Marc Spears Keepin It Real

This afternoon’s conference call with sports journalist Marc Spears was definitely informative. Aside from providing us with his insight on the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals match up, Spears also gave us professional advice on how to flourish in the sports journalism industry.

In my opinion, that was the most interesting and beneficial segments of the conference call session. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to ask him two questions, including how he’s cultivated relationships with sources to break news and the difficulties of balancing a social/family life in this industry.

I was astounded by the advice he provided on both topics. He said that he connected to various players, coaches, and general managers by initiating conversations with them on topics outside of sports.

For Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, that topic was discussing Louisville. For Ray Allen, who Spears called a “media darling”, that topic was discussion about the inauguration of Barack Obama and the murder of Pakastani politician Benazir Bhutto. Regardless of the athletic figure, he always made an effort to connect with people outside of the sports realm.

"I will always find something to talk about so they get to know you as people and so they think you’re cool and open up to you," Spears said. "One of the things ive been blessed with in my career is to get the players to open up. My minor in psychology helped me more than you know.”

He also mentioned that he’s developed relationships with agents and people at Nike, which could bode well for him this summer once LeBron James decides where he wants to continue his NBA career.

In addition, Spears was brutally honest, telling us about the toll of the sports journalism profession has taken on his life. He said he isn't married and doesn't have kids, but remains satisfied and pleased with the success in his career. Clearly, some sacrifices will have to be made to flourish in this industry.

Where They Do That At?

"So, it's the year 2010 and you don't have unlimited text messages for your cell phone? Where they do dat at?" 2010 SJI student, Malik Smith, said.

Agreed. There are a few things that are just inexcusable in this day and age, this is one of them.

Another disturbing bit I heard was that someone attempted to pick up girls using a flip mobile phone...huh? Where they do THAT at?

A flip phone? C'mon now, the last time I saw a flip phone used out in public, the Red Sox were still plagued by 'The Curse of the Great Bambino'.

All jokes aside, what I'm getting at here is that technology is changing more rapidly than ever. There's a new way to connect coming about every 5 minutes. First it was the iPhone craze (the phone with more apps and software updates than seats in the new Cowboy Stadium). This year, it was the Droid and iPad phenomena that had the whole world drooling at the mere thought of the products' release dates.

You have to keep up with current technology if you're going to succeed in the professional world nowadays. That's not to say that you need an iPad, Droid or an iPhone; but you should probably have some sort of smartphone or at least a really nice laptop. You can no longer depend on a standard phone and a house desktop; this is the era of instant technology, with 3G smartphones and high-speed laptops.

There's nothing wrong with being a little old school; but let's not get overboard.

Major Wakeup Call

After talking with Yahoo NBA specialist Marc Spears, I learned a whole lot about the business that I was uncertain of before.
1. You are going to work hard all of your life. (kinda figured that though)
2. You have to have a passion for what you do to be successful
3. Being on-time for an event or news conference isn't good enough. You have to be there before everybody else if you want to get the scoop.
4. The higher up you go, the less chance there is to have a family of your own.
5. I ain't shit, don't got shit, and, until I do, my opinion won't mean shit.
It was a rude, but necessary awakening...

On William Ernest Henley

One of the SJI traditions is to memorize and be able to recite — smoothly — the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. I have stuggled in this task as much as anybody. Our fearless leader, Leon Carter, has told us if "Invictus" were a "hip to the hippitty hop" song, we'd be dancing down the street while singing it. I decided I might better be able to relate if I knew a little something about the author.

The following information is from a Princeton volume of modern biographies, and the article on Henley is by L. Cope Cornford.

Out of the night that covers me
Black as the Pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul

William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) was a British man who contracted tuberculosis when he was 12. By the age of 21, it was apparent that he would have to amputate his left leg below the knee and possibly his right as well. He sought the help of Joseph Lister, a surgeon who was looked down upon at the time, and the doctor was able to save the foot. However, Henley was forced to stay in the hospital for the next 20 months.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced, nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed

So as the poet was bedridden, he made the most of it. He learned Spanish, Italian and German during his stay, and he wrote a volume of poems titled In Hospital about his experiences. The volume is considered his most famous, and it is also when he wrote "Invictus."

