"Upon Further Review" by Jim Sacco

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Finally, done with one

Yesterday, after two days of non-stop reading (actually, stopping only late at night to lose money in poker) we got through a category and ranked our stories.

Alas, it was right back to work this morning, this time judging 250,00 circulation projects. Wow, they are some really good reads.

But let’s get back to last night when the Associated Press Sports Editor officers held a dinner in honor of us small papers at the 40K and under dinner.

We sat at the U-shaped table with the officers up front. Then, starting with APSE President Jim Jenks, we went around the room and introduced ourselves and told everybody what our defining moment was that made us get into sports journalism. 

I’ve learned the following:

1) I am, hands down, the smallest circulation sports editor here. It gets me a lot of “wow” and “man, that’s tough” when I tell people exactly what I do.

2) Reading some of the stuff from larger papers I’ve realized that they don’t anything that different from us. The main thing, however, is resources and people power.

3) Long Beach Harbor smells bad. REALLY bad.

4) Some ideas I’ve shared with other sports editors (from all size circulations) were greeted with smiles and an “I might steal that.”

5) And, again, I’m still in awe with how many people knew who I was. Hey, the ego needs to get fed every once in a while. But, sadly, that one meal I can’t expense.

I’ll try to blog back later tonight (probably VERY late EST), but I make no promises. A lot of reading ahead and, hopefully, some more poker.

Even in LA …

I got e-mails.

Yep, tons of them.

From fans.

From parents.

Even from haters.

You know, Waynesboro haters who, despite watching the Little Giants beat the state’s No. 2 and No. 1 teams in back-to-back games, still buy into the foolish notion that just because Robert E. Lee was down, so too was the Valley District.,

I’m sorry folks, you can sell me that Valley stinks mantra all you want, but I ain’t buying.

Never have. Never will.

Sure, I’ve only been covering Valley District basketball for five years, but I know damned well that this district could, for all intents and purposes, change it’s name to the ACC and nobody would argue.

Sorry if you disagree (and I doubt No. 2 Handley or No. 1 Millbrook will), but that’s the truth about the Valley.

Anyway, back to the e-mails that I decided to check and read sent to me from the ice-covered Valley out here in the sun-loving Left Coast. (Most of which tried to keep me informed of the score and how the game was going.)

Don’t worry folks, I may not have been there, but for a little over an hour and half on Monday, I was glued to the company laptop checking out the play-by-play posts from Virginiapreps.com and following yet another Waynesboro come-from-behind win.

So thanks to all of you who tried to keep me informed. Thanks to Scott who let me know by commenting on my blog (and remember, Scott. It’s Jim, not Mr. Sacco!!!).

In 48 hours, I’ll be sitting on a red-eye from L.A. to Atlanta to Charlottesville, planning and thinking ahead to covering a state-tournament team.

Trust me, the Valley isn’t close to being “mediocre,” and we shall not treat as such.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Handley and Millbrook just might agree.

Monday, February 26, 2007

It’s not even noon …

on the Left Coast, and I’ve already been up and reading columns for the past five hours. Yep, so much for the break away from work, this whole APSE judging experience has left me dumbfounded, impressed, feeling good about the staff I have back home in Waynesboro and with $40 less money in my wallet already full with expense-report receipts. (Don’t ask, but the $40 lost was worth for the people I met, who also happened to clean me out.)

The one thing I have noticed is how people pat my back and sigh with remembrances of yesteryear when I tell them what size paper I’m at and how many writers are under me.

“Man, you still do pages?”

“Jesus, I remember those days.”

“Good God, I don’t know how you do it.”

For the most part, I’m surrounded by guys who haven’t covered a game (let alone a high school sporting event) in years. Do they long for the days? I’m not too sure. Most conversations really open up at the bar. By that point it’s tough to get through the slurred words, loud talking over the loud drone of the TV and our own fatigue from being up at the crack of dawn and reading stories all day (and night).

But I do know that a lot of these guys (and women), don’t ever forget those “small-time” days. When taking scores over the phone (JV and freshman games as well) and laying out pages was as much part of their job as eyeing over some copy. They also seem to remember the days when they were more than just a byline.

When I talk to them about getting harassed in Wal-Mart over a sports column or our coverage (or lack thereof), they laugh, smile and share a similar story (though most seem to have taken place a decade or so ago.)

