Life on the beat - - Monday
These are the dog days of the season, when the All-Star break is in the rearview mirror and the playoffs are still eight weeks away on the horizon.
This week, the Jazz blog is going to offer a writer's perspective on what it's like to cover the team through a stretch of four games in five days.
We're starting tonight in Minneapolis and going through Saturday night in Memphis, when I'll celebrate my 28th birthday in my 35th favorite city in the NBA.
I was the kid back in elementary school who said he wanted to be a sports writer and has gotten to live out that dream in his 20s. I hope I can bring it to life a little here.
MONDAY
8 a.m.: The Jazz are one of the only - - if not the only - - teams that have media availability before practice. So you've got to get going quickly in the morning. I get up, grab the papers, turn on the laptop and start bouncing around. I go from the Trib and Deseret News to the L.A. Times to the Washington Post to HoopsHype.com to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
9:30 a.m.: You've got to have a story already in mind when you get to practice. The window of time to interview players and coaches is just too short (15 minutes) to hope for something to develop. Unfortunately, the team is about as exciting as a tree stump right now, at least from a writer's perspective.
The Jazz have won 20 of 24 games, but the trade deadline has passed, the 11-43 Minnesota Timberwolves are Tuesday's opponent and there's not even a minor injury to worry about. I decide going in that I'm going to ask about the crazy playoff pairings. The Jazz are firmly in fourth, but fifth has changed each of the last three days.
It's interesting compared to last season, when the Jazz were locked into playing Houston forever. It would have been a great day to have something off beat. I just don't want to write something straight about the Jazz playing the Timberwolves. I could give most fans four names and they still wouldn't be able to identify Minnesota's starting five.
9:45 a.m: Nothing that happens at media availability changes my plan, although Deron Williams does walk out in mid-thigh shorts ("They shrunk a little bit," Williams said. "Do we have any valid questions?") and a poodle belonging to player development assistant coach Mark McKown goes running into the weight room from a side door. This begs the question: Does any strength coach in the NBA own a poodle?
McKown insists that it is a Carolina coonhound. If so, then his dog has done a little too much hunting in France recently. We talk to Williams, Jerry Sloan and Matt Harpring before the Jazz evict us and start practice. A lot of days it's a matter of talking to which players come out of the locker room and weight room first.
12:30 p.m.: After going home to have breakfast and pack, I head to the airport. Some people have second homes on the beach or at a mountain resort. Mine is the D Terminal at Salt Lake International Airport. I spent 104 nights at Marriotts alone in 2007 and am closing in on 20,000 frequent flyer miles already for 2008.
With 90 minutes before my flight, I check in with the editors at the Tribune. Most days I write a 600- to 650-word main story and a 360- to 450-word notebook of brief items. This has been one of the biggest changes for me from my old job in L.A. On days when the Lakers practiced or were off, I could get away with just a notebook. Not in Utah with the Jazz.
We don't have a ton of space in the paper, though, so I'm just going to write the main story. I make a couple of calls at the airport. The Jazz have an open roster spot and could still add a player, although they must do so by Saturday for that player to be eligible for their playoff roster.
The Jazz have $1.006 million left from their midlevel exception and Jamaal Magloire was recently waived by the Nets. But Magloire also couldn't beat out Jarron Collins' twin brother for minutes in New Jersey. Not every player wants to come to Utah, either, and Magloire can pick and choose in his situation.
I can't get anything definitive about the Jazz's interest or non-interest. Just from past conversations, the Jazz aren't keen about carrying 15 players and always keep one roster spot open in case they have to take back an extra player with a guaranteed contract in a trade. That doesn't matter now, though, with the trade deadline having passed.
I also check in with the agent for one of the Jazz players, something I try to do regularly.
2 p.m.: I've had good luck with flights this year and Delta 4002 to Minneapolis takes off on time. One common misperception is that the writers get to fly on the team charter. My seat in 13A on a cramped regional jet pretty much answers that. The Jazz broadcasters (radio and TV) do, but not the writers. It doesn't work with our deadlines anyway.
5:50 p.m.: I transcribe the quotes from practice off my digital recorder and write most of my story on the flight. It makes a two-hour plane ride go by much, much faster if you work. I also read the New York TImes and play with my XM radio. That's the one thing I can't travel without. You can store something like 40 hours of programming on one of them.
