Does the Daily Advertiser even have a sports editor (1 Viewer)

[st dude]

I am a pretty big LSU fan but I also pull for the other state schools when they are not playing LSU. In particular, recently I have been following the UL softball team which has been on a nice run.

I have also subscribed to the Daily Advertise for many years and have never been a big fan of their sports dept. They have allowed some jaded articles about the saints to tun, but my criticism goes beyond that. Several years ago they ran a story about a high school baseball game and blamed the loss on a certain player they chose to name. Some parents wrote the sportswriter complaining and he responded by blasting the school and another school in a column as a bunch of whiny rich people(they were private schools but I would hardly describe all those who attend the school as rich, many folks were struggling to pay tuition).

The isue of whether it was okay to name a high school player in an article for making a key error is i suppose fair debate. I actually tended to agree with the writer, that is, I think in high school sports kids get their names in the paper for winning home runs so if they make a key error that determines the game I think its okay to name the player. I do think you should be careful about "blaming" the loss on that player as there are many plays in a game that determine its outcome.

Last night in the UL game the game was tied in the top of the last inning when the UL shortstop carelessly threw the ball back to the pitcher allowing the runner at second to steal third. There were still two outs and my thoughts at the time were that I hoped if the runner at third did score it would be on a clean hit that would have scored the runner from second, not an infield hit or passed ball which would have scored a runner from third but not from second. Sure enough, the next batter drills the ball into center field driving in the winning run. Had the runner been at second she still would have scored easily as she would have been running on contact with two outs.

So what do the sports headlines for the Advertiser say? WIDE RIGHT. Under that it says crtical error haunts cajuns. I am linking to the online article, in the article in the paper WIDE RIGHT is much more prominently displayed than it is online. http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SPORTS

That is so cheesy. Why do we always have to blames someone? These are twenty year old kids living their dream and the sportswriter has to make it some Bill Buckner incident for the shortstop when the error likely had no impact on the outcome of the game. UL scored anly one run, you might have just as easily blamed the game on their lack of offense or the pitch that served up the winning hit.

And where is the editor? How does he let WIDE RIGHT become the headline. Its a cheap shot on the kid, even if the error did contribute to the run, and it shows the editor's lackf knowledge of the game and the writer's if they think a kid running on contact from second base will not score most of the time on a hit to center field.

I am just kind of curious as to whetehr anyone else noticed this and if anyone else agrees it was kind of cruel to have a headline blaming the loss on one kid's error.

 

[rlmarine]

What was funny was that the article didn't give much mention to the error, but they had that headline. It was no doubt a critical play in the game, however. I'm glad the article did not belabor the play, but I don't have much a problem with that headline. In football, when the Cajuns fumble late or throw an ill-advised pick, I really don't have a problem when the players get called on it the next day. It's tough, I see where you are coming from as it is a fine line with younger athletes, but I feel these are all adults in college. Then again, I don't know her and if that would be a family member of mine, I would probably feel differently. BTW I don't know if that runner would have scored from 2nd, it was pretty sharply hit. Nonetheless, I think the better team won last night unfortunately.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

After reading the article, my guess is the author did not write the headline, which is often the case in the news biz. I suspect it was the sports editor that probably wrote the headline. I look forward to your letter to the editor in the next few days.

 

[st dude]

In football, when the Cajuns fumble late or throw an ill-advised pick, I really don't have a problem when the players get called on it the next day. It's tough, I see where you are coming from as it is a fine line with younger athletes, but I feel these are all adults in college. Then again, I don't know her and if that would be a family member of mine, I would probably feel differently. BTW I don't know if that runner would have scored from 2nd, it was pretty sharply hit.

I dont have a problem with them mentioning the players name or mentioning the play. My problem was making it the headline and blaming the loss on the player.

I disagree it was a critical play as it turned out. The runner had just stole second easily and was obviously very quick. With a decent runner on second, nine times out of ten you score on a ball hit to center field. In this case you would have had a very fast runner on second who with two outs is running on the crack of the bat. Unless she trips or unless the cajun centerfielder has a major league arm and makes a perfect throw, the runner scores.

Blaming that loss on that error was unfair. Not my kid, not my team. Its just my opinion.

 

[st dude]

After reading the article, my guess is the author did not write the headline, which is often the case in the news biz. I suspect it was the sports editor that probably wrote the headline. I look forward to your letter to the editor in the next few days.

