Overheard in the press box

I've never gotten accurate stats from the booth. You count MUCH better on the sidelines. You can actually SEE the ball.

I can't see who made a tackle from the booth, either. That's why PA guys suck.

 

Right up there with "you always write about the running back who gets all the yards but never about the guys who block for him. they try hard too."

 

I prefer the press box for several reasons.

1) I see better. See yardlines, see plays, see formations. Not having to look over, under or around bodies.

2) Because of an old injury, I cannot stand for long periods of time. I could never, for example, be a referee or even a supermarket checker.

3) I need a table to put my papers on and keep stat sheets.

If given the choice of walking the sidelines or sitting in the bleachers, I'll take the bleachers.

Just one man's opinion.

 

This. No right or wrong, just whatever works for you. Oh, and HanSen SE, I ALWAYS try to get a quote from a lineman. A lot of times, they're the smartest kids on the field and give you the best quotes. Like this one from a big RT, in a recent game between two archrivals who hate each other's guts: "We just wanted to knock them in the dirt. They've been talking stuff all week, and we came out to destroy them." Great stuff.

 

But you can trust the stat guy?

Sexist much?

 

In Stitch's neck of the woods, I don't think I've ever seen a stat guy. It doesn't appear to be an option.

 

I've been on the sidelines for most of the last 20 years. Mainly because I also take my own pictures and keep my own stats, which frankly, ain't that damn hard.
(I get asked all the time, How do you that? I tell em, pay attention to what you're fucking doing, and you'll be OK. There's plenty of time between snaps to write down what happened.)
On the sidelines, it's a lot easier to get any injury information, for one thing.
If I need to know what the yard line, I stand on it, then position myself to get either ahead/behind the LOS for the photo vantage point.
I get bored in the press box. I prefer the sidelines. It also helps to talk to the chain gang and a few others who have some insight into the teams/players coaches often are hesitant to offer.

 

Local team played last week. I had their star (the kid I talked about in the previous post) for 210. Big up the big state paper and he was in there for 285.

 

The Lowell Spinners (Single A short-season NY-Penn League affiliate of the Red Sox) were just starting out in 1996, playing their games at Stoklosa Alumni Field. The game was in the third or fourth inning and Sen. John Kerry comes strolling into the press box to let it be known he is in the house. As one media member after another stands to say hi and shake hands. My mentor Joe Murphy is focusing on the game being played. Trying to get Joe's attention, Kerry leans in to the left of him and says, "hey there, what are you doing here?" Joe, looks to his left and straight faced as can be says "I'm watching a friggin' baseball game."
The look on Kerry's face was priceless.

 

As I've worked through this thread for the past week or so, I keep remembering this situation.
A few years after I graduated from high school, I was working for the local paper and covering this football game. Local team was really poorly coached, undisciplined, freaking awful. Players were arguing with the refs, yelling at each other, throwing helmets on the sideline, etc.
I knew the coach pretty well. After the game, I'm talking to him:
Me: Pretty poor game, coach.
Him: Yeah. How many penalty yards did we have?
Me: Uh ... 250 ... or more.
Him: 250?? You're kidding. Are you sure?
Me: No. You had 250 after the third quarter and I haven't added up the fourth quarter yet.
Him: (big sigh).
Me: If I was an alum of this school, I'd be totally embarrassed.
Him: You are an alum of this school.
Me: Not tonight I'm not.

 

I was doing a high school hockey feature and observing practice. The team gets into a circle for a little Q&A session with the coach, but first the coach acknowledges my presence:

Coach: Jlee is here just seeing what we do, but its cool. You can be yourself.
Left Wing: Can we say "fuck"?

 

Gotta love the local team that has kids in for 20+ tackles in a game where the other team ran 40 plays that involved a tackle.