Covering the pros ain't what it's cracked up to be ... LAA-BOS baseball

Our fine town hosted an 8-team junior college Sub-Regional tournament about 10 years ago. There were two rain delays and an 11-inning game, which forced the last game of the day to start around 11:30 p.m. (The original start times were 10 a.m., 1 p.m, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.) That game ended at 2:15 a.m. I don't remember how the losers' bracket games were scheduled but I think the loser was scheduled to come back for the 1:00 game the next day rather than the 10 a.m. game.

Rain plagued that tournament. The second day was almost as bad but at least that was a Saturday and we didn't have another paper until Monday. But no other day was as bad as the first.

 

I've never covered it, but I know there's plenty of people in SJ nation who have done the SEC baseball tournament and can testify to the chill that runs up the spine when they see their team slotted in the late game.
Four games per day, first one starts around noon. The last was on the schedule for 8 p.m., but the games ran back to back. So if -- make that when -- one of the early games ends up being a 14-10, 3 1/2-hour slugfest, it backs everything up. Some of those late games are lucky if they started by 10 p.m.

 

Actually, having been here many times, you get used to it. It's actually easier the further past deadline you get. Once there are no more deadlines to meet, it's just "file as soon as possible when the game's over and we'll put it on the web."

Then you've got an easy notebook for the next day with a follow.

I actually think an NHL OT playoff game is much harder, especially so late in a series, because the entire story shifts on a dime. A regular season baseball game can have a lot of running with a topper (not ideal, but passable). Also, you have time if the visiting team scores and get can get prepared during the home team's rally, unless it's a HR.

 

I'll add: it is much worse to have a team down 3 that scores 4 in the 9th at 9:45 than an extra-inning game that ends at 11:45. In the latter, you've had plenty of time to prepare.

 

I covered one where between the rain delay and whatnot it was still the seventh inning when our chase edition went off. Our slot guy called me and said, "We'll just use your running partial gamer than said that the game was still going. I'm going home. You might as well go back to your hotel and get some rest."

I get a call about an hour later just as the game was ending. I think I was getting some coffee and I just missed the call. I get the voice mail.

"Call me immediately. If you've left, I know it's my fault, but we can still make it work. Call me as soon as you get this, oh shit, yeah, just call me as soon as you get this."

I call our slot back.

"Are you still at the game?"
"Of course."
"Thank God. Can you file 12 inches as soon as it ends? No quotes..."
"Sure..."

He told me the next day that the SE called his cell and said, "Who's doing the chase for the baseball final?" and he had to turn his car around and go back in and if I hadn't picked up the phone, he would have been completely screwed.

I never said anything to the SE. It's never a bad thing to have a slot guy owe you a big favor.

 

I never understood why anyone would use a partial running gamer in the paper. What the hell good does that do the readers? Better off with some plugger wire feature and a box that says "the game didn't end in time for this edition."

 

We always used to have staff-generated stuff on the sport in question to use as a plug. It was a major pain in the ass. We did have a box that would run that would say that the game was not over in time for the final edition.

 

This is one of many reasons baseball is such a pain in the rear. Not to mention what these marathon games do a pitching staff. Sheesh, play no more than 12 innings, call it a tie and move on to the next game. The world will keep on turning, I promise.

 

I thought one of the leagues had a 1 a.m. local time curfew at one time. I've also been seeing on MLB Network highlight packages of late bits and pieces of a 19-inning Mets-Braves game that lasted until about 3 a.m. ... and on fireworks night too!

 

The AL, I think, had a curfew. Not sure if it still does. In any case the curfew never was applicable if a team wasn't making another visit to a city IIRC.

 

The worst, longest, most rain delayed baseball game ever is better than the best day at any other job. #BumperSticker

Nobody who was in that press box last night was surprised to be there at 2:45. The Red Sox will do absolutely anything to avoid punting a gate. In their defense, the Angels aren't coming back this season and a day-nighter would have been tough today b/c the Angels are heading back home right now.

I saw a newspaper do that during the 2007 playoffs. Why why why? That shit was weak in 1987.