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.

I can even write about bullfighting

Managing the home page this particular day, I got to write blurbs for a variety of sports in a variety of tones. In the left side of the Sporting News Exclusives section at the bottom, there's a blurb that had to be pretty straightforward due to the recent death of Steve McNair. On the right side of that same section, I was able to be a little more creative describing a photo of a bullfighter getting tossed (he was OK).

It's better than 'March of the Penguins'

I chose "Tip of the ice-burgh" in the top story for three reasons: 1. It was fairly original, unlike some of the trite and predictable headlines on other sites after the Pens won the Stanley Cup. 2. The non-standard spelling of iceberg was a nod to the Cup-winning city, and 3. It fit well with the story's argument, which was that this could be the first of many titles for the Pens.

The top story right headline works on a couple of levels. Obviously it's a riff on "cure for the common cold," but it works because the Red Sox struck out 20 times the previous night (so Ks were common). Plus, they were facing a struggling pitcher in their next game, which could be the "cure" for their hitting woes.

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.