Get off my field!!!

I think some parents think that makes a good photo. It's better than them trying to shoot a picture of their kid playing outfield with a point-and-shoot.

 

No, the parents think the shot is squeezing in with them after the game and getting that team photo with the banner and trophy in place and goofy faces on every kid. Now, that's the stuff!!!

Although I did just win a state award for a 2009 Little League shot of a kid celebrating a district field on his way off the field.

 

Rhody, dude, I grew up in Westerly. We packed for an overnight if we were making the long trip to Woonsocket or Bristol.

Over the bridge to Newport, forget about it.

Back in the 70s, our league was usually us, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, East Greenwich, Chariho, Coventry and West Warwick. There was no Exeter-West Greenwich at the time.

For those not familiar with southern RI geography, the two schools farthest apart -- us and West Warwick -- were maybe 45 minutes apart. Most "road trips" were 30 minutes max in school buses.

 

Flex: Kudos to you for going back and for dealing with the guy!

 

We've had issues with using a flash during early-season high school games, before daylight savings time kicks in. Some umps don't like that.
This doesn't sound like that was the admin's issue, obviously. I wonder if there was someone else there with a license to take and sell pictures. Some leagues get a cut or sell the rights fees for that to local photogs. Maybe he was afraid you'd cut into the league's profits?

 

Back when I shot prep photos, I'd ask the coach and the umpires before the game if possible where I could or could not stand on the field. Usually it was right beside the dugout gate or inside the dugout doorway.

One time they let me get on top of the dugout, which was cool until a foul ball almost decapitated me. I got down on my own without being asked. Taking a step-stool to shoot over the fence behind first base also provided some unique angles of the baseman, runner and pitcher, along with second and home.

That's when you shoot the kids getting ready to "really work hard" like the varsity athletes. ;D

 

We used to be batshit insane with youth baseball coverage. I'm talking regular-season linescores in agate at least twice a week. Over the last 10 years, though, it's been scaled back to where we now only cover state tournaments if they're being played in town. We'll run district champion team photos on Sundays if they're submitted, and we'll put district and state tournament results in briefs (if they're called in), but that's about it.

Problem we've run into is that the game has become so fractured, it's hard to tell who's playing where. Used to be, everybody here played Dixie Baseball. Now, we've got kids in one area or another playing Dixie, Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, Dizzy Dean, Little League and American Legion. We've got a Dixie Youth state tournament (9, 10, 11 and 12s) starting this weekend, but that's the extent of our actual youth baseball coverage.

 

... and this is why I went to crime and courts.

 

I prefer to argue about references in stories to 10-year-old all-star teams and 12-year-old all-star teams. Isn't that the age of the players, or have the teams been in existence for 10 and 12 years, respectively?



I kid (sort of), but I was always careful about how I wrote it. I hated getting that one call from the literalist in town who knows the language better than I do.

:

 

That may have been it...there was a photo group there selling photos as well, although he didn't mention that conflict of course to either me or our reporter And yes, we've had several requests for photo reprints through us.

 

We call them Major Division all-stars, but it should be "10-year old all-star team" which tells you how old the players on the team are. 10-year-old all-star team is literally what it says.

 

Wasn't sure where to put this one, considering it was a Little League softball mom who also said she was "going to cancel her subscription."

So a local softball team is one of the final four in the state in a double-elimination tournament. They're playing across the state, and we were going to get to covering them when they had lost a game and had their backs against the wall.

Well, that's not good enough. On Wednesday, said team gets rained out, and the next day a mother calls and said there was nothing in today's paper (why would there be? there was no game) about the team because, she said, "you people feel that girls sports don't matter."

She went on to ask (all on a hilarious voicemail, which will be saved for quite some time) if I've ever heard of Title IX, and referred to me as a chauvanist. She asked me if I'd like to discuss this further and to call her, before adding that she's think she'll cancel her subscription.

About three hours after the message, the game she was hoping to read about in Thursday's paper begins. We go across the state to cover it, and her daugher had the game-winning hit. We have a big spread with four pictures.

I jot down her number and give her a call. I said that I had been in New Hampshire (which I had) and that I only heard her message and just looked at the paper. Before I could get half of that out, she had already apologized, said we did a great job and was very appreciative.

It took every ounce of energy in my body to say, "Not bad for a chauvanist, huh? Would you still like to cancel your subscription, because I can transfer you to circulation."