Must read piece on the "Bayonne Bleeder"

Meant to post this last week.

Check out this link to Grantland.com article from last week on Chuck Wepner, a boxer known as the "Bayonne Bleeder." He was the inspiration for the Rocky movies.

A very entertaining read ...

Do not expect papers back for class

Hello everyone:

It has been a whirlwind week of busy-ness on my end:

1. Our cross country championship season began with the MAACs last Friday. Preparing for that and coaching in that took up a lot of our time and energy.

2. The freak snowstorm over the weekend caused multiple issues at home -- thankfully, we did not lose power, but other things cropped up.

3. Halloween! This is a big holiday for a family with young kids ... nuff said.

Anyway, the long and short of it is this: I did not grade papers this week. With another batch on the way in class on Tuesday, I will be getting behind. My goal will be to catch up on all this work the rest of this week and the weekend.

Just wanted to let you know.

I am working on a class outline for Tuesday. We will definitely be doing an in-class writing assignment.

Check back on Tuesday for more details.

Thanks for understanding ...

Coach Pete

Oct. 25 Class Outline

Sports Reporting Class: October 25, 2011

Quote of the Day:
“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.’’ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attendance: Reminder of attendance policy.

Assignments due today
--Mike Breen coverage article (sourcing requirements waived for this one)
--Article #3

Note: The Mike Breen article will REPLACE one of your eight (8) article coverage assignments. Thus, after tonight’s class, you will be halfway done with that portion of the class.

Class topics for today

--Final story ideas: Continued discussion and finalizing the topics (see previous post)
--Follow-up on evening with Mike Breen (and Ian O’Connor): Follow your passion!
--View Mike Francesa interview with Darrelle Revis and in-class discussion. Note: I will ask for everyone’s opinion so please be prepared to talk about it. There are many topics of relevance here – ethical and otherwise. Very interesting!
--In class writing assignment TBA
--In class peer editing discussion

Francesa interview with Revis

Hello all:

Please click on this Yes Network link to a video/audio of last week's interview on Mike Francesa's WFAN radio show in which Francesa talks to New York Jet Darelle Revis. It is compelling audio (and video) and I want to have a class discussion on this interview.

I have very strong opinions on this interview, and my opinion may surprise you. But I want to hear what you think. We will watch it together as a class and dissect it.

Check back for a class outline at some point on Monday ...

The wisdom of Mike Breen

I hope you all enjoyed Wednesday night's event at the Goletti Theater. I'll be honest when I say that it was much better than I expected. I knew Mike Breen would be good and charming and funny and informative. But he was even more than that. His advice was wise, and the endless stream of questions was truly heartening.

OK. I will admit that I bailed out at about 9:23 p.m. It was getting close to bed time for this old guy, and besides I wanted to catch some of the World Series game. For those that stayed to the end, I heard it was worth every single minute.

Breen opened his talk but discussing how important it is for each and every one of you to follow your passion (he used that word a lot). Chase your dreams and do what you love. That was his message. It is something that you -- juniors and seniors in college -- need to hear. We will discuss this in class in more detail.

There is so much gloom and doom out there about the "job market." Breen pointed out that in our field, the job market is always tough. This should not deter you from following your passion. It is an important and bold message, and one that I truly hope you will heed.

The instinct and the common pattern is for college students is to follow a career path that may lead to better jobs and better pay. But will that make you happy? Is it your passion?

That is the question that Mike Breen raised, and it is a good one.

Congrats to Dr. Keith Strudler for putting on such a worthwhile event, one that I will remember for a while.

This week's recommended read

Not surprisingly, it is from New York Times baseball writer Tyler Kepner. His combination of reporting skills, writing skills and superior knowledge of the game make his articles and columns pure poetry.

In this article, he uncovers an unusually sentimental side to Tony La Russa, a baseball manager whose image is anything but that.

Check it out. You will love it.

Final story ideas and thoughts

Hello everyone:

I sensed a little confusion and even frustration last night with regard to the Final Project ideas and requirements. Here are some examples from last year, along with some other thoughts.

Issue-based story ideas from last year

1. Lack of track facilities at Marist: This is a subject near and dear to my heart. And now with an added wrinkle for 2011-2012!
2. Lack of a club lacrosse team at Marist: Apparently, there was a push for a club men's lax team, and this was explored by a student in class last year.
3. Search for a new women's soccer coach: After a successful fall 2010 season, the women's soccer program searched for a new coach to replace the interim coach.

Profile-based story ideas from last year

1. Profile of the women's basketball program's involvement with the Friends of Jaclyn charity.
2. Profile of a Marist alum who was working as an executive with the New Jersey Nets.
3. Profile of an up-and-coming assistant football coach at the College of Charleston (student knew the coach from high school).
4. Profile of a high school soccer program and rivalry in upstate New York (where the student was from.

I hope this gives you a little better idea. I urge you to put on your thinking caps and come up with some ideas of your own. That is part of reporting -- finding stories and ideas out there.

