Does this irk anybody else about preps coverage?

This is what I'm talking about with gray area. Finding that middle ground isn't as easy as it sounds.

Unless by put-downs you're talking playground stuff. In that case, it's really impossible. I can't write an article without "dumbass shot" or "fucking idiot" somewhere.

 

little johnny, typically the team's top scoring threat, struggled, hitting for just 3 points, all at the free throw line; he wasn't able to hit on any of his 12 attempts from the field. teammate x picked up the slack, pacing the team with 21 points, but it wasn't enough.
"I just really struggled tonight," johnny said. "I'm not sure what happened. I'll just have to get back in the gym and get to work.
"x did a great job tonight, though, and really showed that he'll be a threat the rest of the season."


>> point out the kid sucked. he did, and he normally doesn't. fine. he's a big shot, he can deal with it. but just say it happened and leave it. I wouldn't throw a coach quote in there - but getting the kid to say he sucked is fine. and no one can complain that way, either.

 

The coach rails on kids? That seems a bit strange to me, but I'd run with it.

If you are going to glorify kids when they do good on the field/court, then you have to write about them when they blow the game. You can't just gloss over the fact that some kid made a terrible error, costing his team the game.

Here's a lede I wrote a couple of years ago when a kid cost his baseball team a trip to the state tournament:

I didn't hear anything but positive information from the team and fans after the game. I tried to interview the kid who made the error, but I was writing on deadline and he was laying on the ground in the dugout crying. I guess that could have been my lede, but I went with the angle of all the players dropping to the ground like they were dead.


Edit: I just noticed I made a major mistake in that story. It wasn't an error on the second baseman, but a fielder's choice. You can't assume a double play, so in reality the run was earned. Whoops.

 

Playoff softball was always tough. Inevitably, it ended 1-0 on a throwing error or some other kind of error. What do you say?

When the score's 1-0 after 12 innings, you kind of have to describe that one run.

"Mary Smith, a hard-working senior who's nice to her grandparents, made an errant throw that ended her team's season."

 

huh. didn't know abi-lene was hyphenated ... learn something new, I guess.

-- gola, had a girls basketball coach that had a miserable team and, while he knew exactly what he was doing, none of them could do a thing right in most games. zero talent. it was awful. he interviewed with me off the cuff and would sometimes get pretty negative. his comments were 100 percent accurate, but why run em if everyone knows it already? college or pros, sure, they all go in. but for high school, I'd run maybe one or two of the mid-level negatives and move on.

(remember one time he told me that he asked his assistant to hit him if he ever called for a particular player to go into the game. he was, I think, about 80 percent serious. the assistant never did, as far as I know, but she should have.)

 

I blame my archive.

Anyway, you are right, I wouldn't run all the negative stuff and I'd be somewhat wary of a coach that rails on specific players, but at the same time, you have to tell what happened.

 

League championship football game, a real defensive struggle. Late in the third quarter, an East Bumf*** RB breaks loose for the game's first score ... and decides to celebrate the occasion by doing a flip into the end zone. Fifteen-yard penalty, another five on a false start, missed XP. EBHS turns the ball over with just a couple of minutes left, the other team scores, kicks the XP, and the Bumf***ers lose 7-6.

No, you don't skewer the kid, but you HAVE to tell the readers why his team was trying an extra point from the 22. Even more so, after finding out he had planned his celebration ahead of time, talking about it in school during the week leading up to the game.

 

Still pissed about the kickball. I coulda had a full ride.

 

Not only do the journos get nailed about this, it's more fun being a coach in this situation.

"Why isn't Susie playing?"
"Because she never shows up at workouts, and has never improved her skills in three years, and all of these freshmen have passed her up."
"But she's a senior."
"And that's supposed to be important to me because ... "
"She's entitled to playing time. She's a SENIOR."
"That's nice. But in two months, your SENIOR turnover machine isn't going to be in our program anymore. That freshmen who spent the entire offseason showing up at workouts and now scores 8 points, grabs 5 rebounds and guards the opposing team's best player is. Want to watch the game film?"
"But, but, but ... I'm going to the superintendent."

 

There is a balance you have to strike when covering preps.

If the quarterback throws an interception, write the quarterback threw an interception. If the shortstop made an error, write he made an error. I don't believe in leaving out facts to save hurt feelings.

However, you can't rip a high school kid for an on-the-field performance like you can at the major college and pro level. Just state the pertinent facts and leave it at that.

I don't mind going a little negative on a HS team as a whole. If they suck, write they sucked. But I don't believe in singling out high school kids for individual rip jobs.

 

My shop has a fairly strict policy on this, and it drives me nuts at times. My feeling is if it's a critical fumble or missed kick it should be included, but we are not supposed to name kids who make such mistakes. I agree with those who said that most of the kids' friends/family were likely there, so what's the harm in reporting it if it's pertinent? Now, throwing them under the bus, or writing a column rippin a team/athlete? I don't think that's necessary.

 

how is that even possible? pick goes for game-winner, dribble off the foot ends last chance at a winning shot, error (like gola's) costs the game .... things happen in sport, and you've gotta talk about em.