Denver Post tells writers to stop making picks in games they cover

If you're a newspaper and not willing to interact with readers (i.e. pick football games), then prepare to fail. I've picked for years and not once did I think in the press box, gee, I hope so-and-so wins to make me look good. Couldn't care less.

 

One of the funnest things I ever did at a newspaper was create a page full of fan predictions for the Steelers/Cowboys SB in 1995 or whenever it was. We took clipboards to local basketball games and sent them up in the stands asking people to write their predictions and give us a phone number and comment. We called a few of them back, highlighted their picks with a comment, and also put on the page all the staff's predictions. Made a pretty nice page.

Being at a Pittsburgh-area paper made everyone mad at me when I picked the Cowboys to win and wrote that I didn't really care who won as long as Deion Sanders entertained me. Oh, well, I was right!

 

At my old paper, there was a guy who had been there about 50 years and had done a picks column for years. Growing up my dad and grandpa would bitch about he always picked against Podunk (my dad's alma mater) in a big game. They speculated as to why the writer hated Podunk. I get a job at the paper and someone tells me that the coach would call the writer and beg him to pick against them so the players wouldn't get a big head. He did end up winning two state titles...

My last year at that paper, I did a column previewing the girls basketball playoffs and making my predictions. I go to a second round game (I call it St. Paul at Springfield). I had predicted Springfield would win that game, but lose in the following round. That paragraph is stapled to the athletics dept. bulletin board and circled with an inscription that "This is what the BFE Times thinks of us!" -- Springfield was undefeated). I had predicted St. Paul would lose that night. St. Paul pulls out a terrific win and as I am gathering my things before post game interviews, I see a 70 year old man with a St. Paul sweatshirt on about 15 feet away. He says my name, I look straight at him and he does his best Nelson Mundt from the Simpsons, "HaHa!" and then tells me to keep picking against them.

So yes, readers eat this shit up.

 

It doesn't. At all. This is just silly. You'd think there'd be more pressing issues at newspapers -- and in sports departments -- than worrying about the writers making meaningless (and in most cases, thoughtless) picks.

Complete non-issue, IMO. The readers most everywhere seem to love it. I don't see anything at all wrong with it.

 

The picks are about all my old shop has left. Few advancers, but huge play of the picks. Sad.

 

I thought horse racing writers were all sent to the glue factory in the Great 21st Century Newspaper Staffing Purges.

 

I disagree strongly with the practice of picking h.s. football games ... and I refuse to do so for the paper I work for ...

 

Had a situation similar to that this weekend. I've found that kids just razz you about picking against them. Parents are the ones who get pissed.

Picking games is fun and harmless. I don't see what the fuss is about.

 

So you're the one?

 

The RIIL wasn't pleased with us making weekly picks when one AD complained and found out high school kids were gambling on the games and using our picks for lines. They asked us to stop because it was promoting gambling. We politely told them if the kids want to gamble on who's going to win, they don't need us to tell them who's playing.