worst leads you have seen

"What a difference a year makes."

"It was cold outside, but the action was hot inside Yada Yada Arena on Tuesday."

You know the drill....What are the worst leads you have seen? Discuss.

 

"what a difference a year makes."

 

First of all, it's "lede."

But to answer your question, anything that starts with a word, and then follows it up with "Webster's defines it as ..."

Extra points if they go to the trouble to put in the phonetic pronunciation ...

We once had a prep guy who wrote a football game story, with a one-word lede:

"Momentum."

I wish I was kidding.

Here's another hackneyed technique you see a lot, especially with young writers:

"Coach John Smith said his team would have to establish the run early to beat Crosstown Rival. They did exactly that on Friday night."

Oy.

 

Sirs, Madames,

"How do the Senators spell relief? T-U-G-N-U-T-T."

And, as I've told the story:

"For 60 minutes Senators fans thought they were getting screwed. It just took a little four-on-four play to loosen things up, said Bard."

Don't know it word for word, but we always joked about, and I paraphrase, "outside the Pittsburgh Civic Arena the skies cried for Mario ..."

YD&OHS, etc

 

"It was a tale of two halves..."

 

"If you're as big a fan of the Spanish Civil War as I am..."
And this from a brilliant woman who later won a Pulitzer.
We're all young once, folks.

 

I've lost track of how many times I've seen that one... I'd say it's probably the most cliched lede that most desks will let through...

 

"The game started with the opening kickoff..."

 

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/31194/

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/34049/

 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

"Everyone knows (fill in blank)"

If everyone knows, why the fuck is that your lede?

 

Saw this lede last week. It deals with a baskeball game in which a team lost by 11 and missed 18 free throws.

"Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. 18 misses."

 

"Speed kills."