Best lede ever

Can you all ask your SE or ME if using the word 'shit' in your copy is acceptable? I'm pretty sure it never was at any paper I worked at. Hell, we couldn't even use 'ass' in a quote.

 

How on earth is this guy getting access with stories like that?

I want to know because I'd like to rip a few high school coaches and players like he did, not because they make millions of dollars to play a game, but because they're a bunch of pricks.

Anyway, fledgling paper in my neck of the woods had the best lede ever, back 10 weeks ago.

It went something like: "[Podunk High] returns 17 experienced players that want to win a district championship, starting with the kicker."

The next graph mentioned the kicker's name, a junior, who really kicked nothing more than extra points last season, and missed half of those. His range, not that the story mentioned it, but because I know, is about 15-20 yards, provided his center and holder can have a good exchange.

But after that one graph mentioning the kicker's name, the writer went on and on about the coach's career that took him from Hometown to Podunk, to Greenbow, Alabama, to Sarnia, Ontario, back to several stops in Alabama and then back to Podunk. I thought I had more jobs in a lifetime than this coach has had.

The writer threw in the names of three other players, a QB, back up QB and RB. It contained no stats, no real information, and not one player was quoted in it.

Funny thing is, the story was written by this paper's chief editor, publisher and owner who has been in this business for more than 40 years.

I photo-copied it 8 times and handed it out to two in the newsroom that help with sports and every stringer I've got as an example of how-not-to-write-a-sports-story.

At least this Dallas Observer story was somewhat compelling. Good luck to that writer on getting back in the Cowboys morgue.

 

An explanation taken from the feedback forum on the Observer blog:

- - Yeah, ‘cuz see, both quarterbacks were really bad, i.e. shits, and they were passing the football and the game was played after the sun went dow... - -

Yep, now the lede makes sense, and is clever (?), I guess.

But you're right, it shouldn't take an explanation like that to figure out. Unless we all missed the joke? (if there is one). Maybe I really am stupid after all.

 

Never explain. Never discuss. Close ranks and keep your mouths shut.

Loose lips sink shits.

 

IR-regardless of what the writer meant... it was still as shippy lede.

 

Awful. Pricks like that make us look bad.

 

maybe ESPN Page 2 will hire him

 

Isn't Richie Whitt a Startlegram ex?

Whitt seems to be a knee-jerker of the first water.

Wait till this Thursday's Observer: Romo will be the second coming of Staubach. (Most likely, though, this week's take will be on the Mavs.)

Then after Romo lays the inevitable egg either at Washington or at Arizona, the "two shits" motif will re-emerge and Whitt will be crying for Bledsoe.

But then again, Whitt works for a rag that has "escort" ads on the back page.

 

They aren't escorts. They're self-employed models. /michaelirvin

 

Hell, escort ads are an alt-weekly staple. Don't the Village Voice and the L.A. Weekly run escort ads? I know they run ads for massage parlors and "adult" chat lines.