Again, some of the basic requirements include:

1. If it is an issue-based story, talking and presenting both sides of the issue.
2. If it is a profile-based story, using multi-layered sources with in-depth information.
3. Double the length of a normal story.
4. Double the sources of a normal story.
5. A sidebar/box/graphic element to supplement the main story.

OK. I hope this helps.

You MUST come into class with at least one story idea that fits this criteria.

Any questions, call/text or email me any time.

Coach Pete

Oct. 18 Class Outline

Sports Reporting Class, October 18, 2011

Quote of the day:
"Be gentle to all and stern with yourself."
Saint Teresa of Avila

Assignments
Due today: Article critique #4
Due next week: Article #3

Class topics for today
--Mike Breen talk on Wednesday. BE THERE!
--Reverse interview: I will ask you questions! It will be fun … I will explain in class.
--In class writing assignment TBA. We’ll make it brief and fun.
--Continue discussion on final articles

Article #2 feedback: Getting better!
--Biggest pet peeve this week: Chronological stories. Get the important news at or near the top of the story. Remember the Inverted Pyramid! It’s an old idea … but it still works and it is still applicable for this class.
--AP quote styles are still a bit choppy and sloppy. Clean up or you’ll get marked down for it.
--Sourcing: It’s getting better, but still needs to be perfected.
--Overall, I like the progress of these articles.
--Starting with Article #3, though, the training wheels come off and no re-writes will be allowed. It’s one and done, like in the real world.

Wrapping it up:
--Because of the Breen talk on Wednesday, we’ll end class a bit earlier on Tuesday.
--Bring a notebook to the Breen talk, as we will require a short paper on the evening.

Important announcement about class!

Hello all:

Dr. Keith Strudler has asked me to require all students in my Tuesday evening Sports Reporting Class to attend a talk by sports broadcasting legend Mike Breen. Mr. Breen's talk will be on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Nelly Goletti Theater.

Attendance at this talk is MANDATORY and there will be a writing assignment (graded) that will be based on this talk.

I have checked everyone's class schedule and there are only two (2) class members who have Wednesday evening class.

IF ANYONE ELSE HAS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP. Call or text me at 845 309 3640.

I will post Tuesday night's class outline soon. Because of this requirement, class on Tuesday will be relatively brief. I am sorry to disappoint you all with this news!

Take care and see you soon,

Coach Pete

Oct. 11 Class Outline

Sports Reporting Class: Midterm Week Special!

Quotes for the day:

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." -- John Lennon
"There's nothing you can know that isn't known." -- John Lennon

Assignments:
Due today: Article #2
Due next week: Critique #4

Ferraro story leads:

--I will read the leads to each story in random order (no names attached). After you listen, you will "grade" each lead on the following scale:

1=Boo!
2=Eh, OK
3=Solid effort
4=Excellent effort
5=Perfect!

Peer editing: Other classes do it. We will do it. Your thoughts on HOW we do it ...

Food for thought: We will discuss final story/final exam story ideas in class.

Final topic parameters:
--Minimum of 6 sources (more is better)
--At least one additional element (sidebar, box/list, graphic, etc)
--Controversial topic with more than one side
--Feature/profile that has some depth to it and that will require a diversity of sources
--Length: Minimum of 1250 words (more is better)
--Note: This is a working list. We may update/change it as we go ...

Style Point of the Week: its vs. their

I saw this in a lot of papers. When referring to a singular noun, like "team," the possessive is its. When referring to a plural noun, like "Red Foxes," the possessive is their.

We will discuss this, and other topics, in class.

See you soon!

Recommended read

Check out this excellent New York Times article on Yankee head trainer Gene Monahan, who has inscribed special moments on baseballs for the team for the past 40 years.

Click on the link here ...

Oct. 4 Class Outline: GUEST SPEAKER

Sports Reporting Class: October 4, 2011

Quote for the Day: Take a guess who said these …

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

Attendance: Reminder of attendance policy.

Assignments:

For tonight: Article critique #3
For next week: Article #2 is due

Class topics for tonight:

--Guest speaker: Sports Information Director Mike Ferraro will be coming to class. He will discuss various topics regarding his job, the state of journalism, etc. PLEASE NOTE WELL: Be prepared to join the discussion, ask questions, take notes, etc.
--Much like last week, we will have you do an in-class writing assignment about Mike’s visit. Again, the idea is to get you all accustomed to writing on deadline.
--We will discuss your first article assignments: The good and the not-so-good.

What can be better
--Quote styles
--AP styles
--Better leads
--Make sure sources are relevant and have something to say
--Sources should be quoted more than once
--No cheering in the press box

Recommended read

Thanks to one of my cross country runners, junior Will Schanz, for sending me the link to this article (warning: It is LONG) about Yankee announcer John Sterling.

For a Yankee fan and loyal Sterling listener, this article was very interesting in its complexity and detail.

I share it with you all as a possible critique subject, or even just a great example of quality reporting and writing.

See you on Tuesday night ...