July 30 Kennebunk ME: On Picking One's Battles

KENNEBUNK, Maine -- As long as there have been baseball games, there have been newspapers. As long as there have been newspapers, there have been sports writers. As long as there have been sports writers, there have been copy editors.

 And as long as there have been sports writers AND copy editors, there have been brush wars.

 I'd be the first to say that every one of my stories could stand a little tweaking, if not out and out shredding. Especially my ledes (that's newspaper lingo....). So I consider myself fortunate to have won a few more of these battles than I've lost.

 Yesterday, subbing for the vacationing Kevin Thomas (the outstanding Sea Dogs beat writer for the Portland Press Herald, one of my very best clients), I lost.

 But seeing as how I'm a sore loser, and seeing as how I have my own blog, I thought I'd post my original, pre-edited attempt at making a 20-13 blowout at least somewhat interesting.

 Now you can play copy editor....

By DAN HICKLING

 

 PORTLAND, Maine -- Balls were crushed, numbers were crunched, and presumably, dinner plans for many in the Hadlock Field crowd of 7,037 were blown to bits.
 All of it because of Sunday’s 20-13 blowout visited upon the Portland Sea Dogs by the Connecticut Defenders, a 3 hour 42 minute marathon that produced more lead changes than the animated “Speed Racer” rally routinely run on the right field video board at the end of the seventh inning.
 At that point the score was 13-13 with the promise of more runs to come.
 Connecticut went on to score seven more, six of them in the top of the eighth, off reliever Chris Jones (0-1), who was just up from Low-A Greenville and making his Double-A debut.
  “It was a hit-fest, man,” said left fielder Jeff Corsaletti, who collected four of Portland’s 16 hits. “They put up numbers and we (had) to respond. We did most of the time. But that six spot late in the game really hurt us.”
 But Jones wasn’t the only hurler who’s ERA took a bruising.
 Portland starter Charlie Zink was tagged with 12 earned runs, while Defender starter Dave McKae gave up 10. And neither was around long enough to earn a decision in a contest that provided some staggering statistics.
 Foremost among those were the runs allowed, a franchise record.
 Beleaguered Portland pitchers served up four home runs, including two to Tyler Von Schell and another to Julio Cordido, who went 4-for-6 and racked up seven RBI.
 Three Sea Dogs, Corsaletti, Dusty Brown, and Jay Johnson, all knocked in three runs and every batter on both sides notched at least one hit.
 “It was just one of those wild games,” said center fielder Bubba Bell, who witnessed some stratospheric scores with Lancaster in the California League, including a 30-0 pasting, before being promoted to the Dogs. “Guys have asked me how they scored 30 runs, and here at Hadlock we gave up 20. It was really similar to a ‘Cal League’ game.”
 Portland’s last lead came in the third, when the Dogs scored five runs to make it 11-8.
 Jay Johnson knocked in two of those with a double high off the Maine Monster that came within a foot of leaving the park.
 Connecticut reclaimed the lead, 13-11, in the fifth with Von Schell’s first homer, which came off reliever Andrew Dobies.
 The Dogs managed to knot the score again in the bottom of the sixth on Corsaletti’s two run double.
 But the last place Defenders, who took three of five games with Portland this weekend, had one more crooked number left to post.
 “If you give me 11 runs in the first three innings,” said Portland Manager Arnie Beyeler, “then told me we’d be coming from behind, I’d have been laughing at you.”
  Defender reliever Osiris Matos (5-0) three three innings and picked up the win.
 
 Or you can check out the published version... http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=124002&ac=PHspt

Comments

[Lary]

I'm guessing the problem was with the crushed balls.
But your lead was significantly more interesting, gave a feel for the game and made it easier for someone to want to read the remainder of the article. Which was what the lede was supposed to do when I was in journalism school.