Do they have cliques? Sure. A group of us smaller sports editors hang out together. The larger guys (and women) do their own thing. But, at the small bar here at the hotel, we all come together and talk shop.

The only difference, they talk about Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens and Barry Bonds.

I regal them with stories of Todd Phillips, Jim Almarode, Paul Hatcher, Grace Christian and Terry Waters.

We all laugh and smile. We’re all the same, and it took me a while to realize it over the noise of the TV in that small bar.

A Lesson Learned

Word to the wise folks: Don’t play poker with a sports editor from Texas who doubles as a Texas Hold’em Pro.

Hey, I’m just sayin’.

Good night from Cali.

Your’s truly (and $40 broker),

Jim

Sunday, February 25, 2007

This is some hard work

I’ve been in Long Beach, California, since Saturday.

Sorry (for me, not you), I’m not out here sunning and funning myself into another dimension. Instead, I’m reading myself into a dementia.

I’ll be out here until Wednesday doing one thing and one thing only—judging.

And, let me tell you, it’s been nothing but hard work since this morning.

So what the heck are you doing out there? Well, by hook or by crook, I’m out here judging sports sections and writing for the Associated Press Sports Editor awards. I’m learning a lot, rubbing elbows with people who I only know through bylines. And, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who know who I am. (Proving that Waynesboro, Va., isn’t as far off the sports journalism map as I thought.)

Come on, Sacco, you’re out there for the Oscars or stalking Brittany Spears’ newly-shourn head? Actually, you’re right on the first one. I’m getting ready as we speak to accept my award for “Best Flute Playing in an Animated Short Documentary On the Subject of Cockfigting in Rural Latin America.” You won’t see me on TV, it’s one of those awards they give out at a ceremony “earlier in the day” and show a still of the winner just before a commercial break.

How’s the weather? Brisk. But comfortable. I can’t complain because I heard what you guys had to deal with yesterday and today.

Make any new friends? There is this black stray cat that hangs around my room’s patio (a stone’s throw from Long Beach Bay). He’s been hanging out with me (and letting me pet him) for the past four hours while I sit outside and read sports columns.

How was the flight? Good. I slept most of the way since I stayed up all night after work on Friday. (When you’re flight leaves at 6:50 and you work nights, there’s the point-of-no-return time of 1 a.m. I was still up, so I decided to stay up.

You gonna blog tomorrow, too? Depends. Tomorrow I start judging the “projects” and I’ve seen the stack. I’ll try though.

Missing Virginia (and an important person in the state), but loving the experience.

Sincerely,

Jim

Friday, February 23, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: 2/23/2007

Who would have thunk it? Looks like much-maligned Waynesboro boys basketball coach C. Jay DeWitt outcoached Handley’s savvy veteran skipper Tom Dixon in last night’s Region II semifinal game. Well, what did you expect from the Mediocre Valley’s Coach of the Year?

So, I’m wondering: How mediocre is the Valley now?

Hey, I’m just askin’.

Let’s make it two: With a win over highly touted Altavista tonight at Monticello, we can have two teams from our area in the state tournament. You know, Riverheads boys basketball team, the one that, according to some, might play in the mediocre Shenandoah District.

Stop proving me wrong: After politicking for Broadway coach Dwight Walton to win the Mediocre Valley’s Coach of the Year, C. Jay DeWitt sure shut me up. (Just like Todd Phillips did with his performance in the Region II quarterfinal against Orange.)

Blair deCourcy shut down Handley’s inside game in the second half last night. He’s only a junior folks. Oh, and he’s 6-foot-7.

Mr. deCourcy, you’re table is ready.

Millbrook and Charlottesville fans came together after the first game to cheer on Waynesboro. Valley Sports radio called it a good thing for a Waynesboro team that doesn’t get a lot of support. The Winchester station called it a disgrace to Winchester basketball.

Welcome to homer-call airlines, now boarding Winchester Radio.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Guess who is going to the Group AA tournament?

Another second-half comeback for the Little Giants as they topple No. 2 Handley 67-62.

Hmmmm ... I wonder how mediocre the Valley is now??

Giants take the lead

Tim Brown’s trey at the buzzer to end the third quarter gives Waynesboro a 51-49 lead over Handley with eigth minutes to play.

At the half it’s

Handley 33, Waynesboro 23
Nick Gore and Todd Phillips pace Waynesboro with six points each.
Handley’s Chad Moore leads his team with 14,

After one quarter of play

It’s Handley 18, Waynesboro 11 in the Region II semifinal game at JMU’s Convocation Center.

