Girls' rule!

[Pendleton]

Is there ANYONE who is using Beth Harris' AP story AND leaving the two-word lede intact?

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BC-RAC--Preakness, 5th Ld-Writethru,1199 
Rachel Alexandra wins Preakness by 1 length 
Eds: ADDS new 5th graf with reference to Triple Crown. Moving on general news and sports services. 
AP Photo PIM115, PIM219, PIM117, PIM218 
By BETH HARRIS Ž
AP Racing Writer Ž

BALTIMORE (AP) — Girls rule!
The best 3-year-old in the land just happens to be a filly named Rachel Alexandra.
Jockey Calvin Borel all but guaranteed victory in the Preakness Stakes and, boy, did she deliver, becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.
A rangy bay — as big as most of the horses she beat — Rachel Alexandra shot to the front Saturday and wasn’t seriously challenged until a late close by Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
By beating him she ended any chance that thoroughbred racing would have a Triple Crown winner this season. Affirmed was the last Triple Crown winner in 1978.

 

[Angola!]

I almost posted this on another thread.

I left it intact, mainly because I'm being forced to get out early and I didn't feel like rewriting the lead.

I'm curious as to what folks thought, though.

 

[Pendleton]

I had to move quick, too, but just started with the second sentence. Reads fine.

 

[Angola!]

I had to move quick, too, but just started with the second sentence. Reads fine.

Good point. I should've changed that. Oh well.

 

[zebracoy]

If it was me, I might be rewriting the first two sentences, and would consider the third as well.

 

[Kelly Tripucka]

We ran it, but I didn't lay out the front. Other person on the desk thought "it was cute." Gotta pick and choose your battles, I suppose.

 

[Kelly Tripucka]

Third graph makes it sound like the jockey, Calvin Borel, is a woman -- and a horse. Just noticed that.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

If it was me, I might be rewriting the first two sentences, and would consider the third as well.

Me too. I'd go with the second sentence as the lead if in too much of a hurry. That's not good.

 

[ColbertNation]

Glad I wasn't the only one to cut that lede.

 

[JBHawkEye]

Hell, I'm just glad she got the optional done before deadline, considering how late the Kentucky Derby optional rolled in.

 

[spaceman]

I'd have changed it ...

to "Boys drool."

 

[Ace]

I changed it to "Chasing tail."

 

[SnoopyBoy]

I like the write-thru better

By BETH HARRIS Ž
AP Racing Writer Ž

BALTIMORE (AP) — The ******* are back.
The best 3-year-old in the land just happens to be a filly named Rachel Alexandra.
Jockey Calvin Borel all but guaranteed victory in the Preakness Stakes and, boy, did she deliver, becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.
A rangy bay — as big as most of the horses she beat — Rachel Alexandra shot to the front Saturday and wasn’t seriously challenged until a late close by Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
By beating him she ended any chance that thoroughbred racing would have a Triple Crown winner this season. Affirmed was the last Triple Crown winner in 1978.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Tiutle IX has been wonderful for horse racing.

 

[heyabbott]

shouldn't it be 'girl rules' 'the girl rules' or 'a girl rules', since only 1 female won the race

 

[fishwrapper]

I changed:
In the end, she had bigger balls.

 

[Moderator1]

I just noticed my old paper's Web version ran this lede intact.
It's not really THAT bad, just a case of a writer trying to get cute and missing. I've seen a lot worse.
I would have made the second graph the lede and worked from there.
By the way, it is amazing how many stories out there work that way. You knock off the first graph and, wow, there's a story underneath.

 

[SF_Express]

I just noticed my old paper's Web version ran this lede intact.
It's not really THAT bad, just a case of a writer trying to get cute and missing. I've seen a lot worse.
I would have made the second graph the lede and worked from there.
By the way, it is amazing how many stories out there work that way. You knock off the first graph and, wow, there's a story underneath.

Some famous writer or editor -- and if somebody reminds me, it's going to kill me that I can't remember it right now -- said after you get done writing a piece -- feature, column, whatever -- you should go back through for one more self edit -- and kill whatever your favorite line is.

A little much, but an interesting overall notion.

My local paper liked that lead so much they made it their gigantic lead headline -- and then used a Baltimore Sun story instead.

 

[fishwrapper]

I'm going to differ here.
We didn't use AP, but I have zero problem with the lede.
I don't even think it missed. Given the circumstance, given the feat, given this was a 5th-lede... no problem. You start the story with the second sentence/graph, it loses pacing, tone and -- most importantly -- exclamation. It's a different, less interesting story, without the lede.

 

[CarltonBanks]

Much discussion in the office about this horrible lede last night. We used it, but probably shouldn't have. Deadline issues as well.