It has been a few weeks since I posted random musings, so here goes.
In this week’s issue you will see a 28-page fall sports preview. Of the three sports seasons we cover, this is the biggest undertaking just due to the number of teams that the schools have. I had a lot of help along the way from friends writing stories and proofing the copy.
You will notice a few differences this year compared to last. The most notable is the absence of a story on Park Hill South boys swimming and diving. It wasn’t for a lack of effort. It just boiled down to a miscommunication between the paper and staff at the school about a coaching change. I was only lacking one form back and the day I started designing, I called the athletic director and learned I had been emailing questions and trying to reach out to a teacher that no longer coached said team.
By the time we scrambled to get the information it was too late to hit our deadline. I have never in my life did a preview section without every team in there.
So, personally I feel like I let a few readers down.
I think some of it is being the new guy and not getting the corrected contact information. It is helpful when we get news like that when coaching changes happen. Some schools are great at it. Others I need to work with to get the importance of that news out there, not just for special publications, but for news/sports value.
The second change is the elimination of team photos. It is pretty tough to catch all 32 teams in a week or week-and-half span, so in the spring I chose to run file photos from previous years of athletes that returned. It worked out for the most part.
This season, that theory didn’t work out as well as I hoped. There were some teams that we had photos of but photos were of players who graduated. Ross Martin and Nick Ingram busted their butts last year to cover multiple sporting events each day but sometimes teams are senior heavy. And there are times you can’t get to everything.
Some of my thinking with the team photos comes from an old boss I had. He would pull out a dime when looking at photos. His thinking is the person in the photo should have their head at least a dime size so you can see it clearly in print.
With many large schools that’s impossible to do.
While we won’t have team photos, the coverage is solid in my opinion and we will keep on doing what was done in the past. We will be at multiple events and taking photos, which will then become photo galleries.
Then, you’ll see a recap of games in the next week’s paper. While we are on that point, it’s only $30 a year to keep informed on happening with the schools and towns you follow. That’s $2.50 a month — cheaper than a couple coffees or candy bars.
Royals rumblings
The decline of the former World Series champs into also rans was a swift one and coming soon will be a series between the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore that will likely determine who will get the first pick in the draft.
The Royals took Luke Hochevar the last time they had the top pick. He flames out as a starter but was a good bullpen guy during the 2014-15 postseason runs but he fell short of expected return from a No. 1 pick.
Hochevar was in town recently for the Cardinals series as the Royals honored the World Series champs from 2015. The recently retired pitcher joined two other hurlers on that team that is now retired — Chris Young and Kris Medlen.
The Royals were swept and went 3-7 on the homestand. There were a few highlights, such as rallying for a win against Toronto in a game that started at 9:30 p.m. Heath Fillmeyer got his first win against the Cubs.
There were also a few things that explain why the Royals are struggling.
They continue to pitch Blaine Boyer and he delivered a loss by giving up a game-winning homer against Toronto. The next day, to the thrill of many Royals fan I follow on Twitter, he was cut.
Most jobs when you don’t produce you lose that job. Boyer is proof of that.
Brandon Maurer and Alcides Escobar should be in that category, but they are still run out there often.
I wish that if we are going to lose, let’s lose with guys that will be around. Play the young guys. Give them a chance. Stop giving Esky starts at shortstop and put Adalberto Mondesi there every day. Figure out who your center fielder will be. Is it Brett Phillips or Whit Merrifield? Also stop using your catchers in the same lineup. I know Salvy needs time away from catching every night but maybe give a full day off instead of DH-ing him. Yes, he has power. But he is also a lot more likely to hit into a double play or strikeout then go yard.
Facebook reactions
I will be honest for a second.
Each time I get a notification on my phone there is a comment on our Facebook page, I tense up and expect I’ll have to be deleting a comment with unsavory language or watch a fight of words between readers.
For one, it’s OK if you don’t agree with someone. But then it turns in a political fight. It gets old. Why can’t we just get along?
The big marijuana bust by the Platte County Sheriffs Office made on Friday resulted in more than 200 pounds confiscated.
Some felt the officers should worry about bigger crimes. Others believed it’s a gateway drug to worse things.
Regardless of the view it is still illegal in the state for now. In November, voters will get a chance to show how they feel. I think that might bring a lot of people to the polls, much like Prop A did.