(Some members of the) Miami Herald sports staff call in (sorta) sick (maybe)

Thank you, Simone.

 

Well, see, I agree with Frank Ridgeway, and that's just sad. Miami Herald does force you into humility, because they like that kind of thing, and then their publisher, editor and anyone else in management down there just plays it fast and loose. They set a very bad example for their troops, and then they never admit that they themselves have fucked up royally.

That's not what journalism, or newspapers, should be about. We expect great things from our leaders. You can't get that in Miami. You expect it there, and then they let you down so big.

That ain't right.

 

At its best, the Herald was both the best and toughest place I worked. Wasn't a fan of those notes in my mailbox when I reported to work the next day. Sometimes drove the SE nuts, because if he gave you something to do independently, he wanted you to do it independently and do it well, and not bug the hell out of him every 20 minutes.

I learned a great deal about putting out a good sports section in my relatively short time there.

That 4:15 edition was the reason for one of the greatest headlines I have ever read in my life:

Horse
Wins
Race

And the Clipper edition was a pain in the ass on those few times I got stuck doing it.

The people who made it great when I was there have all retired or moved on -- there's quite a distinguished alumni association, including a lot of top sports editors -- and I'd be lying if I said I knew much about how the place operates now.

 

SF -- As the long-ago author of said headline, I thank you. And Frank, that's as good an analysis of what life used to be at 1 Herald Plaza as I've ever heard. I don't know the secret identity of either of you guys, but it's pretty obvious we've worked together and at one time or another have said or heard someone else say "Who needs help?"

I think my Herald history might go back a little further in time than either of you, so allow me to give you an example of some of the desk insanity from the '70s: We used to "step" multi-line headlines. So in, say, a 2-60-3, the first line would run flush left, the second line would start an em-space in and the third line would start two em-spaces in. The count would have to be almost identical on all three lines to get the same kind of "step," or angle, on the right side of the hed as on the left. It just added another layer of difficulty to an already-difficult process.

Oh, and if either of you can remember the name of the one-panel cartoon that the early-desk guy used to have to send for the agate page, I'd love to hear it. If I had a nickel for every time I was sent to the composing room to cut in the Bulldog (didn't we call it the "Street"?) only to find that Anger had forgotten to send the cartoon . . .

FOS

 

Yep, I'm pretty sure it was the Street. Next was State, as I recall.

 

R.O. is closed, Chico.

 

And today, that's been replaced with cutouts and rule lines. Journalism: Forward ever, backward never.

 

My friend does work at the MH and it's true that three people were out, not all were sick (one requested the day off long ago and was allowed to have it off) and there's nothing more to this story beyond that.