Visit: www.usbwa.com password: tipoff VOLUME 40, NO. 1 November, 2002 than an SID’s number. Yes that happens. Sometimes you President’s Column can’t find the coach’s office number in the press guide, either. The recruiting-guide-is-more-important-than- USBWA Top 25 information-guide is a trend which has swept schools. 1. Arizona (7)...............................................221 By STEVE 3. You get e-mails that have attachments that would 2. Kansas (1) ................................................211 take a computer expert to download. Or you could read 3. Oklahoma (1) ...........................................207 RICHARDSON War and Peace while they are downloading. A new favorite trick by some SIDs (undoubtedly dictated by 4. Pittsburgh .................................................181 ADs and conference commissioners to save costs) is to 5. Duke ........................................................164 send their pre-season prospectuses by e-mail and then ask 6. Alabama ...................................................161 A cold shoulder the writer to download the prospectus, using his ink 7. Texas........................................................159 cartridge and time. Next, they will be asking writers to 8. Florida......................................................148 download the entire media guide. SIDs already are asking It’s a different era for the news media, particularly for 9. Michigan State .........................................120 the print media. Just got an e-mail from Providence. I if they can put their entire guides on disk and skip printing doubt I will be covering the basketball Friars anytime media guides. My guess is those recruiting guides would 10. Connecticut ............................................115 soon. If I did, I am sure I would be in the hockey press box. be the only printed matter coming out of the SID office. 11. Oregon ...................................................113 What a chilling thought. I love hockey. I have season The disk media guide idea has merit, but many writers 12. Mississippi State ....................................103 tickets to the Dallas Stars But to cover a basketball game have not managed the split-screen technique on deadline. 13. Kentucky..................................................95 4. And speaking of the media, uh, recruiting guides? in the hockey press box? Shiver. 14. (tie) Georgia.............................................93 That’s a lot of what the media feels these days from Not only are some campus pictures doctored to the point some sports information departments – chill. of distortion, historical information is being dropped Xavier ......................................................93 In some cases, SIDs have become merely marketers from the guides. One SID, excuse me MD, told me he was 16. UCLA ......................................................86 for the athletic department. They have been trampled on thinking of dropping his season-by-season results because 17. Maryland..................................................84 by their athletic directors who have sold out press rows the book had gotten too large. Unbelievable. 18. Indiana .....................................................71 5. As mentioned previously, press boxes in football and press boxes, Granted, some SIDs are in a no-win 19. Marquette .................................................61 situation. SIDS must serve two groups. And guess which are constantly shrinking or press rows in basketball are one is getting served? Not the writers. moving to less desirable locations in favor of donor 20. Western Kentucky ...................................52 But back to the Providence notice. I am not picking on seating. In some cases, courtesy phones are non-existent. 21. Gonzaga ...................................................40 the Friars. Providence College is not the first, nor surely The schools feel they no longer need the print media 22. Cincinnati ................................................39 will be the last, to give some of the media the boot off press writing about the major sports which are sold out. But 23. Virginia ....................................................37 they will still beg for coverage for the non-revenue sports row. In capital letters (the way it was e-mailed), here is the 24. Missouri ...................................................35 media directive from the Big East school. because they still need to sell tickets to those events. “THERE WILL BE A NEW PRESS ROW SET UP 6. Access to coaches and players. The cell phone is 25. Minnesota ................................................22 AT THE DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER. TEN OF THE your biggest ally for the coach. Get it. The coach often Others receiving votes: Villanova 21, Notre Dame 14 TABLES THAT EXISTED ALONG THE COURT gladly will return calls to certain writers and often can be 15, Creighton 14, Wyoming 13, Wisconsin 13, HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED AND REPLACED WITH caught on the first ring. Players are more difficult. The Texas Tech 12, Penn 10, Georgetown 9, North best policy there is to be a member of USBWA and SEATS FOR FANS. THUS, YOU MAY BE SITTING IN Carolina State 8, Pepperdine 6, Louisville 5, Miami A DIFFERENT LOCATION THAN YOU SAT IN THE FWAA. Those organizations have at least a little leverage. PAST. FOR GAMES WITH LARGE AMOUNTS OF If a school’s players aren’t made available, then why 2, Ball State 2, Boston College 1, UNLV 1. MEDIA WE WILL USE THE HOCKEY PRESS BOX.” should they be considered for awards of those I am sure Dunkin’ Donuts executives will have some organizations? Hey, this is survival. McCabe receives of those better seats to mingle with the big donors. And 7. Getting scooped by coach’s web site or TV show: whether any of them know dunks from donuts makes no This has become a headache for the SIDs as well as the Larry Donald scholarship difference. They have bought their way there. writers. Some coaches, understandably so, (just like the This is a growing and distressing trend for some ADs with the big cigars and sponsors) have more Kevin McCabe, son of USBWA member Mick McCabe sports information directors. And if your department allegiance to outside income sources than they have in of the Detroit Free Press, has been selected the recipient of (SIDs) and your school (beat reporters) show some of cooperating with the news media. this year’s USBWA Larry Donald Scholarship, which is these symptoms, then the big chill effect is taking over. 8. Some SIDs are big on good-looking releases. awarded annually to a son or daughter of a USBWA The SID might be frozen out, as well, He is really just Some like to spruce up their releases with graphics and member entering college as a freshman or currently enrolled a marketing director who moonlights as an SID. pictures, which is a cover for little substance. I often have in a four-year institution. The scholarship is named in Here are some warning signs: seen releases which have the same categories the entire honor of former USBWA president Larry Donald, who 1.You can never get the SID on the phone. You are season. The SIDs merely plug in numbers every week. passed away two years ago. always getting his voice mail. He never calls back. Why? The other thing with the “pretty releases” is that they take Kevin, of Allen Park, Mich., will receive a $1,000 A) He is playing golf; B) He’s working on the recruiting forever to download. Ever heard of text e-mails? scholarship from the USBWA each year he remains in section; C) He’s helping sell parking spots for games. Some SIDs spend less time trying to get to know college, up to a maximum of four years. 2. You can’t find the SID’s phone number in the guide their teams (for informational purposes) and more time He is the second McCable family member to win the because there is so much recruiting information as on selling it. Hate to paint such a dreary picture. But it is scholarship. Last year, Kevin’s sister Katie was chosen as mandated by the school. It’s easier to find the local bar a little chilly out there. And it’s not even winter yet. the scholarship winner. O'Connell joins distinguished list in Hall of Fame There has been some exciting news for the U. S. brings with him a wealth Basketball Writers Association since the USBWA held its of experience working with annual meeting last April at the NCAA Final Four in writers association. Steve Atlanta. has served quite suc- Executive Director Most notably, past president Jim O’Connell of the cessfully as executive Associated Press was named winner of the Curt Gowdy director of the Football Media Award for print and was honored during enshrinement Writers Association for the BY JOE MITCH weekend in September at the Basketball Hall of Fame in past several years. Springfield, Mass. An old friend of sports MVC O’Connell joins other past presidents such as Bill writers takes over the reins Brill, Bob Ryan, Dave Dorr and Larry Donald who have as media coordinator for received the award in the past. the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament and this newsletter once again for the membership. Also, during that same weekend, the Basketball Hall of year’s Final Four in New Orleans. Bill Hancock, former The USBWA took a one-year hiatus last year without Fame opened its new building in Springfield, Mass., and assistant commissioner and mediaExecutive director of the old Big Directorhaving a printed version of the Tipoff and only making it unveiled a media exhibit that included a listing of USBWA Eight Conference,