TGIF-Prep Football Thread

We made it out right on our page deadline.

Again, I wish it was November.

 

Well, I'll tell you how we did tomorrow, after I listen to my early morning phone messages.

But we were pretty close on the deadline – for a first night, anyway.

We had things better organized than this time a year ago and our deadline took the early season heat breaks into account ... unlike last year.

So, we shall see.

 

20 minutes prior to kickoff, teams go into locker rooms as normal, for final prep talk before official pregame cermony. 12 minutes to kickoff, annoucer comes on PA: Please clear the stands, there is a thunderstorm about to hit and lightning in the area. Stand slowly clear. 5 minutes before schaudle kickoff: Storm hits. Wind picks up, those "cute" inflatable tunnels teams come out of try to blow away. One just collapses. 10 minutes after scheduled kickoff: Rain and wind slow from a downpour and hurrican like wind to drizzle and a breeze, but lightning is all around us. Scene continues for over an hour. One hour 15 minutes after scheduled kickoff teams take field. Stands fill. One hour 40 minutes after scheduled kickoff, it kicks off. Game ends near midnight. I finish gamer in about 5 minutes (and I'm sure it shows), and luckly find wireless connection to send it. Call in stats about half hour later. Go to IHOP, then go home.
It's gonna be a long season.

 

I worked the desk... We tried a new web system... I'm having a much needed drink and decompressing.....more to come...

 

A thought I had tonight: We spend so much prepping for the season and for the games each week, going all crazy with previews, capsules, notebooks and god knows what else, and then we have 45 minutes to crank out these shitass stories about the one sport most of the readers can agree they care about. What the fuck?

I mean, I realize of course the time and length of the games, but every week just seems like one big letdown.

 

Posted bits and pieces about this on other threads, but might as well shoot it here too.
First off, week 1 is well in the rearview mirror. It's Week 4 up here, so I'm much more in the flow of things.
Game took insanely long. To winless crosstown rivals playing, ends up a 63-10 blowout. Two players are taking off the field in ambulances, so that makes things go longer. Stadium is just 6 miles from office, so I get back and make deadline easy. Running back for winning team goes for 306 yards, 5 TDs, so it's an easy storyline for a blowout. All in all, quite happy with how I did tonight.
Even had my stats, and stats from another game typed up before deadline. It feels good to be in the groove.

 

In my experience, it took about three games to get into a full groove so that sounds about right.

 

Had the two city high schools playing their season-opener. All kinds of ugly ... one couldn't hold its water against the simplest of blitzes, the other completed all of one pass while debuting its new "spread" offense.

It was a 7:30 p.m. kickoff that not only started 10 minutes late, but also went into overtime. Had 20 minutes until deadline, knocked the story out in 15. Won't be able to enjoy such an experience next Friday as our SE just informed me he's taking that day off (leaving me stuck in the office).

 

Just finished the second Friday night here in the Buckeye State. I do the design -- 8 pages.

We cover between 9-12 games, shooting 3 or 4.

For the first time, we've made deadline on the first two Fridays.

That having been said, November can't get here soon enough.

 

I covered the afternoon game of the local 1A Baptist school (which plays at a jr. high field with no pressbox). It's in town, so the story is easily done by 7 p.m. My job for the rest of the night is to be a bastard to the part-timers so they'll get all the calls. If you don't assign them schools to call, they'll just sit and stare at the wall. I got everything edited by the copy deadline, but the design ran slow again and we were 15 minutes late.

But the game was lame, and the teenage girls from the Baptist school tried to hit on me (asking me what time it is when she's clearly wearing a watch and has a cell phone), which is creepy considering my age. I ignored them as best I could. It could be entrapment.

Just another Friday night of football in what has to be the most apathetic district in the state.

 

I thought I might get that question. I was stringing the game.

 

yeah. hope your 5 1/2-hour flight home is on time!