No-hitters and Your Paper

I'm of the opinion that a no-hitter should always go on the sports front, even if it means ripping up the front at deadline.

It's a rare feat and a joyous accomplishment, dramatic history being made and a hell of a positive story. And I hate to see my paper bury it inside in a roundup, with the lame excuse that it came late at night.

Hell, it was done by 10:30. Move one story inside. It's a no-hitter, dammit. This is what good papers do, and a chance to shine.

So what did your paper do Wednesday night?

 

Went out front, above fold. Front was ripped up, briefs moved inside.

 

Agate.

 

Ripped up the front, as should be done.

 

Does the no-hitter belong on the cover when you have 7 (yes, that's right, 7) area pro teams playing and you have staffers at 6 of those 7 plus a columnist at one of them?

Buehrle made the cover as a refer but, seriously, in the NY/NJ market tonight a no-hitter was a blip on the radar because the Rangers swept, the Devils won in OT to get even, the Nets clinched the 6 seed in the East, A-Rod hit another one, the Mets mauled Dontrelle (and Maine had a no-hiter through 6) and the Knicks and Islanders played, too.

It's a matter of where you are and what else you have going on. Tomorrow would/will be totally different.

 

Refer seems suitable to me ...

 

Ripped up the front.

 

I certainly grew up in the old school, where you tore up front pages for no-hitters.

But we have a powerful local mission thing going here, and that does include regarding the Cardinals and Braves as part of our market. A no-hitter by one of those might force some page-ripping. Maybe.

We were slammed in terms of space to start with, so the no-no got a headline in our roundup.

In that context, it wouldn't have mattered if the game had ended at noon.

 

That would have been nice to do. But we have a 10 p.m. color deadline.

 

Shouldn't some sports rarities be only front page material?

 

It was the Rangers, so it was going on the front anyway. But yes, we do put all no-hitters on the front.

 

So you're saying all no-hitters belong on the front regardless of what else you have going on?