No means No, dammit

DING DING DING!!! Winner!

Hell, I'm two years removed from school. Most the people in my journalism classes thought the presses didn't start until 4 a.m.

 

For years, my hometown paper was an A.M. but not a true A.M. The paper wouldn't be on people's doorsteps at 6 a.m., maybe closer to 10.

The press started rolling about 4 a.m. Not that anyone ever stuck around long enough to get close to that "deadline"; we were always off the floor by 1 a.m.

***

Oh, and preps can be a pain. Get over it.

Parents/coaches have never figured it out, they'll never figure it out, and it's a waste of time to expect them to. There's always new ones every year. Just be patient, help them out, do your job, learn from it ... and move on.

 

Yes, but it's so much fun to bitch about them!

 

Absolutely. For some reason, this past week has been the worst so far since August in dealing with preps coaches/parents, etc.

 

Found out his game was in the afternoon. He called in after he and his staff watched the championship game.
But he hasn't called back tonight to demand yesterday afternoon's game get in the paper.

And why is it even an issue with trackcoaches only calling in first names.
"Coach, until you include first and last names with your results, we can't run them."


Fuck spring sport coaches.

 

It's an issue because I'm at such a small paper in a small town. If I refuse to list results for a high school varsity team, I'll get a ton of calls/e-mails and get into a bigger fight with the coaches. The powers that be won't back me up on this. Trust me, been down this road.

 

Say to the bosses "Look. We ask for first and last names in other stories, why is this different? Aren't we supposed to be professional?"
Also, post a disclaimer in the paper on how to submit scores.Make it very clear you need first and last names. And when you dont run it and the calls start, tell them why.
I've worked at a stop with six high schools and coaches tried doing this. When parents complained and we told them why (as well as calls to the AD), we started getting first and last names.
I mean Jebus Keyrist, it's his own team.

 

I was waiting for you to say that the coach assumed the team 85 miles away would call in the score.

I used to get that all the time at the one stop.

The county-wide paper covered the county league. My paper's coverage area was cobbled together with parts of two leagues, including the county league. It was very common for our teams from the county league to assume that the home team would call it in. For the life of me, I could never convince these coaches that teams on the other side of the county (about 45 minutes away) had no clue that we existed.

 

Maybe it's impossible, but this is where good communication is essential between paper and coaches.

Some leagues/areas assume home team calls in, some leagues have winning team call in ... most are inconsistent as fuck. But if YOU set the policy (preferably home team calls), and make it crystal clear to everyone who calls ... and every coach you talk to ... and everyone you deal with ... hell, even print your call-in policy in the paper ... then you put the onus to comply on them, not you. Which is the way it should be.

 

Or you get a coach that tells the other that he'll call the paper.
But coach A's paper is not the same paper as coach B. And coach A did call -- the paper 50 miles away. So coach B calls the next day and says "I thought coach A was going to call."

 

UPDATE: So the coach calls in Thursday night's game tonight, doesn't tell the kid taking the call it's Thursday's game.
After he got pissy and said "I'll just get the prep editor to run the game tomorrow" I guess I should have told him that wasn't going to happen because I was working tonight too.
But in fairness, I also took the sheet to the ASE, who also worked last night, and let him be the final judge.

We aren't running his game. He's gonna be pissed.

 

He's gonna be pissy, but I told him it was too late last night -- it's way too late tonight.
I'm glad I took the decision out of my hands, but he was a fucking child last night -- "Fine. I'll just call (the prep editor) tomorrow and he'll run it."
No he won't. Fuck this assclown coach -- who really isn't a bad guy when he's coaching football (he's an OC to his dad).