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid

Henley wrote for several British publications as a journalist and a poet, but most of them failed throughout his lifetime. Yet he managed to befriended several luminary authors of the era. One of his compatriots, Robert Louis Stevenson, based the character of Long John Silver in Treasure Island off of the hearty one-legged Henley.

It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul

Hopefully this post might provide brief insight into the creation and creator of the poem.

Guest speaker tells it as it is

Marc Spears held a conference call with this year’s SJI class to talk about the Lakers/Celtics game and to also give us insight on what we can expect as we begin our careers in journalism.


One of the key points I felt Spears covered was the importance of building relationships with the people you are covering. He said it is important to build a relationship with your sources, so they know who you are and are willing to answer any questions you have for them. He pointed out that even if you have a good relationship with your sources you can’t back down and you must ask the tough questions.


“You got to ask the tough questions, even if they get mad at you, they will respect you for asking that,” Spears said. “I don’t burn my sources, but they need to understand that I need to cover what is happening whether it is good or bad.”


Another important issue Spears spoke about was the way we, as students, must enter this field with no ego. We are still learning and if we walk in to a newsroom and act like we know everything, we are setting ourselves up to fail. No matter what we are assigned to cover, we must treat each event as if it was the most important event happening.


“No matter what it is, don’t ever have a stupid ego, you have to cover the event and you got to treat it like it’s the super bowl,” Spears said. “Whether it is a small event or the Super Bowl, you need to cover it like if it is the most important event. Every story is important and people are going to read your story, so you need to give them the best story possible.”


The meeting with Spears answered a lot of questions we had as students and also gave us a glimpse of what to expect in our futures.

Leon Carter's Middle Name

Several SJI sources have confirmed that Leon Carter's middle name is Hugo.

An online post released on the 2010 Sports Journalism Insitute blog, citing no initial sources, reported Carter's name, but it was not confirmed until Monday afternoon when several sources close to SJI confirmed the information.

David Squires, columnist for the Daily Press in Newport News, released the information to the SJI Class of 2010 on Monday afternoon that the middle name of was related to B.J. Upton's nickname, Bossman Junior. Combined with Greg Lee's information that Carter's middle name was related to an upscale cologne line and a retail outlet chain, a guess was made and subsequently confirmed by both SJI instructors.

UPDATE (2:31pm): Ed Encina, writer for the St. Petersburg Times and SJI Class of 1997 graduate, confirmed the report in a later interview.

The Boss

Leon Carter's middle name is Hugo! I went to apparelsearch.com and there are three brands beginning with the letter "H." Hugo was evident and Greg Lee confirmed it.

The other brands were Helly Hansen and Hesco Fashion.

Lessons learned

Marc Spears said he had to "reconstruct his whole brain," to regards to covering the NBA when he moved from The Boston Globe to Yahoo Sports.

Thankfully for him, he's gotten used to keeping an open mind.

"I like doing what no one else is doing," said Spears, who explained the differences in the thought process between the 'big picture' concept of a national web organization and that of a newspaper beat writer.

"I've had to check myself a couple times, because it's hard not to have a beat writer's mentality when you've been doing that for so long."

That mentality is more stressful and more challenging, he said, because unlike a writer that reports on daily happenings, Spears is now expected to break stories from afar without the same tightly knit group of sources. He is counted on to come up with the interesting story, the one no one else is writing.

But Spears welcomes the challenge.

"It's more fun," he said, noting that he prepares himself intensely by reading everything he can get his hands on. "A lot of reporters are lazy and just write what everybody sees. But one of the biggest compliments I got from a reader when I was in Boston, was he said, 'I miss reading you [at the Globe] because I always learned something."

And Spears said he makes it his goal to do the same every day.

Talking with Marc Spears

Marc Spears, the NBA writer for Yahoo Sports took some time to speak with the 2010 SJI class about the NBA finals and about how to become better in the journalism industry.

Spears, who formerly wrote for the Boston Globe and covered the Celtics, believes this game will be "a long series" and predicts the Lakers will win in seven games citing their size and wingspan advantage in the post

"Gasol is much better than he was two years ago," he said. Another advantage he thinks give the Lakers is Kobe Bryant, calling him Jordanesque so far in these playoffs.

