Avoid the obvious

Problem is, if you don't warn the writers off this stuff in advance, you're gonna get five or 10 or 20 different Halloween ledes throughout the paper.

And that shit gets old fast.

 

For who?

 

Nothing like having 10 Halloween or stormy night game stories on deadline.

 

Each reader is likely going to read one of them.

 

It's senior night. Everybody has a senior night. It's not special.

Other than that, I agree with this. Don't force it, don't be overly cute, but lighten up and have some damn fun once in a while.

 

For the readers.

 

No, every team over .500 or in any kind of playoff contention (which generally means the same thing) keeps track on how the other teams in its league are doing.

 

I think it would be funny to go the opposite direction - a mandate that every story in the paper have a halloween lead. Could be an interesting day on the wedding announcements page, but easy and insensitive in obits.

 

Only time I would use a gimmicky, holiday-themed lede would be on Halloween.

And only if a trick play was used to help win the game.

 

I did five pages worth of high school football Halloween headlines one night years ago.

And MM and Dick are right. The readers are fine with the holiday "overkill." It's a rare day, have a little fun.

But if it's really a problem, we should also be careful not to run more than one Halloween photo in the paper.

 

Prep football on Halloween? Christmas is coming early for some lucky writers!

 

Funny you should say that. We have a feature story running tomorrow on a guy named Christmas.
Hope it's not a turkey.