Ever cover two games at the same time?

[Smallpotatoes]

This afternoon, while I was covering a softball game, a baseball parent aproached me and told me I missed a really good game. Basically, she suggested I cover both games at the same time.
The baseball teams from the two schools were playing on an adjacent field and if I stood in the right place, I probably could have caught both games. But I'm not sure how doing a scorebook on both games, interviewing players and coaches after both games would have worked.
Personally I'd rather cover one game right than do a half-assed job covering two at the same time.
As it turned out, the baseball game was better and, believe it or not, was over before the softball game that started at the same time.
Prior to the game, one could have made a good argument for why I should have covered either game, or three or four others that were going on at the same time. That's just the way it is in the spring. Everything is played at the same time and I have to make a choice.
I could have done without the crack from the parent about the team finally getting some coverage (it was in the paper every week, maybe not played up big, but still in the paper every week), but I hear that a lot, as does everyone in this business (the AD I was standing next to sympathized with me).
Has anyone here ever tried to cover two games at the same time? Is it worth the effort?

 

[DemoChristian]

Personally I'd rather cover one game right than do a half-assed job covering two at the same time.

Bingo.

 

[BYH]

You can do it without actually seeing all of one of the games. If you know a softball game is at 2 and a baseball game at 4, and you figure both games are going to be of interest to your readership, you can pretty easily write a straight softball gamer and a feature off the baseball game.

You won't see all of the baseball game, but you'll get there in time to get an idea of the storyline. If one team wins 16-4 and you see a kid hit two bombs and a triple, you don't need to have been there for the first three innings to be able to write a feature centered around him. It'll be easy enough to get his entire linescore from the scorekeeper [blue]because you know the captain's girlfriend keeps track of everything[/blue].

Of course I would not recommend this unless you're ordered to do it.

 

[mike311gd]

I've never tried it. A lacrosse coach did tell me earlier that it'd be "really easy to cover both games at once because of how the fields are set up," though. I said, "Coach, it's not as easy as it sounds."

I didn't send a reporter to either game. People love me, I'm sure.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Once covered a softball tournament where two games started at the exact same time. The games were played on adjacent fields--about a 75-foot walk from one field to the other--and had a large concession stand in-between. I couldn't see the action in both at the same time.

Luckily, there wasn't much action in either game. Both games finished 1-0; one of them ended in seven, the other in the ninth. Had plenty of time to scoop quotes from Game 1 before Game 2 ended with a walk-off home run.

No problem at all. Made it look easy. ;D

 

[BYH]

Once covered a softball tournament where two games started at the exact same time. The games were played on adjacent fields--about a 75-foot walk from one field to the other--and had a large concession stand in-between. I couldn't see the action in both at the same time.

Luckily, there wasn't much action in either game. Both games finished 1-0; one of them ended in seven, the other in the ninth. Had plenty of time to scoop quotes from Game 1 before Game 2 ended with a walk-off home run.

No problem at all. Made it look easy. ;D

Get the **** out of here.

You saw two 1-0 softball games? I don't ****ing believe it.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I once covered a tennis match and a baseball game at the same time. Baseball field was in plain view from the mound back. Couldn't see the plate or left field, and i used a kid i knew as my runner. He'd go over to the field to find out what was going on in the game. If it was something i felt i needed to see, i walked over to the field for an inning or two before moseying on back to tennis.

 

[TrooperBari]

I've never tried it. A lacrosse coach did tell me earlier that it'd be "really easy to cover both games at once because of how the fields are set up," though. I said, "Coach, it's not as easy as it sounds."

It's not, but it can be done. Covering multiple teams at a state softball tournament was simplified by standing in the press box/tournament HQ, which was surrounded on all four sides by fields.

Soccer was harder. My high school had the boys and girls kick off at the same time on adjacent fields, so I stood in between and kept an eye on both games. Another school had the boys play on the football field and the girls on a nearby practice field, so I stood on the top row of bleachers and made a 90 degree turn every few minutes.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

O yea?? Well I once covered the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics at the same time!!

 

[PalmettoStatesport]

Two games? At my last stop, I HAD to cover three games in the same night. I was told by the editor that all three were big games (two high school playoff games and one college rivalry game) and that all three needed to run the next day.
It can be done

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Covered two sectional final soccer games (1 boys, 1 girls) at same time. Fields were right next to each other, with bleachers in between. Photographed both games, grabbed quotes from each team, then designed and paginiated the pages the next a.m. (one-man staff).

Bigger town paper also covered both games and had a bit more information in the two stories. When my EE pointed this out, I pointed out that they had one reporter at each game, and one photog at each game, and also pointed out that the paper had a copy editor and a designer. Essentially, I was doing the work of six people. EE didn't say anything after that.

 

[Barsuk]

I've covered a baseball game and softball game at the same time on several occasions. The fields back up to one another, and if you sit on the top row of the baseball stadium you can see both fields. I keep a book on both games, and when the softball game ends, I have someone keep my book for a few minutes while I go do my interviews. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but it's definitely doable if you can see both fields from one place.

I wouldn't try it with just any sport, though. It's easy with baseball/softball because the sound of the bat cues where you need to look and when.

 

[DemoChristian]

You know what I'd do? Two games at the same time, man.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

State playoff time, especially during baseball and softball districts, I've done this.

Here, the district semis and finals are the same day. And usually, if you had two teams from the same school, the softball team would play at 12 and baseball at 2 with the finals at 4 (or something like that).

So it was possible to go from one game to the next. Of course, it was more difficult if both teams made the final or you had more than the one local team. But with three games (two semis and one final) you could pretty much see each team play once.

The whole baseball district was one story and softball a separate story, so it really wasn't that much room for much except the championship games and a couple grafs on each semi.

 

[WaylonJennings]

You know what I'd do? Two games at the same time, man.

I clicked on this thread specifically hoping someone had made this very post. Thank you for not letting me down.

 

[forever_town]

I never tried that and hopefully never will.

 

[GB-Hack]

Covered two sectional final soccer games (1 boys, 1 girls) at same time. Fields were right next to each other, with bleachers in between. Photographed both games, grabbed quotes from each team, then designed and paginiated the pages the next a.m. (one-man staff).

Bigger town paper also covered both games and had a bit more information in the two stories. When my EE pointed this out, I pointed out that they had one reporter at each game, and one photog at each game, and also pointed out that the paper had a copy editor and a designer. Essentially, I was doing the work of six people. EE didn't say anything after that.

Soccer is the one sport where I've been able to do this, at a high school tournament. The tournament was held at an 8-field complex, with the two semifinals being playe side-by-side. All I did was stand in-between the two, have a watch going on both games (no scoreboards), and double-check goal times with the referees after the game.

 

[mustangj17]

When I was at a one-man shop, I would cover 2-3 football games every Friday night. I'd have to get pictures for each games, take some notes, and then for the last game get quotes from the coaches.

After game three I'd get back to the newsroom, write the gamer, then call coaches from the other two games and get quotes for my other notes. It never worked. There was never enough time, and coaches never called me back. It was very stressful.

 

[silvershadow1981]

I was fortunate enough this past weekend that both the boys and girls lacrosse teams at one local high school decided to have their playoff games on the same field as part of a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. I'm with Smallpotatoes, much easier to give your all to one game instead of making yourself cross-eyed trying to kill two birds with one stone.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

A prep baseball and softball game started within 15 minutes of each other during this season and the press box at the fields is so that you can look out either side and cover each game. The games finished around the same time, so I went down to the field, got the baseball quotes first and hustled over to get softball.