Ever cover two games at the same time?

This afternoon, while I was covering a softball game, a baseball parent aproached me and told me I missed a really good game. Basically, she suggested I cover both games at the same time.
The baseball teams from the two schools were playing on an adjacent field and if I stood in the right place, I probably could have caught both games. But I'm not sure how doing a scorebook on both games, interviewing players and coaches after both games would have worked.
Personally I'd rather cover one game right than do a half-assed job covering two at the same time.
As it turned out, the baseball game was better and, believe it or not, was over before the softball game that started at the same time.
Prior to the game, one could have made a good argument for why I should have covered either game, or three or four others that were going on at the same time. That's just the way it is in the spring. Everything is played at the same time and I have to make a choice.
I could have done without the crack from the parent about the team finally getting some coverage (it was in the paper every week, maybe not played up big, but still in the paper every week), but I hear that a lot, as does everyone in this business (the AD I was standing next to sympathized with me).
Has anyone here ever tried to cover two games at the same time? Is it worth the effort?

 

Bingo.

 

You can do it without actually seeing all of one of the games. If you know a softball game is at 2 and a baseball game at 4, and you figure both games are going to be of interest to your readership, you can pretty easily write a straight softball gamer and a feature off the baseball game.

You won't see all of the baseball game, but you'll get there in time to get an idea of the storyline. If one team wins 16-4 and you see a kid hit two bombs and a triple, you don't need to have been there for the first three innings to be able to write a feature centered around him. It'll be easy enough to get his entire linescore from the scorekeeper [blue]because you know the captain's girlfriend keeps track of everything[/blue].

Of course I would not recommend this unless you're ordered to do it.

 

I've never tried it. A lacrosse coach did tell me earlier that it'd be "really easy to cover both games at once because of how the fields are set up," though. I said, "Coach, it's not as easy as it sounds."

I didn't send a reporter to either game. People love me, I'm sure.

 

Once covered a softball tournament where two games started at the exact same time. The games were played on adjacent fields--about a 75-foot walk from one field to the other--and had a large concession stand in-between. I couldn't see the action in both at the same time.

Luckily, there wasn't much action in either game. Both games finished 1-0; one of them ended in seven, the other in the ninth. Had plenty of time to scoop quotes from Game 1 before Game 2 ended with a walk-off home run.

No problem at all. Made it look easy. ;D

 

Get the fuck out of here.

You saw two 1-0 softball games? I don't fucking believe it.

 

I once covered a tennis match and a baseball game at the same time. Baseball field was in plain view from the mound back. Couldn't see the plate or left field, and i used a kid i knew as my runner. He'd go over to the field to find out what was going on in the game. If it was something i felt i needed to see, i walked over to the field for an inning or two before moseying on back to tennis.

 

It's not, but it can be done. Covering multiple teams at a state softball tournament was simplified by standing in the press box/tournament HQ, which was surrounded on all four sides by fields.

Soccer was harder. My high school had the boys and girls kick off at the same time on adjacent fields, so I stood in between and kept an eye on both games. Another school had the boys play on the football field and the girls on a nearby practice field, so I stood on the top row of bleachers and made a 90 degree turn every few minutes.

 

O yea?? Well I once covered the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics at the same time!!

 

Two games? At my last stop, I HAD to cover three games in the same night. I was told by the editor that all three were big games (two high school playoff games and one college rivalry game) and that all three needed to run the next day.
It can be done

 

Covered two sectional final soccer games (1 boys, 1 girls) at same time. Fields were right next to each other, with bleachers in between. Photographed both games, grabbed quotes from each team, then designed and paginiated the pages the next a.m. (one-man staff).

Bigger town paper also covered both games and had a bit more information in the two stories. When my EE pointed this out, I pointed out that they had one reporter at each game, and one photog at each game, and also pointed out that the paper had a copy editor and a designer. Essentially, I was doing the work of six people. EE didn't say anything after that.

 

I've covered a baseball game and softball game at the same time on several occasions. The fields back up to one another, and if you sit on the top row of the baseball stadium you can see both fields. I keep a book on both games, and when the softball game ends, I have someone keep my book for a few minutes while I go do my interviews. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but it's definitely doable if you can see both fields from one place.

I wouldn't try it with just any sport, though. It's easy with baseball/softball because the sound of the bat cues where you need to look and when.