8 p.m.: What's amazing is how much time you lose doing this job. By the time I've caught a cab to downtown, checked into the hotel and then waited five minutes for an elevator thanks to an insurance convention, it's a little after 7 p.m. I finish writing my story and file it along with a companion chart and preview capsule for the Timberwolves game.
9 p.m.: I call my wife back in Salt Lake City. She says, "I have no idea where in the world you are." Seriously. This happens all the time. She knows that if anything bad happens, she can always track me down by looking at the Jazz schedule and calling Marriott. It's kind of funny. She's not a big sports fan, which is a blessing when you spend all day in the sports world. It's nice to talk about something else.
I'm the one who has to live in hotels, but the schedule is harder on her than me. It's tough to always have someone walking out the front door. It wasn't an easy decision to move to Utah, a state where we didn't know a soul, knowing that I would be gone so often. We're still adjusting to our new life here (swamp coolers? snow blowers?) but so far, so good. She's probably gone skiing at six places already.
10:32 p.m.: There's too many games tonight (four) that impact the Jazz to just file and be done with things. I hang out until the Denver/Detroit game goes final and fix every mention that has to do with the Western Conference standings in my story. This kills the possibility of having a nice dinner in Minneapolis, one of my favorite eating cities in the NBA. Dinner is a pepperoni pizza off the late-night menu at Rock Bottom. But the Jazz are three games ahead of Denver in the Northwest. The Jazz can go 3 1-2 up with a victory Tuesday against the Timberwolves. They play Detroit back in Salt Lake City on Wednesday while Denver is at Seattle.
12:30 a.m.: Bed. I'm always jealous of Jarron Collins, who claimed earlier this season to be able to immediately adjust to the time in whatever city we're in.
--Ross Siler
This week, the Jazz blog is going to offer a writer's perspective on what it's like to cover the team through a stretch of four games in five days.
We're starting tonight in Minneapolis and going through Saturday night in Memphis, when I'll celebrate my 28th birthday in my 35th favorite city in the NBA.
I was the kid back in elementary school who said he wanted to be a sports writer and has gotten to live out that dream in his 20s. I hope I can bring it to life a little here.
MONDAY
8 a.m.: The Jazz are one of the only - - if not the only - - teams that have media availability before practice. So you've got to get going quickly in the morning. I get up, grab the papers, turn on the laptop and start bouncing around. I go from the Trib and Deseret News to the L.A. Times to the Washington Post to HoopsHype.com to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
9:30 a.m.: You've got to have a story already in mind when you get to practice. The window of time to interview players and coaches is just too short (15 minutes) to hope for something to develop. Unfortunately, the team is about as exciting as a tree stump right now, at least from a writer's perspective.
The Jazz have won 20 of 24 games, but the trade deadline has passed, the 11-43 Minnesota Timberwolves are Tuesday's opponent and there's not even a minor injury to worry about. I decide going in that I'm going to ask about the crazy playoff pairings. The Jazz are firmly in fourth, but fifth has changed each of the last three days.
It's interesting compared to last season, when the Jazz were locked into playing Houston forever. It would have been a great day to have something off beat. I just don't want to write something straight about the Jazz playing the Timberwolves. I could give most fans four names and they still wouldn't be able to identify Minnesota's starting five.
9:45 a.m: Nothing that happens at media availability changes my plan, although Deron Williams does walk out in mid-thigh shorts ("They shrunk a little bit," Williams said. "Do we have any valid questions?") and a poodle belonging to player development assistant coach Mark McKown goes running into the weight room from a side door. This begs the question: Does any strength coach in the NBA own a poodle?
McKown insists that it is a Carolina coonhound. If so, then his dog has done a little too much hunting in France recently. We talk to Williams, Jerry Sloan and Matt Harpring before the Jazz evict us and start practice. A lot of days it's a matter of talking to which players come out of the locker room and weight room first.
12:30 p.m.: After going home to have breakfast and pack, I head to the airport. Some people have second homes on the beach or at a mountain resort. Mine is the D Terminal at Salt Lake International Airport. I spent 104 nights at Marriotts alone in 2007 and am closing in on 20,000 frequent flyer miles already for 2008.
With 90 minutes before my flight, I check in with the editors at the Tribune. Most days I write a 600- to 650-word main story and a 360- to 450-word notebook of brief items. This has been one of the biggest changes for me from my old job in L.A. On days when the Lakers practiced or were off, I could get away with just a notebook. Not in Utah with the Jazz.
