Galarraga imperfect game treatment

Fine. Run a national column. That's a lot different from saying, "We don't know enough about this so go get your information elsewhere."

 

I'm at a paper in a Cleveland suburb, so the Tribe game was going on our sports front regardless, although I don't think it was originally slated to be the main package. Of course, once all hell broke loose in Detroit, that plan was out the window.

We had a promo up top on A1, and made the game the main on the sports front.

Headline: No re-Joyce-ing
Subhead: Umpire Jim Joyce blows call, costs Tigers pitcher perfect game against Indians

 

We ran it on 6B (our other color page) as the lead for our MLB roundup. We also posted the story online. Our 1B was heavy local. We're a 16K daily.

 

I had Griffey across the top, centerpiece was feature/preview of state track meet, NBA finals preview on right rail (lotsa Lakers fans here) and French Open across the bottom. Galarraga led off the baseball roundup on B3. Follow-up on B1 for tomorrow.

 

We're located in Michigan, though I couldn't play it too huge because we had a handful of precedes already slated to go in Thursday's paper.

However, because it happened at exactly the same time I would have been writing my weekly column for Thursday's paper, I weighed in alongside.

My headline for the main story was "99.9% PERFECT." I believe it was the first all-caps headline I'd done on a non-local story and only the second I've done in 18 months here.

 

I was off that night, but our guys put it on B1, as a combo package with Griffey retiring (mariners are one of our regional teams). Then ran a Litke column the next day when Selig didn't change the result.

 

At a small (less than 25K) daily and it ran on our daily MLB page. 40+ inches with a good size photo.

Didn't run out front because we had an all-local front due to prep baseball, softball, tennis and track postseason events. Also doesn't hurt that we have no pro teams closer than 2 hours and only one MLB team less than 4 hours away.

Publisher and editor were fine with the placement.

No reader complaints by phone or e-mail about the placement.

I'm not sure this was a front-page MUST.

 

Focal. "Imperfect."

 

40 inches all on an inside page?

 

Boxscores at the bottom of the page across all six columns.
Standings + schedule/results down the left rail (two columns) above boxscores.
Leaves a decent size rectangle for a feature, Reds optional (Cincinnati is closest team) or the no-hitter/perfect game.

If the story is less than 25 inches, space gets huge art or we add another story.

We've always been a paper big on article length. Prep football gamers routinely 33+, prep baseball/softball/hoops 25+ (including boxscore or linescore).

 

Jesus. Prep football gamers at 33 inches? Softball at 25? Just knowing that makes my eyes bleed.

 

How many box scores can you run and have that much space left?

What do you cover, 1 school with 33-inch gamer?