The "Homer" sports writer

you know, it does kind of bother me. i have a hard time giving the heartbreakers verbal positive reinforcement at their youth games. about 99 percent of the time i give them nonverbal support (thumbs up, winks, shakes of the fist with a smile) which seems doesn't seem right.

 

Understood, Tomas. But perhaps the Heartbreakers will learned the understated, subtle verbals and nonverbals that indicate that you are on their side without being the crazy parent/fan/supporter who makes an idiot of him/herself.

Staying on topic, I did work for an SE at a community paper that covered six schools. It's a shame the other five felt like pariahs, though it's understood after I found out that the SE gave money to the booster at the nearby high school. His heart was in the right place, but the lack of professionalism was glaring.

 

Damaramu,
I think I know the guy you were talking about (not personally, but I've got a story about him too). I was covering the Big 12 title game at Arrowhead a couple years back when K-State throttled Oklahoma. When OU rattled off a 50-yard touchdown in the first minute or two, this OU "reporter" sitting next to me in the press box (decked out in a maroon OU turtleneck and Sooners stocking cap) stood up and started shouting "GO! GO! GO!" I put my head down just to make sure nobody would possibly think it was me, and a few seconds later a "No cheering in the press box or you will be removed" announcement was made over the PA.

 

Word from the Clemson beat is that the Rivals.com guy handed out cigars to every single football coach on National Signing Day.

This stuff isn't that surprising when it comes from the jock-sniffing web guys, but still ... wow.

 

That's called workin' the beat, stainey.

 

Tom Luginbill?

 

Had an amusing moment tonight. Shooting a girls basketball tonight. Player from the team in my coverage area comes up with a steal and is running the floor. Blows past a defender for a lay-in. Just as the ball goes through the hoop I mutter "Dammit!" A few fans sitting above me look at me with funny looks, wondering why I am actively rooting against their team. But it had nothing to do with rooting for anyone. I lift up my camera so they can see the image. What should have been a great shot of a kid driving to the hoop turned into a nice shot of the ref's fat ass as he wandered into the frame just as I pressed the button. Sort of an "anti-homer" moment I guess. But it was good for a chuckle.

 

Does your paper not have a policy about accepting gifts? Even if you have say it a thousand times, I wouldn't accept any hat, shirt, etc. I was given because it's ethically wrong to me.

Who am I to judge? Someone who feels that other's foolishness reflects poorly on me and my profession.

I don't think people are trying to out-do each other. Just sharing horror stories and our shock that this crap actually happens out there.

 

This still makes me laugh:

I went to a Big Ten school. Covered the basketball team for the student paper. Third game of the year, the team plays a mid-major on the road. I sit next to the mid-major's student newspaper reporter. Crazy game. Back and forth. Mid-major wins in the final minute. Place goes crazy. Fans run onto the floor to celebrate,

I grab my notebook and prepare to go to the locker room. In doing so, I notice the mid-major student reporter is nowhere to be found. I look up -- and see him jumping up and down on the court with the rest of the student body. I guess the moment just got the best of him.

 

it's almost playoff time. isn't everybody rooting for "their prep teams" to lose?

 

For the first time in a long time, I was actually hoping the team I covered would win. It would have been a great, great story. I still wrote from a good angle and I thought I pulled it off pretty well, but it would have been a really cool story if they would have won.
Oh, well. One less team to cover.

 

I've got a game this weekend were I'm hoping the team loses. It would actually make for a better story and their first round state game would be Godsasscrackville. Yeah, don't even want to think about making that trip.

For the record Godsasscrackville has a population of about 450. Go ahead and google it. I'm sure it can be found.