Nick Gore leads the Little Giants with 3 points.

Daily Pooch Punt: 2/22/2007

Honestly, folks, I don’t know what more I can say about last night’s finish to Waynesboro’s Region II quarterfinal game against Orange County. (And take it from people who know me, it takes an awful lot to get me to shut the heck up.)

I do know that whoever happened to be in the gym last night (and there were plenty of you) saw and did the following:

1) The WHOLE Waynesboro side of the gym on its feet at one point, led by a large (and insanely wild) student section. I’m talking parents, grandparents and just fans of the school’s basketball team were on their feet and screaming. It was insane.

2) Todd Phillips solidifying himself as the Valley District’s best player. Yes, I thought Rockbridge’s Marcus Mayo should have won Player of the Year (which he did), but after watching Phillips play a career game last night and thinking back to all the big games he’s had this season, I will now admit I was wrong.

3) You watched a team prove that, unlike what some people think, the Valley District is not mediocre just because Robert E. Lee is not dominant.

4) You saw that a team with more weapons will always win over team that features only one. (Pick your poison with Waynesboro—Nick Gore, Phillips, Tim Brown. Just keep the poison out of your mouth with Orange—Brad Starks.)

5) You saw 5-foot-8 Andy Sherrill deny the 6-foot-4 Starks the ball on a possession.

6) You heard the Waynesboro student section notice this defensive mismatch and chant “Andy Sherrill” for 24 straight seconds. (An eternity in the at-the-top-of-your-lungs cheering world.)

7) You saw senior Ander Ross hit a sweet hook shot that gave the Little Giants a 31-29 lead in the third quarter.

8) You saw Gore, James Lucas and Phillips battle for three straight offensive rebounds on one trip down the court.

9) You saw Gore follow that up by taking a charge on the other end seconds later.

10) You saw “The Shot.”

11) You stormed the court.

12) You’re one win away from the state tournament.

13) You’re going to JMU tonight.

‘Nuff said.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Daily Pooch Punt: 2/21/2007

The e-mails have been coming in (15 to be exact) with worried Little Giant fans wondering if Waynesboro’s boys basketball team will beat Orange tonight.

The answer is simple.

This one is on the seniors.

Though he’s a hell of a player, nobody is going to be looking toward Nick Gore to chuck the Little Giants on his back and carry them back to James Madison University’s Convocation Center for the Region II semifinals.

Though he’s the streakiest of shooters from the perimeter, nobody is going to toss a weary glance junior Joel Robinson’s way if a 14-2 Orange County run puts the Little Giants on a first-name basis with rock bottom.

Nope.

This one is on the guys who are playing for their high school career’s life.

This one is on James Lucas, the quiet, red-headed workhorse that picked the right time—the district-clincher against Turner Ashby—to pour in a career high 20 points.

This one is on Ander Ross, the 6-foot-5 inside man who came to the River City from Western Albemarle with high hopes and long arms.

This one is on Todd Phillips, the Little Giants’ explosive forward who has the ability to take over a game when needed.

That’s who this game is on.

At 7 tonight, we’ll see who steps up. And all of the River City will be waiting.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

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Daily Pooch Punt: 2/20/2007

So, it’s do-or-die time for the Waynesboro Little Giants when they host Orange in Wednesday’s Region II quarterfinal. So, my question is, which Little Giant team plans on showing up?

This one.

Or this one.

I wait for your reply.

Despite several e-mails that it shouldn’t happen, Rockbridge’s Marcus Mayo was named the Valley District Player of the Year over Todd Phillips. I bet Waynesboro fans are hoping Phillips plays like he’s got something to prove Wednesday.

Waynesboro coach C. Jay DeWitt won the district’s coach of the year. DeWitt deserved it, but Broadway’s Dwight Walton deserved it more.

Orange’s Bradley Starks dumped 42 points on Robert E. Lee on Jan. 20.

Calling Waynesboro’s defense. Calling Waynesboro’s defense.

Everybody said Robert E. Lee’s time could be done in the Valley District.

So, I’m guessing, that means the Leemen’s trip to Charlottesville on Wednesday for the Region II quarterfinals isn’t really happening.

Give me a few

Folks, today’s installment of the Daily Pooch Punt will appear around 6:30 p.m.

Sorry for the delay.