The one advantage he believes the Celtics have is Rajon Rondo, who has come on strong in the 2010 playoffs. His assessment of Rondo's amazing progression from role player to star player is due to his confidence.

"He doesn't care he thinks he knows everything and to play with those all-stars you have to be like that." he said.

Spears, who is close with Rondo from his time covering the team, says that Rondo's confidence also comes from being an underdog for most of his basketball career.

As far as the business side goes Spears had a well of information on how to become and stay successful as a journalist in the sports world. One of his main points was that journalists need to build sources and contacts quickly.

"It can be intimidating to get to know these people, but I just say be yourself. Try to find something in common with him", Spears said.

His relationship with Ray Allen came out of his ability to talk about life as well as being an athlete. Talking with Ray on a personal level allowed him to be more comfortable talking with Spears for stories. He was so close with players that a rival reporter labeled him a "players guy", but he also mentioned not to "let players walk over you."

He also spoke about the transition he made from the Boston Globe to Yahoo Sports. As a writer for the globe he was able to utilize his proximity to break stories about teams, but at Yahoo he has to cover all NBA teams. "I had to reconstruct my brain on how to cover it," Spears said. "They want us to come up with something everyone else doesn't have. It's hard to not have a beat writer mentality."

His advice to young writers was to keep motivated by being creative. As a writer in a small market he would use alumni players who went pro for professional clips. As far as covering small events his advice was "Treat every event like the Super Bowl. Your job is to cover that event no matter what it is," he said. "People can tell whether you care or not."

Overall Spears gave the class, me in particular, a lot of vital information, but what stands out to me the most is that the job takes sacrifice and hard work. I also took away the fact that you have to work for a while before you get a big job.

"It takes time," Spears said, "none of it happens overnight."

Marc Spears Conference Call

"There's so many great rivalries in sports. But i think what sets this one apart is they rarely play each. Yankees and Red Sox can't play in championship. Ohio State and Michigan can't play in championship." said Spears of the Lakers rivalry. He spoke on the "Hollywood" environment of LA compared to the more raucous stadium in Beantown. Spears picked the Lakers in 7 because of Kobe's closing ablilities but noted that Rondo could "destroy fish." This is the 12th series between these teams with boston leading 9-2.
He was very pleased in Rondo's coming-of-age and noted that he talked to him his rookie season when he was down while playing behind Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. Rondo was an all-star for the first time this year and will surely be one for years to come. Rondo is among the talks of the best PG in the NBA but he still carries the chip on his shoulder of being drafted so late in the draft.
This is Spears second time reporting on this historic match-up but noted the Lakers size as a reason for their dominance. The Celtics are getting older very quick and with free agency looming changes could be made.
Later on in the interview he talked to us about relationships with athletes and the business. Something we learned yesterday the key to this business is relationships and becoming close with your sources to get a good story. He's interviewed NBA players such as Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett. These relationships have made him successful in the business and put him at levels as high as Yahoo Sports. Other reporters talk about him for being close with players but it has gotten him where he is.
He went on to talk about how different players interact with media the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not all players are going to make themselves available before the game or after so you have to deal with different attitudes.
His job has changed with Yahoo from the Boston Globe he writes more features and no longer reports on games or reports on practices like he did at the Globe. His position with the Globe was Boston Celtics writer but he called himself "a glorified beat writer."
He reminded us to be creative and try to scene set. Towards the end of the story he told us some words that I will always remember.
"You gotta be careful who you give your inside information to especially in today's world. Somebody could write it or blog it. You gotta ask yourself if your worth it. Be fair and write it straight."

