Beat writers on the road

Yup. Looks like neither one goes anywhere with the Dukes. And to be honest, I couldn't tell you whether that's a new development or a long-established practice for second-tier beats at those papers.

On the other side of the equation, I do know that thanks to weather-related flight cancellations, the Bonnies' recent game at Richmond was the first one in at least 36 years not staffed by SBU's hometown paper.

 

Dude, I don't know if he's 1,000 percent right. I agree on the fact that no writer should ever go out-of-pocket to cover games. But sharing rooms on the road? I know plenty of papers that will have two writers split a hotel room while covering a conference tourney or whatever. It's not like the paper is telling them they have to spoon every night. I mean, one room, two beds is not unreasonable.

But yeah, other that, I'm with zagoshe. So let's compromise and say he's 999 percent right, which is, you know, still a pretty high percentage

 

I see where you are coming from regarding paying for one's own lodging or meals. But, I also expect that travel is going to continue to get cut.

In this day and age where every game is televised or webcasted and there are stringers on every street corner, it's harder and harder to justify it to the bean counters. So, if you want to continue to cover stuff on the road as in the past, you are going to have make some sacrifices and meet people halfway.

 

And thats the best explanation I have for the problems here.

 

If you're riffing on the debate a week or two ago about writers not wanting to room with each other b/c they're homophobic, well-done.

I have no problem if a company wants writers to room together...as long as they're paying for the rooms.

Full disclosure: Do as I say, not as I've done. Wish I hadn't done it, b/c "Management" didn't give a shit about my attempts to do a quality job.

 

Well they are homophobic if they don't want to share rooms -- but we had already established that hadn't we?

And more to the point - I have no problem being asked to share rooms on the road (like I said in that other thread, SID's and other staffers for D-I teams are asked to do it all the time) as long as I am not paying for it.

But the point was a bunch of guys at our spot took a stand and the management backed down.

 

If homophobic means I want to kick your ass, stuff it in a garbage can, put it in the mini-fridge and toss it into the swimming pool because you snore loudly enough to wake the dead, then so be it.

I have no problem sharing a room with a dude and have for years. I have a problem with someone who snores so badly or has other personality quirks, like having to sleep with a television turned on, that it affects my sleep. For that, I don't want to share a room.

 

Yep, you are clearly a homophobe......... ;D

 

christ, chief. give it a rest.

 

Christ. It gets worse.

Per these postings, Newsday is looking for stringers to cover a Knicks road game.

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/2299824/

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/posts/2299817/

 

Oh, hell, stay home then. Or pay for your own room. (Then you can invite all the hookers you want.)

I've dealt with all that and much more through the years, including a team manager whose snoring kept me awake all night so bad that I slept through an entire flight the next day. The rest of the traveling party was wondering what the hell was wrong with me and I didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.