I do think the editor probably wrote the headline, the article itself doesnt seem to put as much significance on the play. It was a potentially critical error at the time and one of those careless, unforced errors you hate to see.

But in the end it really didnt impact the outcome except to the point it took away the slim chance the cajuns would have had in throwing out the runner at home on a two out hit to center field. The ball was sharply hit. The distance between the bases in womens softball isnt much though and with any lead from second the base runner is rounding third before the center fielder gets to the ball. Dan, i think you could have scored on that hit.

I wont be writing the editor but it will not surprise me if some parent off of that team does. Scoring only one run was a much bigger factor in UL losing that game than a one base error.

 

[rlmarine]

I dont have a problem with them mentioning the players name or mentioning the play. My problem was making it the headline and blaming the loss on the player.

I disagree it was a critical play as it turned out. The runner had just stole second easily and was obviously very quick. With a decent runner on second, nine times out of ten you score on a ball hit to center field. In this case you would have had a very fast runner on second who with two outs is running on the crack of the bat. Unless she trips or unless the cajun centerfielder has a major league arm and makes a perfect throw, the runner scores.

Blaming that loss on that error was unfair. Not my kid, not my team. Its just my opinion.

I hear you, I don't necessarily believe they are "blaming the player". Maybe in baseball, a runner on 2nd scores 9 out of 10, but not in softball. I don't watch much, but I know a runner on 2nd in softball is not the same as baseball. At minimum, there would have been a play at the plate. Maybe she scores, maybe she doesn't. The error hurt em.

 

[st dude]

I hear you, I don't necessarily believe they are "blaming the player". .

So you dont think the headline "Wide Right: Critical error haunts cajuns" places blame for the loss on the player who made the error and suggests that one play cost them the game?

I guess people do read and understand things differently. It sure seemed to me the headline pinned the loss on the error(and therefore the player who made the error), but maybe to you and others it didnt.

As for the play, I think softball is different and there would have been a better chance to throw the runner out. Thats a fair point. I still think the runner scores and even if the error did contribute to the loss, I would not have chosen that headline as an editor. My guess is if you polled the entire UL team and their families they would think the headline was unfairly harsh. The play where a UL batter struck out in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded was a bigger play to me.

I might just have written a headline that "UL Loses Close One", and gvien mention to critical plays in the article.

 

[rlmarine]

I hear you. At least that wasn't on the front page. No doubt they had their chances, but as you probably know, most people remember the 'last thing' in games rather than any number of plays that preceded. I guess if it were an errant throw from 3rd to 1st it would be easier to swallow than the routine throw back to the pitcher from 2nd. Stings...

 

[Three Monkeys]

The advertiser is a useless little rag. It's one of those Gannet papers which makes very little effort to be a NEWSpaper. The Morning Advocate's "Acadiana Section" has much more local coverage than the advertiser.

There have been times in the past when UL Cajuns play a home game Saturday night and the boxscore isn't even in the Sunday paper.

It's more of a vehicle for some local guys to vent their own personal beliefs on sports. Pretty much just high school sports; some UL/LSU/Saints; and, a healthy dose of the Cowboys and Astros.

 

[HouDat]

Yes.

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

I do think the editor probably wrote the headline, the article itself doesnt seem to put as much significance on the play. It was a potentially critical error at the time and one of those careless, unforced errors you hate to see.

But in the end it really didnt impact the outcome except to the point it took away the slim chance the cajuns would have had in throwing out the runner at home on a two out hit to center field. The ball was sharply hit. The distance between the bases in womens softball isnt much though and with any lead from second the base runner is rounding third before the center fielder gets to the ball. Dan, i think you could have scored on that hit.

I wont be writing the editor but it will not surprise me if some parent off of that team does. Scoring only one run was a much bigger factor in UL losing that game than a one base error.

There would have been a chance for a play at the plate, but I think you're right, the chances were slim. The runners was going on the pitch, and it was a line drive (one-hopper, I believe) so there would have been some drama, but we'll never know. Have to agree with you that it was wrong to single out that as the reason for the loss.

Against Bama, however, a critical error at third base may have kept that one from extra innings.

Good showing by the Lady Cajuns. All three games were very tight.

 

[Danceswithfatchix]

Good showing by the Lady Cajuns. All three games were very tight.

And this is what st dude alludes to...this should have been the focus of the headlines and articles. Why did he stoop to shock headlines? Just concentrate on the fact that the girls had a pretty remarkable year.