Remembering Thurman Munson

Obviously, I had to use a respectful tone for this blurb about the late Thurman Munson. The story was unique in that George Steinbrenner wrote it. I wanted to make it clear that he was the author and then just summarize what he was saying and explain why he was saying it at this time (for the 30th anniversary of Munson's death.)

They call him Coach

I wanted to play the top story headline and blurb pretty straight because the story would sell itself: a ranking of the top 50 coaches of all time. I debated whether or not to reveal the No. 1 coach in the blurb -- withholding it might have enticed people to click and find out -- but I decided to mention that Wooden topped the list because readers would realize it was credible and would then want to see how other greats stacked up.

Perfect blurb for a perfect game?

After Mark Buehrle's perfect game, there were surprisingly few good photos of the celebration. So, when we wanted to change the photo we had been using for several hours, we were kind of stuck with the one above. In the headline and blurb, I did my best to create a theme around Buehrle getting a postgame pie in the face.

Football and futbol

It's not often soccer is featured on our home page, but it was on this day. I think the top story right headline conveyed the idea that the interview subject could speak intelligently about David Beckham, unlike a lot of people in the American sports media (because he literally did write a book on Beckham). I thought the top story blurb would draw readers because it claimed, contrary to popular opinion, that the Cardinals' run to Super Bowl 43 was not a fluke.

Ballin'

I don't often manage our NBA page, but I know enough about the Association to handle it. Actually, I know much more about the NBA than I do the NHL, whose page I manage all the time, kind of as a bullet to bite. Anyway, I thought the top story headline would grab people's attention, and the blurb is pretty basic as a result. The top story right is very straightforward, as well.

Smart art and some espanol

The top story is an example of art working well with copy. Minnesota is building a new football stadium, and its team is in a rebuilding phase. As a result, the coach in a hardhat seemed like an appropriate photo for the featured Q&A. In the TSR you'll see an inversion of the phrase "a wolf (or lobo, as it were) in sheep's clothing." Given that New Mexico is ranked No. 89 in our top 100 college football countdown, that headline seemed fitting.

Getting Shakespearean on the home page

I included this screen grab more for the top story right than the main top story, which is pretty straightforward. The TSR headline combines my loves of literary references and alliteration. As for the photo, Calvin Borel, who was going for a jockey's triple crown at the Belmont, had been on the page for a while, and we wanted to change up the art. I had to take someone fairly anonymous -- in this case, a trainer for another Belmont horse -- and make people care about him -- in this instance, by turning him into something of a villain who was trying to prevent Borel from accomplishing his feat.

Two teams that are always good for page views

I'll start with explaining the TSR. West Virginia fans are still pretty bitter about Rich Rodriguez leaving, so I made a point to play up Dave Curtis' Mountaineers question in the blurb. As for the TS, people have such strong feelings for or against Notre Dame that they'll click on anything with an Irish player. So for the blurb, it was just a matter of coming up with something to accurately describe the story (and I thought the headline was decent, too).

A little rest for The King

Here's another screen grab from SN's home page. If, like me, you watch tons of ESPN and have been bombarded by promos for "Kobe Doing Work," then you might find the top story headline clever. I thought it worked especially well in light of the Kobe-LeBron rivalry (and in light of the fact that Kobe's Lakers were at the time having to work unexpectedly hard to put away the Yao-less Rockets).

It looked like it would be good, anyway

Game 7 between the Pen and Caps was supposed to be pretty epic, and we had a good variety of content for the top story package. Our photo editor gave me this nice illustration of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin; unfortunately, they really weren't mentioned in the story we linked to. So I had to kind of write around that in the blurb. Incidentally, the game was pretty anticlimactic -- the Pens are up 5-1 through two periods as I write this.

Media bias!

The most interesting aspect of the Craig Custance story previewing a Caps-Pens game was that he openly admitted he would be cheering for one of the teams, which ordinarily would be considered pretty unprofessional for a journalist. So I wanted to grab readers' attention by including the admission in the blurb and inviting them to read his justification (which was a good one, by the way).

Mr. Swofford goes to Washington

I was having trouble coming up with a headline for this story, which mentions BCS coordinator John Swofford's testimony before Congress. I wanted to convey that what he said about the bowl system was highly debatable and then somehow tie it to what he was doing in Washington, D.C. After our photo editor sent me the art for the package -- of Swofford being sworn in -- the light bulb went on.

Don't quit your day job, Jim Tressel

The top story's lede details several unfunny jokes Jim Tressel told at the press conference after Ohio State's spring game, hence the headline (I requested a photo of Tressel from that press conference but didn't get it). I thought the top story right headline and blurb were clever, as well.

Last call for clean-shaven hockey players

I wanted a top story headline that would remind readers the playoffs were starting without saying something boring, like "Playoff preview." "Begin those beards" refers to the playoff beards players grow until their team is eliminated. It's also alliterative, which makes me merry. The blurb is fairly straightforward.

Rachel Carson meets Jonathan Crompton

The top story warns against getting too excited about college football spring game performances. The headline is a reference to Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring," which warned of the dangers of pesticides and helped launch the environmental movement. Overhyped spring games and environmental pollutants have about the same social and political import, wouldn't you say?