What's in a name?

Need a name for our staff NFL picks, something that isn't "Staff NFL picks." Anyone do anything fun at their shop?

 

Are you in Wisconsin? You could go with Dick Picks if someone on your staff is named Richard or Favre.

 

"Write Er (or Writer) Wrong?"!

 

We use "World's Weekly Picks" for college and "Weekly World High School Picks" for college. No need to re-invent the wheel with something catchy. People are going to look at them for the picks, not the header.

 

Or what he said. But I think you should use YOUR paper's name!

 

Unless you're going to do something wacky — and I'm not recommending that you do — just keep it simple. "The Herald's Picks" or whatever works just fine. It's not like you have a gambling brand you're building or protecting, a la Danny Sheridan.

(Now, if you were going to do something wacky, try picking the losers instead of the winners. But, really, don't do this.)

 

Where have you gone Leonard's Losers? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

 

You have channeled my thought entirely.

 

Just don't fall to the temptation to have some trained animal make picks along with the staffers.

 

Heaven forbid if you have any fun with it.
Years ago, we had guests join the sports staff and local advertisers for the weekly high school/local college football picks. We had the sheriff one week, the sports editor's dog another time, etc., each with a headshot like all of the regular participants. Along with that, one of the full-timers wrote a short, humorous summary of who picked what and how everyone was doing. This went on for several weeks.
Apparently my son taking part doomed it all.
He was 1 or 2 at the time.
To make his picks, I set two alphabet blocks in front of him, one for each team, and asked him to pick one. I'd mark down his choice, then repeat for the next game.
He went 12-1, missing only one of the two college games, which was a nail-biter.
The advertisers threw a raging hissy fit when the results were printed, complaining — I kid you not — about how we were making making a mockery of the picks. Apparently everything was fine until an infant showed everyone up.
Within a day or two, the word came down that we were no longer allowed to have fun with the picks and who made them. The small write up was also axed and we've had just a boring box listing picks by staff members and advertisers for more the past 12 or 13 years.

 

The fact that advertisers were ever involved was a mistake.

 

You should have fun with it if you can. Guest pickers can be fun. When I compiled the weekly picks — hasn't everyone, at some point? — for my paper, we went the guest picker route and it was very well received. My personal favorite was getting a psychic to make the picks on Halloween weekend ... she got 90% of the games incorrect. But it was a light-hearted thing, not mean-spirited, and readers enjoyed it.

Just keep the name of the feature simple. I believe we called ours "The Weekly Picks" or something equally clever.