We don't have a ton of space in the paper, though, so I'm just going to write the main story. I make a couple of calls at the airport. The Jazz have an open roster spot and could still add a player, although they must do so by Saturday for that player to be eligible for their playoff roster.
The Jazz have $1.006 million left from their midlevel exception and Jamaal Magloire was recently waived by the Nets. But Magloire also couldn't beat out Jarron Collins' twin brother for minutes in New Jersey. Not every player wants to come to Utah, either, and Magloire can pick and choose in his situation.
I can't get anything definitive about the Jazz's interest or non-interest. Just from past conversations, the Jazz aren't keen about carrying 15 players and always keep one roster spot open in case they have to take back an extra player with a guaranteed contract in a trade. That doesn't matter now, though, with the trade deadline having passed.
I also check in with the agent for one of the Jazz players, something I try to do regularly.
2 p.m.: I've had good luck with flights this year and Delta 4002 to Minneapolis takes off on time. One common misperception is that the writers get to fly on the team charter. My seat in 13A on a cramped regional jet pretty much answers that. The Jazz broadcasters (radio and TV) do, but not the writers. It doesn't work with our deadlines anyway.
5:50 p.m.: I transcribe the quotes from practice off my digital recorder and write most of my story on the flight. It makes a two-hour plane ride go by much, much faster if you work. I also read the New York TImes and play with my XM radio. That's the one thing I can't travel without. You can store something like 40 hours of programming on one of them.
8 p.m.: What's amazing is how much time you lose doing this job. By the time I've caught a cab to downtown, checked into the hotel and then waited five minutes for an elevator thanks to an insurance convention, it's a little after 7 p.m. I finish writing my story and file it along with a companion chart and preview capsule for the Timberwolves game.
9 p.m.: I call my wife back in Salt Lake City. She says, "I have no idea where in the world you are." Seriously. This happens all the time. She knows that if anything bad happens, she can always track me down by looking at the Jazz schedule and calling Marriott. It's kind of funny. She's not a big sports fan, which is a blessing when you spend all day in the sports world. It's nice to talk about something else.
I'm the one who has to live in hotels, but the schedule is harder on her than me. It's tough to always have someone walking out the front door. It wasn't an easy decision to move to Utah, a state where we didn't know a soul, knowing that I would be gone so often. We're still adjusting to our new life here (swamp coolers? snow blowers?) but so far, so good. She's probably gone skiing at six places already.
10:32 p.m.: There's too many games tonight (four) that impact the Jazz to just file and be done with things. I hang out until the Denver/Detroit game goes final and fix every mention that has to do with the Western Conference standings in my story. This kills the possibility of having a nice dinner in Minneapolis, one of my favorite eating cities in the NBA. Dinner is a pepperoni pizza off the late-night menu at Rock Bottom. But the Jazz are three games ahead of Denver in the Northwest. The Jazz can go 3 1-2 up with a victory Tuesday against the Timberwolves. They play Detroit back in Salt Lake City on Wednesday while Denver is at Seattle.
12:30 a.m.: Bed. I'm always jealous of Jarron Collins, who claimed earlier this season to be able to immediately adjust to the time in whatever city we're in.
--Ross Siler
11:38 PM
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4 Comments:
Ross my question is how in the world is it possible for Sloan to allow a dog on the team plane yet not allow his team to wear headbands?
You are by far the best sports writer in town and you have only been here less than a year. Keep up the good work we appreciate your insight and all the nights you are spending in the Marriott following our beloved Jazz.
Great story Ross.
With the Jazz three up on the Nuggets, isn't time the Jazz (and the fans) start worrying more about the teams in the Western Conference with better records than the Jazz, rather than winning the division? I mean, at this point, the Jazz are winning the division, yet they have like the six or seventh best record in the conference, meaning that they will start the playoffs on the road. With the way the Jazz play at home, the focus now should be on beating out New Orleans, Dallas, or the Spurs, and less so on the distant Nuggets.
Ross,
The Washington Post ... Hoopshype ... what about my Jazz Blog?
Seriously though, good job with the Jazz coverage and articles. I thoroughly enjoy the mix you and Steve bring as beat writers.
John
http://jazz-talk.blogspot.com/
Bravo Ross, you're doing a great job covering the Jazz. Thanks for the insight on what it's like traveling to cover the team, while spending nearly one third of a year in at least 29 different Marriott hotels. Which Marriott hotel is the best one you've stayed at?
I like Hoopshype as well, but have you ever gone to realgm.com?
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