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Basketball scoring question ...

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Rhody31, Mar 12, 2009.

  1. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    I just love it when the scoreboard operator puts a field goal up on the wrong side, because you know 60 people in the stands are going to take it as a personal, well-planned affront against their school and react accordingly.
     
  2. I Digress

    I Digress Guest

    I find this very weird. Did you look at the official book? That's whats right, regardless of the scoreboard. But, I'm with every else here. How on earth did this mistake get made without the crowd yahoos mutinying?
     
  3. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Not nearly as bad as when doing amateur baseball and one team scores a game as a no-hitter for their pitcher and the home or "official" book credits a hit instead of an error that takes away the no-hitter. I've seen wars start over less.
     
  4. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    My policy on this has been that the official game book is "correct" for reporting purposes, unless I can absolutely prove otherwise and want to make a story out of it.

    Sort of like how I have an official scorer at the tournament I'm covering this week who is *incredibly* stingy with blocked shots. I don't think they've had a game where more than one blocked shot was awarded for both teams, and I know there've been more blocks than that. But I can't refer them in my story because it'd be stupid to mention three blocks for one player when he has one in the box score.
     
  5. Barsuk

    Barsuk Active Member

    This is my favorite. They always think it's a concerted effort to cheat, rather than a dipshit science teacher operating the scoreboard.
     
  6. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    Those are always good opportunities to add to my private collection of "Photos of sports parents with idiotic looks on their faces" photos.
     
  7. HandsomeHarley

    HandsomeHarley Well-Known Member

    I don't see what's wrong with asking the scorer when it happens, or during the next time out. I often compare my stats with the official scorer and/or anyone within earshot, and am often thanked for noticing an error.

    Sure, it's not your job, but damn. I'd rather get it right than sit still knowing it may be wrong.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Agreed.
     
  9. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    I'm totally cutting and pasting and plagiarizing from myself on a post a few years ago when a similar question popped up. This is from a game I covered many years ago.:

    Had a sort of similar situation in a preps basketball game, although it affected the outcome of the game. A scoreboard error in the final moments gave Team A a two-point lead, when they should have been up by 3. The refs even huddled at the table and talked about it with the coaches for several minutes. Team A's coach knew it should be a three-point lead. But not only had the scoreboard guy screwed up, but the official scorer had it wrong in the book. I was sitting in the front row and the people around me asked what I had the score as, and I had it as a two-point game. Didn't bring my scorebook over or anything, though.

    Of course, nearly inevitably, Team B hits a three-pointer at the buzzer to give them the victory, when it should have actually only tied the game.

    The losing coach (and it was a home game for him so he didn't want to ream out the scorer) was apoplectic afterward. I didn't interfere, but did have a hell of a story for what would have been a really boring January game. And, yes, when they watched the tape afterward it confirmed the scoring mistake. That girl was not the scorer at the next home game.
     
  10. MCbamr

    MCbamr Member

    To the point about not putting three blocked shots in the gamer because the stat keeper didn't put it in the stats. Why not? You're there to cover the game and tell your readers what actually happened. If there were three blocks, there were three blocks, regardless of what someone keeping stats said. You never know what the motivation might be of somebody keeping stats at a high school event. Could be a parent of a player involved or a teacher whose favorite student got his shot blocked. You're not there to cover the stats but the game. Otherwise, write it off the boxscore.
     
  11. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    At a junior college I watched as a kid, there was a 6-11 center who was pretty terrible, but his dad kept the book. The guy couldn't have averaged more than 7 boards a game, he was so weak. Yet...he led the nation in rebounding that year, with, officially, about 14 per game.
     
  12. joe_schmoe

    joe_schmoe Active Member

    I don't know where you guys are, but I know I've never covered a basketball game where the "official scorekeeper" tracked blocked shots or rebounds.
    His duties are 1. Keep track of field goals scored by individuals (he doesn't have to record misses, just distinguish between 2s and 3s. 2. Keep track of all free throws made and attempted. 3. Keep a running score for both teams. 4. Track timeouts. 5. Track fouls, and inform the ref when a player has fouled out. 6. acknowledge players who enter and exit the game.

    I feel sorry for any official scorekeep who has to track all that other crap. Those are tracked, usually by an assistant an SID or a coach, but are in no way part of the official scorebook.
     
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