AP baseball question

Why does AP still run inning-by-inning recaps of the World Series? Do they still think this type of thing is still necessary in the age of the Internet where you can watch it pitch-by-pitch?

It seems like an antiquated practice some nostalgic old-timers there seem to cling to. Like they believe all the deskers at the Podunk Times are huddled around the teletype machine waiting to see what happened in the top of the fourth.

Any SJ APers in our midst that could fill me in?

 

I'm not a SJ APer, but my guess is that they do it for the newspaper sports editors that want to include the full inning-by-inning report in the next day's paper for the sports fans that missed the game (or those that want to relive the game) and want to read the batter-by-batter review summary of what happened.

 

Actually, we've used this on occasion. I didn't know they would be sending one this year, so I didn't tell our desk guy to look for it for Game 1.

Kind of a neat touch, I think, if you've got the room.

 

Then why not grab it at the end of the night? Why grab it in takes like that? It just seems like a waste of resources.

 

I don't know about this, but I have no idea why the AP continues to send college football and basketball scores in five regional takes. I've asked AP people why they do this and to a person they shrug their shoulders as if to say, "That's the way it's always been done."

For most front-end systems, you have to code them seperately in some fashion -- some systems this is no big deal, others its a deadline pain-in-the-ass.

Even if it did help member papers, it sure as hell doesn't help readers. If your team is playing out of its region and you don't know it, how the hell are you supposed to be expected to look for Western Illinois in the South scores? If they're going to split up the takes, why not make it useful and move them by conference?

There's absolutely NO reason they can't move those scores in one take. Just another antiquated practice that's just arcanely stupid.

 

I have to agree with Bubbler, especially when space limitations mean I don't give a rat's ass about the West Central New Hampshire Tech-St. Virgin's Anonymous score. Even if it's too much trouble for the AP to send scores by conference, at least break it down into major and non-major scores.
Of course, this is the same organization that sent out daily What-T.O.-Did bulletins during training camp, so...

 

Perhaps it's still practical for smaller sections that only have enough room for their local region on a day-to-day basis. I doubt AP has thought of that, however.

I see this as a separate issue from the world series inning-by-inning recap. That's probably a dying bird.

 

AP is trying to change some very old habits. Scores list could be one of them. I'll ask somebody about inning by inning. I'll bet it goes back to the wire's early days.
With purchase of STATS Inc., lowly AP hacks don't have to handpunch the agate anymore from the games. Had to do this up until last season.