A Different Perspective

It is really nice to have a different perspective of what goes into reporting sports news. For the past two games, myself and a number of the other blog box participants have had an inside look as to what goes on behind closed doors once the game is over.

There was a period of about 10 minutes this morning when I was reading Greg Logan's latest article in Newsday, when I realized – “Wow, I was standing beside him yesterday and heard him ask these very questions”. It was no surprise to see what he was writing about mind you, but it was definitely an eye opener to the whole situation.

One of the biggest things for me is the amount of work and preparation that goes into writing. Up until this point, I had just been writing about some recent news or what was on my mind – today, it is a little different. I mentioned that I was armed with my trusty Canon Digital SLR so I can document the whole “show”, but I also picked up a digital voice recorder yesterday. This is one of the most valuable tools for a journalist next to his trusty notepad and pen I learned.

Here's why; when we got the chance to interview Campoli on Saturday, I was without any way to record the questions I might have asked – so I kept my mouth shut and watched. When Monday's game ended and they brought in Darryl Bootland for us – I actually stepped up (with Tom and Jim) and asked some questions. Darryl was very accommodating and seemed genuinely interested in what we were asking him.

When asked on what he thought of the blog box and if he had gotten the chance to view the different blogs, Darryl responded by saying “I haven't yet, I'm still living at the hotel” as he chuckled, and understandably so – the lack of computer access and down time is good enough of a reason. He then went on to give his opinion, “I think it's a great idea, you get to hear a little bit from everybody and I'm sure there are people reading those who will take a little input from the fans and try to help them out. It's a great thing for everybody”.

I also asked Darryl what type of effect an injury to a player such as Sim has on the team so early in the season, “It's tough because he's been on that line since the start of training camp, he is a great guy to have around the dressing room, he's a gritty guy – one of those guys that does the dirty jobs that a lot of guys don't want to do so it's tough to fill in for him. But its part of hockey, its part of the game and you've got to keep your head up and keep going”. Not really knowing much more about Darryl other than his style of play prior to this interview, I really came away with a higher respect for him – due to how well spoken and friendly his is off the ice. It's a great thing to see, and it is definitely one of the reasons why Snow and Nolan brought him in.

I really need to admit, this was a new experience for me – it is definitely a tough task to go through recorded audio and incorporate it into a story. Thankfully, the work is enjoyable and rewarding, so it works out in the end.

That's it for tonight, I have two hockey games tonight – 9pm and 10pm, at two different rinks. Looks like I need to leave the first game mid-third period.