First report

To be honest I was petrified to cover this game. Not because I thought anyone would be mean or rude- but because I know very, very little about fast pitch softball. I tried to do a little research before I set out but it seemed like all of it flew out the window when I pulled up to the field. I found the score keeper for the Bulldogs and tried to plead my case with him. He promptly explained to me that he often misses plays and really cannot be bothered to much but he would try to help me out as much as possible. Seeing the fear in my eyes he looked over my shoulder and pointed me in the direction of another gentleman. He told me that was the reported for the messenger and that perhaps I should introduce myself. So I did of course- and it was probably the best play of the game. He was so helpful and pleasant. Not only did he help me keep up with the score (he also made sure to teach me that they are not referred to as points but rather runs- thank god) but he also gave me a lot of background information on the team that I was able to incorporate into my story. I know that there are a lot of things that I missed and the story does suffer from a lack of certain information but I learned so much about the team and how to watch the game that I really think my next time out I will be less intimidated and ready to get as much of the game as possible.

Bulldogs secure first, prepare for Spartans

Sunny skies were the backdrop for Athens’ 6-5 win against Belpre Monday night at the Athens Softball Complex. While the weather seemed perfect the game was anything but.

Belpre jumped off to an early lead of 3-0 in the third inning and with the momentum, it seemed like the Bulldogs would not be able recover. But with enthusiasm and cheers pouring out of the dug out, pitcher Jayne Seymour hit a single and scored thanks to Belpre errors and a line drive by Whitney Dickens.

Seymour has struggled this season throwing the ball overhand due to pain in her arm and did have a bad throw to first, but her pitching along with the power hitting helped the team clench the victory.

But it was not an easy victory, and it was not a usual game of fast pitch.

For starters the umpire allowed a run to score fourth off of what can be considered a pitcher error. Belpre pitcher Natalie Perry was evidently continuously pitching before the ump was ready. With the Bulldog’s Sarah Daugherty on third, he stopped play and allowed her to score and batter Tiffany James to take first. Even the other score keepers and reporters could not make this call out.

This was not the only miscommunication between the ump and the pitchers. On two occasions Seymour intended to call time and seemed to be ignored, resulting in a little frustration from the Bulldog dugout.

Unusual circumstances aside, this was a victory for Athens and one that means first place in the Tri Valley Conference.

Coach Shelia Ross attributes the come from behind win to the girl’s camaraderie.

“We have tended to start slow in the past few games but we have faith in our bats and faith in our team.”

The win can also be attributed to Abby Pomento who had two hits including the game wining run. At the end of regulation the score was tied 5-5. Seymour and the defense held Belpre allowing for Pomento’s at bat for the winning hit.

Pomento has been strong for the Bulldogs offense with four hits in the game against Wellston, last Thursday April 15, including a home run. She combines these for six hits in the past two games.

Usual standout Raven Cline struggled going only one for four. Belpre tried to capitalize on this but the Bulldog’s were relentless. They had given Belpre its only loss in the league and with this victory would clinch first place.

But they cannot rest on this win.

Thursday the Bulldogs face the Alexander Spartans who they soundly defeated 11-0 in their last meeting on April 6. Such a high scoring win would seem to give the Bulldogs a leg up but Ross says it is more of a challenge now.

“You have a few things you can do with different teams but we have got to play well and we have to start from the first inning because coming from behind cannot be an option,” she says.

The Spartans have a successful pitcher and the Bulldogs will attempt to slow her down early and keep the momentum they need.

Mon 04/19 Home Belpre Athens Softball Complex 5:00PM

In the ‘West Virginia beats top-seeded Kentucky, 73-66’ article reporter Paul Zeise seems to spend to much time trying to cram every little bit of info into his article. Every sentence that I read had my head spinning and trying to understand how it all was relevant. Numbers are everywhere and the stats lose all of their meaning when they are tucked into the convoluted sentences.
The ‘Kingco 3A Tournament: M.I. heads to districts’, article fell short in more than one way. For starters the coverage of the boy’s game was less than impressive. Only one person’s interview is featured in the article and that person makes what some could call an offensive statement about soccer. Yes, it may just be nit picky but why feature a quote that could be in any way taken out of context. But even though the boy’s coverage was unimpressive, it was more substantial than the pitiful coverage the girl’s team received. It is blatantly lopsided so much so that I wonder if he should have bothered to put in on the page at all. Of course I want the coverage but I also think this is a slap in the face. The boys get about three times as much all on the same page.
Tom Bergeron’s article on Tiger Woods was very successful in painting a picture of the event he covered. Golf, at least in my opinion, can be a little dull but Bergeron was able to keep my attention and interest. Not only did he cover the story with the facts, he also was able to intertwine the story of Tiger’s injury. It flowed seamlessly and was well written.
I really enjoyed Dave Kindred’s piece on re-thinking sports writing and I definitely agree with him. Too often the coverage of sports events are dry and strictly factually with little else. His depiction of a family at a baseball game was right on. I am a lover of baseball games, not necessarily for the game but for the atmosphere and social aspects. Just because I am sitting in the stands does not guarantee that I got the whole story. Sports writers have the awesome job of giving us that story. I really enjoy a story that manages to find the interesting twist or the background story. We as humans are intrinsically interested in knowing the inside lives of celebrities, and athletes are celebrities now-a-days. The two articles that failed to catch my interest fell into a lot of the typical traps that Kindred described. I found it very interesting that he attempts to interview ten people before he completes the article. In at least one of the above articles there was only one interview done and the story was flat and boring as a result.
In my attempts to be a fledgling sports reporter I want to be able to find the interesting story that the people don’t know, the story that they will be interested to know. Not every game story will have an interesting twist or factoid. But every story has the potential to be interesting and better than the next and that is what I will be trying to do. I think relationships are important in this industry, not only between reporter and subject or reporter and audience. I think reporters are the connection between the people and the story; it is their job to make it interesting and desirable.