depart, I believe), but I'm not sure if they made it out. Kudos to Rick and Erin. It must have been a hell of a thing to witness.

 

Thanks for posting this.

 

Great sports reporters and sports writers are great reporters and writers anywhere, no matter what the situation. Chico has written something like 15 stories in four days. The Maeses have been fearless and relentless, heading North as soon as the quake hit.

That said, their friends -- a group I'm lucky enough to call myself a member of -- would like them home safe now.

 

Have said it a million times: It's far easier for a sports writer to cover news than it is for a news writer to cover sports.
Good stuff.

 

Yep. Writing about nuclear power plants is one hell of a lot easier than concocting a high school gamer.

Sure is.

 

Erin works at The (Annapolis) Capital, and she filed this today.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2011/03/15-50/Our-reporter-experiences-Japan-disaster-first-hand.html

 

Those aren't exactly equals.

Covering city council is easier than writing a high school girls' basketball gamer, for a journalist who does neither on a regular basis. And a good sports person would do a better job on that city council story than a good city council person would do on a high school girls' basketball story more often than not.

 

Loads of respect to my friends the Maeses to a) Shake off, oh, a major catastrophe and to, seemingly without hesitating, head straight into the front lines, and b) Do some outstanding work in the process.

The best reporters spring into action when they're needed, and Rick and Erin did just that at a very high level this past few days.

 

Far more extreme than it was meant to be... but I'd rather have a prep guy at a school board meeting than a health reporter at a wrestling match..

 

Those of us on the night shift see it every election day, when the dayside reporters are still around doing stories ... something doesn't go quite according to plan and there's this look of panic on their faces. Sports guys deal with late scoring drives, extra innings and so many other things that can mean a rewrite on deadline oh, every day.

 

It should be said, though, that a health reporter covering wrestling could produce some interesting looks into the causes of cauliflower ear.

 

Easy line, completely off base.

In the old days, I covered a massive tanker truck fire (I was in the office, and they said, "Get out there"), a bridge collapse and a couple of other mishaps.

Me doing that was MUCH easier than dropping our city council reporter into a football game. Absolutely without question.

Is a sports person going to be able to write with authority about the technical aspects of a nuclear meltdown? No. Is anybody on the typical city staff equipped to do that? No.

Sports writers are generally more used to deadline and are capable of getting to where the real story is: people.