Bios

Our most recent assignment, writing a 170-word bio on one of our SJI classmates, was one of the most trying processes that I've gone through since coming here. It's one thing to have to write a whole game recap in just twenty minutes, but having to cut down 21-years of someone's life into 170 words was quite challenging.
I got to actually experience the process of writing a story, printing it out, and editing it before submitting a final copy. Having to delete things and add others, finding shorter ways to say what I needed to say, and taking input advice from the subject of my story was a new process for me.
Obviously, every story I've written has been edited and chopped down to some degree, but this was different. I was responsible for capturing this person's life in 170 words and my first draft was 206 words.
This experience definitely has made me a better, and more economical writer already. It has given me a chance to step out of my shell as more of a long-winded writer and into the shoes of a journalist who actually meets his exact requirements.
My final draft came out to 169 words, and I could not be more happy with the results. Hopefully Mr. Lee and the rest of the staff feels the same way.

USA Team Arrives in South Africa; 12U Danone Nations Cup Champ Crowned

Tonight is the big night when we will find out who will represent Team USA in the 12U Nations Cup. The championship game between the final two teams of the Danimal's Nation Cup, which is being held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, will be filmed by ESPN. The championship team of soccer players will be flown to South Africa at the end of September to represent Team USA in the 12- year-old version of the World Cup.

Ironically, on the day when the twelve-year-old team will be crowned, the USA World Cup team arrived in South Africa today. The team will be preparing for their game versus England on June 12.

Hello, Good Morning

Fresh off a decent night of sleep, I woke up this morning feeling energized and prepared for our fourth day of SJI action. Following a tough, sports check this morning, we interviewed our fellow classmates and constructed a 200-word biography for each other with a 20 minute deadline. For the exercise, I interviewed Cheng Sio and learned about his sports journalism aspirations.

I, on the other hand, was interviewed by Aaron Hilton, who wrote my biography for the APSE Bulletin. It was definitely a cool, laid-back exercise that provided us with an excellent opportunity to get to know each other.

Stay tuned. I'm sure the pressure - and laughs - will rise when Mr. Carter joins us this afternoon. I'm personally looking forward to more of his "Snoop Doggy Dogg" jokes.

The Trop

Yesterday we covered the Rays game it was my first time covering a baseball game it went pretty well. Thankfully i sat next to Ed Encina, sports writer for the St. Pete Times, so he helped me out a lot. It was a nice crowd considering it was a Rays game of 20,000-plus. It looked like more but from the press box you can't see the entire stadium so you have to take that into consideration. We had a sports check on the field from Leon Carter, executive editor of ESPN New York. He attempted to give us one when we left the stadium but luckily Shemar was upstairs taking pictures so we were saved.

A class of diverse students

Today, the 2010 SJI class got the chance to break up and have a one-on-one interview with a fellow classmate. As I conducted my interview with one of my classmates, I learned a lot about the hard work many of the students here at SJI have done to earn their way in to this program.

I have worked my way from sports correspondent to sports editor and now finally editor-in-chief of the University of Texas at El Paso’s student newspaper The Prospector. Even as one of the few E-I-Cs here, I feel as if I have the least amount of experience out of all the students in this class. While many of them have already done internships, I will be doing my first this summer at the Houston Chronicle.

I am trying to soak in all the information and advice we are given this week, hoping that it will prepare me for my first experience at a major newspaper. The crash course on journalism we have had so far here has given me an idea of what to expect at the Houston Chronicle this summer and for the rest of my career.

As editor-in-chief, I have been forced to write news stories for more than a year so I feel a little rusty writing sports stories again. As soon as we covered the soccer game a few days ago, it reminded me how great covering sports truly is and I can’t wait to write sports for the Chronicle. I have a long summer ahead of me, but one I know I will never forget.

Day 4 from Saint Petersburg, Fla.

We have already taken 4,675,893 sports checks four days into SJI boot camp. We began our Memorial Day Monday morning with another sports check, so make that number, 4,675,894.

Currently, we are almost finished writing and editing our class bios, as we wait to hear our next task.

Everyone enjoy the day off!

We will be working.

Stay tuned.

Carlos Pena Exposed

No, I'm not talking about Carlos Pena the baseball player — he's exposing himself with his lousy hitting. I'm talking about something much more sinister: The Carlos Pena toothbrush holder.


That's right. I'm talking about the No. 1 MLB giveaway, according to The Biz of Baseball. I got mine when the SJI class attended the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday.

