Canzano: Aliens would never believe me
What's the duty of a sportswriter?
My first job in this business came at my hometown newspaper. Circulation: 5,000. I was the only full-time employee in the sports department, which meant I covered the games, wrote the stories, edited the copy, designed the layout, and answered phones.
When the mother of a Little Leaguer showed up in the lobby of the newspaper with a complaint, I took the meeting.
Patti — we’ll call her — was a single mom in her late 20s.
Her son played on a team that had played in a big game the previous day. He batted ninth and had a hit in the game, a single. It was his first hit of the season, his mother explained, and the box score for the game hadn’t appeared in that day’s newspaper.
“Get as many names as possible in the paper!” the editor told me on my first day on the job. Also, he added, “Spell ‘em correctly.”