Storytelling and reporting are still the heart of sports journalism. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn other skills as well. As I’ve mentioned before, all sports journalists should start a blog to learn new media skills. Shoot, edit and post both video and audio. You might even sign up for Facebook and Twitter.

One more thing: Do not attend a college where you cannot enhance these skills either in the class room or for student media. Basic new media skills are not longer merely a suggestion.

Here are a few recent stories offering more insights into new media skills:

The New Media Journalist

Iconic Video from Tehran Protests Demands New Skills of Journalists

Still questions about revenue, online presence

New media reality check: The skills you really need in the real world

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OK, so when is someone going to finally step up and admit that using composite bats is a mistake?

When someone dies? That will happen soon, believe me. Especially if coaches don’t force players to wear face masks, which players dismiss as uncool even though they can save their lives.You’ll find travel softball players using these masks at summer tournaments, although mostly at the younger age levels.

Two weeks ago in Mattoon, I watched a batter drill a line drive right off the face of a third baseman in a U-14 game. The ball was hit so hard it popped about 20 feet in the air before being caught by the shortstop. The girl dropped to her knees, where she tossed off her plastic face mask, probably wondering how in the hell she survived such a wicked shot. She was a little sore but did not suffer any major injuries. Without the mask, she would easily have broken a nose, cheekbone or eye sockets. Or, she might have died.

Yet, face masks for fielders are not required by any of the three major softball organizations – National Softball Association, United States Specialty Sports Association, or the Amateur Softball Association. Nor are they required by any other organization that sanctions youth baseball.

At the very least, these masks should be worn by pitchers and corner infielders. Pitchers are between 35 and 43 feet from the plate, too close to react to a hard hit ball at any age level. And third basemen play even closer, moving to within 20 feet of batters during apparent bunt situations. Coaches, parents and softball organization officials should be ashamed for allowing kids to play without masks at these positions.

Even hockey players, among the toughest athletes in sports, wear protective head gear while goalies fully cover their faces. Wearing face masks is not a sign of weakness but of intelligence.

A recent study reveals that 60,000 injuries happen in baseball and softball each year, much lower than in softball, soccer or basketball. But injuries to the face were more likely to require surgery in softball, according to this study.

The most common mechanism leading to baseball and softball injuries was being hit by the ball (including thrown balls, pitches, and batted balls). In baseball, being hit by the ball accounted for one in five injuries; in softball, it was one in four injuries. Other commonly stated mechanisms were throwing the ball (one in five baseball injuries; one in seven softball injuries) and contact with bases (one in eight baseball injuries; one in seven softball injuries). Home plate was the most common location for baseball (one in five) and softball (one in four) injuries. In both sports, injuries resulting from being hit by a batted ball were usually to the face and were more likely to result in surgery when compared to injuries resulting from other mechanisms.

About five years ago, the National Federation of State High School Associations required face masks for batting helmets. Now, the NFSHS should require face masks for all pitchers, third basemen and first basemen.

Of course, composite bats –  that can drive balls at far greater velocities than aluminum or wooden bats – are the biggest problem. As are the coaches and players who tamper with these bats, illegally altering bats so they drive the ball farther and faster.

“Because of the exit speed of the ball off a doctored bat, it becomes a liability issue,” Middle Tennessee State Coach Steve Peterson told The Tennessean. “The rules state that a manufactured bat cannot outperform a wooden bat. But when you get the tampered bat, and you have that trampoline effect, a pitcher or infielder cannot react quickly enough.”

A radar gun recently clocked the exit speed of a ball off one composite bat at 115 mph, 17 mph over the NCAA’s limit. Thankfully, the NCAA is already working on ways to detect tampered bats (but this is only part of the solution.) Returning to wooden bats makes more sense, especially for baseball. Even slow-pitch softball pitchers are at risk, having about .4 seconds to react to a liner right at them.

Wearing protective fielder face masks, which cost about $39, makes far greater sense regardless of the bats used. They protect players in other sports. Why not softball and baseball as well?

Certainly, this is a topic worth investigating. Perhaps, the added pressure will force those in charge to look out after kids putting their lives at risk.

Here’s a story about two players in northern Illinois who were severely injured by line drives.

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I’d start this post by saying I’m not really atwitter about the social network called, well, Twitter, but I didn’t want to scare everybody off with that lame joke.