The Rays lost to the Chicago White Sox, 8-5, so fans at least had the consolation prize of their favorite slumping Rays slugger to handle their oral hygiene instruments. And you know your toothbrush will be protected because Pena couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it — even with a bat that thick.

Not so fast: The promotion was meant for children 14 and under. We got toothbrush holders because we were members of the media. Unfortunately, when we all got to the hotel to try out the gimmicky device, we found there's a reason the giveaway was for children — because the only toothbrushes it can hold must be for toddlers.


Are you kidding me? My toothbrush barely goes an inch inside Pena's bat! The holder doesn't nearly take enough of the toothbrush end to keep the whole thing up. You can see in the above photo that I have to support the bristle end to keep it balanced.

Scandal!

But I do have a confession: Ultimately, this design flaw did not deter me from using the holder.


The power of ingenuity at work.

The Red Sox really saved grace by earning the split in their series against the Royals with a dominating 8-1 victory.

It was definitely nice to see my man Jon Lester come out and dominate on the mound again. Dating back to April 28th, Lester is 6-0 for the Sox, bringing his overall record to 6-2. He and Clay Buchholz, in just his second full season with the Red Sox, have really held this rotation together.

It's refreshing to see these two young stars display their potential and really take control of the game every time out.

I must say, the emergence of Buchholz was a surprise for me. I didn't know if he could figure out how to pitch after years of being simply a thrower. He knows what he's going to do out there, what pitches he wants to throw, and he executes them. He still walks a lot of batters, but his devastating changeup has helped him work his way out of multiple jams this season.

Next up for the Red Sox, after a much needed day off, is a home game against the Oakland A's. Hopefully Sox starter, John Lackey can build on the success of his last start against the Rays--6 IP, 2 ER.

This month of June will be a critical one for the Sox as a team, but mainly for three players, Ortiz, Lackey and Cameron. Ortiz has been a mainstay in the Red Sox' offense for years and if he can continue to hit like he has in May, the doubters will start to scatter like roaches.

As for Lackey and Cameron, it will be important for the Sox two struggling free agent pickups to continue to build off of their recent success. Cameron has had two or more hits in three of his last four games.

Lackey just came off one of his gutsiest performances of the spring. though he struggled, he found a way to get through 6 1/3 innings against baseball's best team while giving up only two runs. This was Lackey's first quality start since May 5th against the LA Angels, his former team.

There's still plenty of season left for the Red Sox to move back into contention, but they have to continue to play like they have been, or it will be a fire-sale in 'Beantown' come the trade deadline.

First Weekend with SJI

When I first got accepted into the Sports Journalism Institute, I don't think I really understood what I was getting into. I knew it was a great program designed to help enhance the gender and racial diversity in rooms. I also knew SJI was a program designed to help a selected group of talented students from around the country improve as journalists. Most importantly, I didn't know how much I would be affected by the week I would spend in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Only a weekend into a program, I already feel like I have learned more at Poytner than I learned during my whole college career. I haven't really been challenged a lot at my university. I had to figure out a lot of things on my own. But here, I am challenged every minute of the day to become a better journalist. I'm more focused more than ever. I thought I knew sports before, but now I feel I have to step up my game in so many ways to truly be competitive in the journalism field. I must READ all the time. I must know what's going on at ALL times. The sports check tests keeps me on my toes. I understand these sport checks mean more than just proving I can get a good score this week. I MUST read and study every day after I end the program.

More than anything, I am grateful to have such a great group of journalists to look up to here. ESPNNEWYORK.COM Executive Editor Leon Carter, Senior Assistant Sports Editor of the Boston Globe Greg Lee, and freelance reporter, the man with four jobs, David Squires and St. Petersburg Times sports writer Ed Encina have been such great teachers and mentors to the class and I am just thankful to be a part of this program. This is truly a blessing. I look forward to blogging about the best advice I received from Carter, Lee and Squires during the week!

My experience at the Trop

Work.

It's the only way to describe Sunday at Tropicana Field.

