"And it wasn't that close"

[TheMethod]

Bumble**** lost to West Dip**** 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.

I make a move that we retire this little device. It's completely subjective. It's overused. And the score was, in fact, that close. It annoys me.

 

[Chi City 81]

Why do you have to pick on West Dip****? They work just as hard as those rich kids from North Cumstain!

 

[John]

Why do you have to pick on West Dip****? They work just as hard as those rich kids from North Cumstain!

West Dip**** won. It's Bumble**** that the paper is always picking on. And those kids DO work just as hard as the rich kids from North Cumstain.

 

[Chi City 81]

Why do you have to pick on West Dip****? They work just as hard as those rich kids from North Cumstain!

West Dip**** won. It's Bumble**** that the paper is always picking on. And those kids DO work just as hard as the rich kids from North Cumstain.

THIS IS WHY I DON'T READ THE NEWSPAPERS! THIS IS GARBAGE! THE EDITOR WHO RAN THAT IS GARBAGE!

 

[Babs]

I disagree. Yes, it's subjective, but it gives a feel for how the game went. Isn't that the whole point of covering the game? As a reader, it helps me.

Sometimes a team dominates the clock, etc. but the score doesn't reflect it. So no, the scores don't tell the whole story.

 

[pressmurphy]

Bumble**** lost to West Dip**** 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.

I make a move that we retire this little device. It's completely subjective. It's overused. And the score was, in fact, that close. It annoys me.

You can't give that one the heave-ho without also banning its soulmate, "It was closer than the score indicated."

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

Bumble**** lost to West Dip**** 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.

I make a move that we retire this little device. It's completely subjective. It's overused. And the score was, in fact, that close. It annoys me.

You can't give that one the heave-ho without also banning its soulmate, "It was closer than the score indicated."

This is kind of a d_b. This thread is a little buried, but I think both of pressmurphy and Themethod's phrases could go here:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/47188/

"As long as we're throwing out phrases to be banned..."

 

[Some Guy]

Eh, it has its place.

It's not an every-gamer type of device, but it is useful. One man's "subjective" is another man's "analysis," which is what we, as sportswriters are supposed to be providing in our gamers.

 

[playthrough]

I don't remember using it too often, but it's not cliched. Covered a lot of prep games that became respectable late when the losers' starters piled up cheap points on the winning team's backups. Readers might see a 49-35 scoreline and think shootout, but if that puppy was 49-0 midway through the third, you gotta say so in one way or another.

 

[Some Guy]

I don't remember using it too often, but it's not cliched. Covered a lot of prep games that became respectable late when the losers' starters piled up cheap points on the winning team's backups. Readers might see a 49-35 scoreline and think shootout, but if that puppy was 49-0 midway through the third, you gotta say so in one way or another.

Exactly.

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

Using "and it wasn't even that close" or "It was closer than the score indicated" is lazy writing. I guess it's OK to use them, but you better have a sentence or graph right after it explaining how the game was/wasn't that close.

Bumble**** lost to West Dip**** 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.
The Fightin' Dip****ers had a 35-0 lead at halftime then sat their starters in the second half. Despite playing against backups in the second half, Bumble**** didn't score until 1:50 left in the game, then recovered a fumble for a touchdown on the last play of the game.

 

[awriter]

I don't remember using it too often, but it's not cliched. Covered a lot of prep games that became respectable late when the losers' starters piled up cheap points on the winning team's backups. Readers might see a 49-35 scoreline and think shootout, but if that puppy was 49-0 midway through the third, you gotta say so in one way or another.

Exactly.

I don't remember using it too often, but it's not cliched. Covered a lot of prep games that became respectable late when the losers' starters piled up cheap points on the winning team's backups. Readers might see a 49-35 scoreline and think shootout, but if that puppy was 49-0 midway through the third, you gotta say so in one way or another.

Then just say it was 49-0 midway through the third. No need to say "it wasn't even that close." And if it was tied at 28, just say Bumble**** scored the final 21 points to pull away from Dip****. No need for "it was closer than the final score indicated."

 

[Write-brained]

When is 35-14 considered close? That's a blowout in anyone's book.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

If you're going to use that line, you'd better be able to back it up in the story.
The same goes for the soccer game that a team loses, but out-played the other team.

 

[Some Guy]

Using "and it wasn't even that close" or "It was closer than the score indicated" is lazy writing. I guess it's OK to use them, but you better have a sentence or graph right after it explaining how the game was/wasn't that close.

well, yeah, of course.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0.
And it wasn't really that close.

 

[Ace]

Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0.
And it wasn't really that close.

Yeah. Could easily have been 223-0 with a decent kicker.

 

[forever_town]

Bumble**** lost to West Dip**** 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.

I make a move that we retire this little device. It's completely subjective. It's overused. And the score was, in fact, that close. It annoys me.

I don't like it UNLESS 1) one of the players/coaches, etc. says it or 2) you introduce a lot of evidence. Perhaps West Dip**** had 643 yards to Bumble****'s 97. Perhaps the 14 points came when the West Dip**** quarterback deliberately threw interceptions to Bumble**** for touchdowns.

A time when "the game was much closer than the 35-14 score suggested" can work is if you write evidence: "but the game was tied at 14 with 5:26 to go in the fourth quarter. West Dip**** had 394 total yards to Bumble****'s 392, but Bumble**** dominated time of possession 38:26 to 21:34 and rushed for 230 of its yards on the ground."

Of course, a coach or player -- especially from West Dip**** -- saying that would make things 1,000 times better.

 

[BillyT]

The Belfry Bats beat the Greenwich Witches, 7-6, but it wasn't that close.

 

[txsportsscribe]

Why do you have to pick on West Dip****? They work just as hard as those rich kids from North Cumstain!

West Dip**** won. It's Bumble**** that the paper is always picking on. And those kids DO work just as hard as the rich kids from North Cumstain.

THIS IS WHY I DON'T READ THE NEWSPAPERS! THIS IS GARBAGE! THE EDITOR WHO RAN THAT IS GARBAGE!

you wouldn't write something like that if you had children of your own.