Instead, here’s a much funnier joke:

A guy is in the hospital with two broken legs. The nurse comes in and tells him that there’s good news and bad news.

The guy asks for the bad news first.

The nurse says, “We’re going to have to remove your legs.”

Then the guy asks for the good news.

The nurse says, “The guy beside you wants to buy your sneakers.”

Hahahahahahaha!!!!  Whew. That really was a good one.

Anyway, I joined Twitter to see how this social network could help me become a better sports reporter, so I signed up for updates from professional sports team, sports leagues, individual players and even sports TV networks. As a sports reporter, I wanted to see how Twitter can help me develop new story leads or connect me to new sources. Several experts in new media promised this is the wave of the future.

I figured, ‘How could it hurt to try it out.’ After all, I never hear from my Twitter friends – no cool jokes, no smack on people we hate, and no invitations to socialize (all in all, pretty much like my life.) – so, I figured, why not  find new friends like Versus, MLB and Shaquille O’Neal. The folks at Versus can certainly use all the friends they can get (even hockey fanatics cannot find this station.) But on Twitter, I can get updates on the Stanley Cup, on O’Neal’s latest attack on Kobe, and updates of scores minutes (and hours) after they’re posted on MLB.com and other sport Websites. Cool, huh?

And I also get URLs for every feature story, column, and game analysis from team and news organizations, something I could never get online or through an RSS feed.

Plus, Dwight Howard has become a great pal – even calling me ‘baby’ (but not in a bad way, except when bad means good. You older folks, though, probably don’t know what I mean.) Anyway, he’s bustin’ texts to me all the time about respect, Magic spirit, and keeping focused on the Finals. Sadly, he does not plan to speak with me for the next few days.

OK ya’ll, I gotta run for now. I made a vow that I’m keeping my phone turned off during the Finals because I’m going to stay focused. It’s my Twitter-rehab, I guess. No distractions, just concentrating on the game.

I’ll hit ya’ll back tomorrow, but keep those spirits up. We need everybody with the Magic to help us do this thang.

That’s okay. I understand when my pals need their space.

So, I’m going to keep diggin’ into Twitter, looking for new pals and resources to find information. If you have any recommendations, Facebook me, tweet me or add it below. Sadly, I’ll be waiting.

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To cover any sport, you need to understand its subtleties. Any schmuck knows that a pinch-hit grand slam is a big play, as is a last-second 3-pointer, or an 80-yard touchdown pass. But what led to these decisive plays? Did the batter fight off several good pitches before drilling the homer? Did someone set a great pick to allow the 3-pointer? And did the fullback fill in a hole to block a linebacker and allow the pass to be thrown?

Tyler Kepner focuses on some of these subtleties in the New York Times’ Bats blog and in his Yankees’ game story. In Bats, Kepner lists seven rules posted on the Yankees’ Class AAA clubhouse wall – sort of a guiding principles for anyone wanting to make it to New York. Sports reporters should also take note of these while covering games – run hard every step to a base (even on easy grounders), back up one another in the field, and turn bases hard (to put pressure on opposing defenses.) These little things often prove the difference in a game but are seldom reported, especially when they take place in an early inning.

Kepner addresses the final rule on the list (go in hard and break up double plays) in his game story, chronicling how Mark Teixeira’s efforts on the bases enabled the Yankees to rout the Rangers on Tuesday night.

The Texas Rangers’ Vicente Padilla had drilled Teixeira twice, the second time to load the bases with one out and the score tied. Teixeira took his revenge with a smart bit of hardball, sliding aggressively at second base to avert a double play, bring home the go-ahead run and prolong the pivotal inning of the Yankees’ 12-3 victory.

“It was a good coincidence,” Teixeira said. “There’s no way to retaliate as a player, but when you have a chance to extend an inning by breaking up two, it’s a good play.”

The Yankees scored seven runs in the fourth inning, including six after Padilla plunked Teixeira.

Look for these less obvious plays that make coaches and managers smile even when fans do not recognize them. That’s one way to stand out – and make it to the big leagues – as a reporter.

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Joe Posnanski, one of the best baseball writers in the country, has teamed with Bill James, the baseball stat guru, to write a regular column on SI.com. Reads sort of like a he said/she said – but with far more interesting anecdotes, analysis and insights (and none of the sophomoric humor). This week, they focus on hyped baseball prospects like Matt Wieters (re: the next Babe Ruth.) Check it out.

