Dear dimwit on the phone

Should I feel bad that I found out last night that they failed to win the league meet for the first time in 10 years? Because when I heard that, I started laughing like the Joker after he's taken that last step in his evil plan and believes there's nothing that can stop him (seconds before Batman comes in to curb stomp him). And I don't mean that I was doing a mock laugh. I mean I started laughing uncontrollably for a good 2-3 minutes.

Not that the team gave the other teams much credit. In the little story that they typed up for me, they claimed that one of the teams brought in swimmers from another town just for the league meet. Of course, in the same report, they also said that they had tried to get a local girl who moved to Kansas City two years ago (because she really did have talent and needed to face better competition) to come back just for the league meet, too. This "league" is very loosely organized, so I guess there's nothing to stop teams from bringing in ringers.

My joy astonishment at their second-place finish (first time in 10 years someone else won the league meet) is tempered by my belief that when they get organized for next year, their battle cry will be about "taking back what belongs to us." They may come out of this even more obnoxious.

Edit: It has. One parent turned in a pic of two kids who scored the most points in their age groups at the league meet. Naturally, one of them was her kid. Turned out those were the most points scored in the B divisions of the meet ... each of them was 16th overall. When another parent heard what the first parent did, she came in with pics of kids who led their A divisions in points and actually said, "It would be a disgrace to have that other picture appear."

I'm going to go outside tomorrow for about 14 hours and stand in one place. It's supposed to be 105. No water. No sunblock. I just want to fry myself into oblivion.

 

We had principals in some of our local schools giving us a hard time about the last name bit for a while, even going as far as saying "it's a board policy."

Of course, I go back to the office, pick up the phone and call the education director's office to vent. Turns out there's no policy and if the parent gave consent for the kid to appear at all, then they should expect the full name, according to the board communication director. Plus, she tells me, "If you have any problems, just give me the name of the principal and I'll deal with them."

Life is good sometimes.

 

I can actually sorta-kinda see it when youth sports parents try to give us info with Jimmy C., instead of the kids' full names. They probably don't know any better. But it just grinds my gears when we get high school call-ins with first names only. I flat refuse to run them that way. If you can't at least give me a linescore or summary with a kid's last name, then screw it.

 

We don't run any results, period, unless the full name is listed.

 

I would just continue using the names until they barred me from their events, if possible. Then things get interesting.

 

either that Lobster, or you simply don't cover that school until they lift their "policy" and you make mention of that intent in publication, so those looking for news on that school know exactly why it's happening.

 

Yours too, eh?

State/regional (or regional state, however the Hell they classify it) tournament held in our coverage area last Friday through Sunday. When do the Ripken higher-ups decide to inform us? Saturday night, right on our deadline, as they send the first results.

Perhaps they should consider renaming the league after a more fitting Orioles shortstop. The Julio Lugo League has a nice ring to it.

 

Now, that's funny stuff...yes, Cal Ripken showed up every day...these people don't.

On the other side of things, I'm covering the Little League state tournament this week and getting everything I ask for and more. It's been great.

 

Um, is this a high school event? And they sell programs? With rosters in them? Then they don't have a leg to stand on.