On a winning streak

Apparently, the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus is good luck for the teams he's covered recently.

http://chicagosidesports.com/quick-hits/who-is-the-blackhawks-lucky-charm-sun-times-reporter-mark-lazerus/

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

 

At my last shop, we had a high school writer who we called "the black widow" because she had an uncanny ability to kill off playoff teams. Needless to say, we were damn glad she was with us.

 

Isn't he covering the losing team, too?

 

Why? You rooted against teams you covered? So you had less work to do?

 

Exactly.

 

Great. Lazerus' head needed to get bigger.

 

Coaches apparently didn't realize she was the kiss of death though. They all loved her.

 

You must not have been in this business that long ...

 

No more calls please ... WE HAVE A WINNER!

That, and some of us have use-it-or-lose-it vacay time acruing, dammit.

 

First three baseball games I covered this year went to extra innings. But that streak ended last night ... not before everyone in the press box almost murdered me when home team tied it on a fluke dropped catch by the shortstop in the bottom of the eighth. Luckily away team scored in the top of the ninth to win it.

 

Where I come from, the sports desk claps and cheers when an MLB no-hitter gets broken up. I understand the sentiment, but it always seems so bush league. Nowadays they just bury the story somewhere inside the section anyway.

Don't think the readers don't notice that change in coverage and presentation, either. Meanwhile, the execs keep laying off more newsroom jobs while bleating to the public, "You'll continue to get the same outstanding news coverage that we do so well."

 

The new publisher here wants to hire a stringer to help me out. The thing is, I've been working alone (sports-wise, anyway, not counting two stints as interim managing editor) the entire time I've been employed by this paper and we only cover two high schools and a juco anyway. I would have no idea what to do with a stringer.

We need a page designer/copy editor. But what paper these days doesn't? That's not going to happen, though, because that would be a full-time job. No, my problems would be solved by hiring someone I don't need who isn't trained that I will have to spend time copy editing myself, which will take time away from what I do. Thanks, Boss.