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I’m getting ready to revamp this blog site, but, in the meantime, everybody needs to read this terrific story on secrecy among college athletic programs. And all should start their own investigation into athletics on their own campuses.

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The deadline for Boston University’s Sports Institute is about a month away. This is a great opportunity to learn and practice sports journalism in print, broadcast and new media. Here’s some basic info:

• Program Dates: June 1-26
• Admission: Open to both graduate and undergraduate level students. Undergraduate students must have junior year status or above. Professionals seeking career advancement are encouraged to enroll as well.
• Application Deadline: May 1
• Summer 2009 Tuition: $3,750
• University housing is available.

Click here for more information.

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Here’s information about a terrific sports scholarship.

The Associated Press Sports Editors are sponsoring four $1,500 scholarship for collegiate sports journalists. APSE, a national organization of sports editors, is awarding four scholarships to help motivate talented students to pursue a career in sports journalism. Collegiate sports journalists entering their sophomore, junior or senior years are eligible for the scholarship which will awarded based on the students’ journalistic work, their academic record, financial need, and geography.

The scholarships will be awarded to students from four different regions of the United States. The winners will be chosen by the APSE scholarship committee, which is chaired by Joe Sullivan, sports editor of the Boston Globe and includes editors from all sections of the United States.

Please have them include the following information in their letter of application: -

Personal: Name, address, age, phone number. -

Academic: A copy of the student’s collegiate grades.

Financial: A brief rundown of the student’s financial situation, with regards to how he/she plans to pay for tuition and copies of any pertinent records including the copies of the FAFSA form EFC and family’s income tax return.

Letters of recommendation: One or more from teachers/employers.

Five examples of sports journalism (usually stories but could also be sections the student has edited). – Finalists may be contacted for an interview .

Mail information to

APSE Scholarship

c/o Joe Sullivan, Sports Editor

Boston Globe

135 Morrissey Blvd.

Boston, MA 02205-2845

Deadline for applications is June 1.

For more information contact Joe Sullivan at the Boston Globe 617-929-2845, jtsullivan@globe.com

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Gene Wojciechowski

Indiana University is hosting a great event next week, bringing four experienced journalists and commentators together to discuss the thin line between hype and truth in sports coverage to launch its National Sports Journalism Center. The session, “Heroes, Hype and the Truth: Separating Fact from Fiction in Today’s Sports World,” set for March 11 features Gene Wojciechowski, senior writer for ESPN Magazine; Bob Kravitz, sports columnist at the Indianapolis Star and ESPN Radio co-host; Steve Lavin of ABC-TV and ESPN; and Sage Steele, ESPN SportsCenter anchor. If you’re close to Bloomington, Ind., you may want to drive on over. I’m certain it will be worth the time.

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Here’s a terrific opportunity to cover a major sports event. I’ve had students attend these in the past. They learned a great deal and made some good contacts as well. Check it out.

Here’s the release.

You have the opportunity to spend a weekend with some of the best sports journalists in the business. The United States Basketball Writers Association will host its third annual Women’s Final Four Seminar on April 3-7 in St. Louis and once again award a $1,000 scholarship to one of the Seminar’s participants.

After spending an afternoon with a panel of professionals who possess more than 200 years of experience, every participant will cover an assigned story involving the Division I Women’s Final Four in St. Louis. You might cover practices, NCAA Hoop City or the award ceremony honoring the coach and player of the years. Two students will be chosen to cover the semifinal games (April 5) and the championship game (April 7).

This opportunity is opened to all student journalists and costs just $10, which includes drinks and snacks during the April 3 afternoon seminar. Past panel members include Bob Ryan (Boston Globe),  Alex Wolff (Sports Illustrated), Mel Greenberg (Philadelphia Inquirer) and Steve Wieberg (USA Today.)

All participating students have the opportunity to submit their articles, some of which will be selected to appear on the USBWA website. The story selected as the best of the weekend earns the Larry Donald Memorial Sportswriting Scholarship.

Seating is limited and only those who register by March 15 will be considered for the semifinals and final games coverage.

The schedule is as follows:
April 3      1-3 p.m.           Seminar
April 4      All day              Multiple assignments
April 5      6 & 8:30 p.m.   Semifinal games
April 7     7:30 p.m.          Championship game

If you have any questions or want to register, please contact:

Jason L. Young
Newspaper Production Coordinator
Saint Louis University
jyoung42@slu.edu
314-977-1782

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