Last summer, I interned at MLB.com from early May to late August, covering all but two of the Colorado Rockies home games. The only day possibly harder than today was my final game. It was the best Rockies game I covered. I remember the game tied at 1 and the San Francisco Giants scoring three in extra innings in what seemed like the winning runs in a game with H-U-G-E National League Wild Card implications. Then the Giants stop throwing strikes, which included a walk to the pitcher. Unbelievable. The next thing anybody at Coors Field knew was Ryan Spilborghs slamming a walk-off grand salami into the bullpen in right-center and flying around the bases with his helmet tossed and hands outstretched -- just like Kobe in Game 6 at Phoenix after he hit that amazing fadeaway to put the Lakers up 7 with less than 40 seconds left.

I can remember this because by then, I felt comfortable with my responsibilities.

Then today came. Nothing surprised me -- except Leon Carter telling us to write the poem Invictus in front of the Tampa Bay dugout while waiting for manager Joe Maddon.

But I also don't remember many details in the Rays losing to Ozzie's Chicago White Sox 8-5. Maybe it's because I started blogging today. Never blogged in my life prior to SJI. This is my fourth blog of the day. I Twittered with MLB.com, but Twitter is easy.

Or maybe it's because I had no control. Last summer, I set everything up to a tee. It almost became an assembly line:

1. Get to Coors with 30 minutes to spare
2. Go to clubhouse once they open and get interviews
3. Pregame story
4. Next day's preview
5. Eat
6. Watch game
7. Turn in quick gamer before top 9 or middle of ninth inning depending on situation
8. Postgame interviews
9. Turn in writethrough

This time, eating was the only normal act.

Blogging created more work. No postgame interviews meant more work in-game on interviews done pregame because I don't want to leave any stones unturned. More in-game work meant less observation of the game.

Don't get me wrong, I watched as much of the game as I could, but not as much as I liked. I stopped working only in key situations such as a Carlos Pena or B.J. Upton at-bat because both players have been -- for a lack of a better word -- scuffling. And I'm being kind. Pena struck out three times on Carlos Pena Toothbrush Holder Day. Pena might have been hitting with a toothbrush in May (12-of-94, .128 average). Upton singled, but is hitting .216.

As a result, I didn't start on my quick gamer/recap until I returned to Poynter after everyone else. Oh, and did I mention my group and I returned after everyone else because we got lost? It meant less time to write my recap.

But hey, if today was out of the ordinary for me, I might not have been alone. Tampa Bay's James Shields struggled and gave up home runs to Alex Rios, a guy who was 5-of-27 against him prior to the game, and Jayson Nix, a fella who's hitting .167 AFTER his go-ahead grand slam.

Maybe it will get easier. Or maybe it won't.

Maybe I'll gain more control. Or maybe I'll have to succumb to nature.

Maybe I'll beat the system. Or maybe the system will beat me.

But here's another word I should add to my lede.

Faster.

Covering an MLB game

Covering my first Major League Baseball game was an experience I will never forget and it gave me a great insight on how to cover an event from press row. While I have covered numerous college sporting events from press row, covering a MLB game was a completely different experience.

The day started with our SJI class hitting the field to interview the Tampa Bay Rays’ manager Joe Maddon. He was a great person to interview, because it felt like he actually wanted to talk to the media and gave great in-depth responses to all of our questions.

After the interview with Maddon, we headed back up to the media area to prepare even more to cover the Rays’ game against the Chicago White Sox. While most of us made a plan at the start of the game on how we were going to write our stories, at the end of the game those plans did not come out exactly the way we thought.

As we were only allowed to talk to the manager before the game, many of the quotes we got from him didn’t lend themselves to be put in our stories once they were done. It was a great way to see how everything can change in a matter of hours. As I began writing my story during the game, the focus of the story shifted from the Rays’ stellar pitching staff to the horrible day James Shields was having for them on the mound.

In the end, I am pleased with how my story turned out and even more pleased that I was able to write it with such a short deadline.

In the three days we have been here, I have learned more than I every thought I would and I know that in the remaining six days here at SJI I will learn a lot more.

Disney Soccer: Game On

As a sports journalist in training, I'm going to be in a lot of unexpected places. A lot of us dream of covering the Super Bowl or World Series, but we'll start covering 13-year-olds playing soccer.

