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When the Podunk HS scoreboard/scorebook is wrong

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by wisportswriter, Feb 23, 2010.

  1. This scorer's mistake didn't cost anybody a win, but it cost a player a shot at a record. Home team scorer incorrectly logged Visiting No. 10 for missing a 1-and-1 free throw, when it was Home No. 10 that missed. In checking the stats later, I saw the mistake, the visiting scorer saw the mistake, but the Home scorer insisted his book was offficial, blah blah blah.

    Long story short, the kid he gave the missed free throw to had a long streak going, and the "official" miss cost him a shot at a school and district record. Kid was (rightfully) pissed when he heard about it. Home coach also wouldn't make the scorer correct the book because there was some bad blood between the teams about running up the score.
     
  2. Flip Wilson

    Flip Wilson Well-Known Member

    The scorebook keeper at the local U that I cover has made a couple of big mistakes this year, including one that cost the visiting team a technical foul. I'm beginning to wonder if that person is going to be back next year. The coach of the team that received the T -- and he mentioned it in his post-game presser -- and the coach of the home team are pretty good friends, from what I understand.
     
  3. Rhody31

    Rhody31 Well-Known Member

    Is it wrong to tell a scorekeeper that the names they're copying down off the program is not the official roster?
    Had a local scorekeeper do this and he omitted some players who weren't on the original roster. Cost the visiting team a technical foul for entering an ineligible player.
     
  4. Clerk Typist

    Clerk Typist Guest

    I'd love to see your lead (lede, for you old-timers) on that. Something like, "A and B should still be playing..." comes into my mind.
     
  5. apeman33

    apeman33 Well-Known Member

    We used to have something along those lines in juco games here. The scorekeeper would not check the names in the book and barely acknowledged when players entered the game. He felt there wasn't a point. The official stats guys two kids from the baseball team who were on work study were supposed to be checking who went in and out, so he felt no need to check the boxes.

    What this meant was that if coaches didn't put a player in the book (or listed a player with the wrong number) and the officials didn't catch the error, it wouldn't get caught until said player was already in the game and either scored or committed a foul. Then, of course, the T's would be handed out.

    Once had a kid on the visiting team who was not on the roster or in the scorebook play about 20 minutes. But he didn't score or commit a foul, so the scorekeeper never noticed. I had to ask the coach after the game who he was because he led his team in steals and I needed to know for the box score. It was only then the coach realized he didn't put the kid in the book and got away with it.
     
  6. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    Sometimes in football I wish that was a rule. It's no fun after the game while on deadline asking who the JV callup was who rushed one time for 4 yards in the fourth quarter.
     
  7. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    It's even better when they just copy the roster from when they played that team earlier in the year, which is useless when that was two months ago, and you now have freshmen team and junior varsity crossovers.

    I do scoreboard work and have done the book for a local high school. While our crew is pretty experienced - all of us have been doing it for years - we've heard horror stories about the other local schools. Then again, we get paid a decent amount per game, which is nice.
     
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