That's where we were on Saturday, at the Disney Memorial Weekend Soccer Shootout. The tournament, sponsored by Dannon and hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fl., hosts more than 320 teams of aspiring futbol athletes. Add in the World Cup hype, and this is a veritable soccer circus.

Our job: cover a U-14 soccer game between two elite Florida boys teams. It turned out to be a rout, as the Florida Rush beat IMG Academy in a 4-0 game. The star forward of Rush had an adolescent edge in both speed and size, and he simply owned IMG's back line. It was an interesting reminder how much a factor early puberty can be in this age bracket.

Lacking a pressbox, we sat in the stands -- a unique experience, to say the least. While we didn't get comfy, air-conditioned seats and courtesy snacks, we got to sit among the parents, who had their own charms. Hearing them whisper encouragement under their breath and talk to each other about the game brings a certain kind of grounding to sports journalism. It was nice, while not being a fan, to be among them.

Favorite moment: I took the star forward aside to ask him how he managed to score three goals. I learned these kids, despite not being familiar with reporters at their games, know how to showboat for the media.

"That's my average game," he said.

Journalists: Beware a star in the making.

Today's Events

Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay's starting first baseman and clean up hitter, is protecting more than just the Rays' lineup these days. Now, after his club's 8-5 loss today against the Chicago White Sox, Pena inherited the responsibility of protecting my toothbrush.

During our time in the club's press room, all members of the media were presented with an official Carlos Pena Toothbrush Holder. Hopefully, Pena will protect my toothbrush better than he's safeguarded the Rays' lineup, or else my breath might start smelling like halitosis by the end of this week.

But in all seriousness, I truly enjoyed my first experience covering a Major League Baseball game today. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was definitely media savvy, answering most of our questions with insightful detail. He also updated us on shortstop Jason Bartlett's hamstring injury status and availability for the series against Toronto.

"I would doubt that JB will play tomorrow," Maddon said. "As we move through Toronto, we'll see. Everyday, I believe he's going to be better, according to what I'm hearing, but I don't think he'll be starting tomorrow."

As a result of the injury, Reid Brignac filled in for Bartlett at shortstop today and contributed on the offensive end as well, knocking in an RBI today. At this point, Bartlett's right hamstring injury is listed as day-to-day.

In addition to analyzing and reporting about Pena's lackluster play and Bartlett's hampering injury, I also had the opportunity to assess some of the Rays' introductory songs. Personally, I was impressed with Carl Crawford's selection. The Tampa Bay outfielder chose Young Jeezy "Lose My Mind" and clearly it motivated him because he tallied four hits against the White Sox.

We covered the Rays game today after an exiting day at the Trop. It was my first major league game that I have attended and it was an, overall, outstanding experience.
Print is a very difficult medium and today stamped that, indefinitely. You have to be able to cover your story in a very slight amount of time, and you must do so mistake free. It's a humbling, learning experience, but it is one that I look forward to for the next week or so.

Inside Shields' worst outing of the year

James Shields, one of the brightest spots in Tampa Bay’s rotation this year, succumbed to a lackluster outing versus the Chicago White Sox, one marked by an uncharacteristically high pitch count that negated the hitting clinic that the Rays’ shuffled order put on in Tropicana Field.

The 28-year old entered Sunday’s home tilt on the heels of a seven-game quality-start streak, and had posted just 33 full counts in 10 outings throughout the season. Versus Chicago, though, Shields ran the count to 3-2 on five separate occasions and finished with a pitch count of 108 in 5.1 innings, which tied for his shortest outing of the season. The 20-plus pitches per inning that he hurled in the afternoon slate against the White Sox was well below his season average of 15.4 pitches per frame entering this game.

Before the game, Rays manager Joe Maddon seemed confident in his pitching staff's ability to control the tempo and continue the success that Tampa Bay had that gave them the best record in the majors. He even went as far to say that, should the Rays score five runs -- which they did in the 8-5 loss -- he would take that with Tampa Bay's pitching. Not so on Sunday.

Even with Shields' bloated pitch count, the White Sox found success by attacking Shields' fastball early in at bats, plating two runs in the opening frame. Ultimately, though, a 29-pitch sixth inning, which included Jayson Nix's game-winning grand slam, spelled doom for the Tampa Bay starter, who allowed a season-high seven earned runs, a season-worst 11 hits and struck out a season-low three batters as the he fell to 1-2 at home.

WWTRD?

Who will the Rays draft?

Nobody knows for sure as the 2010 First-Year Player Draft is closing in. The draft will be from June 7-9.

Maybe, just maybe, the media and the public will receive some clues at noon Tuesday when Andrew Friedman, Tampa Bay's Executive VP of Baseball Operations, and R.J. Harrison, the team's scouting director, discuss the upcoming draft over lunch at the Whitney Bank Club at Tropicana Field.

The Rays have five selections through the first two rounds of the draft, including three in the first 42 picks.

In last year's draft, the Rays selected second baseman LeVon Washington out of Buchholz (Fla.) High School. Washington did not sign with the Rays and attended Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. The Rays received this year's 31st overall pick as compensation.

Maddon on Pat the Bat's new home

Pat Burrell signed a minor league deal Saturday with the San Francisco Giants, according to the blog of the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon spoke about Burrell's signing Sunday.

"That's great," Maddon said. "I'm very happy. I talked to him a couple of days ago. He was great. We had a nice conversation and I hope it works.

"I mean, [Giants first baseman] Aubrey Huff is there. He's a good friend of his. Back in the National League, you have to play defense again. That may help his hitting too."

Burell was designated for assignment on May 15, 16 months after signing a 2-year, $16 million dollar deal with the Rays. He hit .202 with two home runs and 13 runs batted in through 24 games in 2010. Last season, Burrell hit .221 with 14 homers and 64 RBIs.

Burrell returns home after attending high school in the San Jose area. He's expected to report to the Giants' Triple-A farm club, the Fresno Grizzlies. If Burrell was added to the team's major league roster, the Giants would owe a prorated portion of the minimum salary, which is less than $300,000.

Burrell is a career .253 hitter with 267 home runs.

Hawkeytown, Florida

Not all of the Chicago jerseys in Tropicana Field hang in the visiting clubhouse today.

When the Rays leave St. Petersburg for Toronto after today's game, they won't be sporting their typical Sunday best. In honor of the Stanley Cup Finals, which began last night with Chicago's 6-5 win over Philly, the Rays will all be wearing NHL jerseys in one of manager Joe Maddon's "themed road trips." In September of 2008, the team embarked on an "Ed Hardy" road trip to Toronto, and have done "all-white" and "urban cowboy" themes in the past, as well.

Apparently, the Blackhawks have shipped 33 jerseys to the team, and Maddon, who said he grew up a Blues fan, will don No. 11, for Chicago's John Madden.

"It's going to be kinda fun," he said, standing on the top steps of the dugout before the game. "The Blues aren't in the Stanley Cup this year, so we're celebrating Stanley Cup week and the national pastime of hockey."

The good-natured manager smiled and added, "And my middle name is John...so it works."

White Sox vs. Rays starting lineup, May 30, 2010

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon could very well be considered baseball's version of Bill Nye the Science Guy.

For the 35th time in 51 games this season, Maddon has filled out a different lineup card Sunday against the Chicago White Sox. The highlights include: Ben Zobrist moving back to the leadoff spot after a day off Saturday; Carlos Pena and John Jaso hitting back-to-back in the cleanup hole and No. 5 slot for the second straight game; and Reid Brignac hitting eighth, replacing injured shortstop Jason Bartlett -- out with a strained hamstring suffered in Saturday's 8-5 win.

Rays

RF Ben Zobrist
LF Carl Crawford
3B Evan Longoria
1B Carlos Pena
C John Jaso
DH Willy Aybar
CF B.J. Upton
SS Reid Brignac
2B Sean Rodriguez

White Sox

LF Juan Pierre
C A.J. Pierzynski
CF Alex Rios
1B Paul Konerko
DH Mark Kotsay
RF Carlos Quentin
3B Mark Teahan
SS Alexei Ramirez
2B Omar Vizquel

Umpires

HP Eric Cooper
1B Bill Miller
2B Chad Fairchild
3B Mike Reilly