Field Of My Dreams

by Ryan Sherwin

The life of a sports reporter, surrounded by sports stars all of the time, seems amazing, but it can be hard. All sports reporters share one thing in common, criticism. Often criticized by athletes, reporters also get it from the fans, who always expect to learn more about their heroes. On May 4th, 2001, this lucky TeenSpeak reporter joined the pack of reporters covering the Mets vs. Arizona game at Shea Stadium, a truly unrivaled experience in my journalism career.

The life of a sports reporter may appear quite glamourous at times, but in reality it can be quite tense. Sports Illustrated veteran reporter and editor B.J. Schecter, my host for the night, indicated that developing a network of sources, being honest, trustworthy and a fair journalist is essential to being a good sports writer. "If people know you’re fair and accurate, they will be more apt to talk to you and more likely to give you the scoop you are looking for," B.J. told me.

Riding the number Seven train, commonly referred to as the "Rocker Line," with B.J. I learned that he was gathering research for a possible article on Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Red hot, having fourteen home runs to his name and only twenty eight games played this season, B.J. was going to do an interview with Gonzalez as a scouting run.

Once at the stadium, with press credentials in hand, and the freedom to go anywhere in Shea Stadium, we headed past the press gates through the tunnel. Walking out of the tunnel and onto the field was overwhelming. "Well, here it is, the field," B.J. said did not even touch what I felt. The green grass looked like the famous gardens in Europe, perfectly cut, each shred about .5 inches tall. Taking in the scene, I saw the Mets engaged in batting practice, the balls coming off of their bats sounding like it cracked each bat each time. Balls would fly off in different directions, including a couple of blasts by Jay Payton that found their way over the dark blue fencing in center field.

The field was littered with anxious reporters, eager to have the first scoop. Beat reporters from The Bergen Record, The New York Times, The New York Post, Newsday, The Newark Star Ledger, The Daily News, and The Journal News are joined for each Mets' game by fifty to one hundred other reporters, depending upon who is in town. Under constant pressure to get a great story, many of the over fifty reporters there used surprising tactics to achieve a story. Some even dared to conduct an interview while the players were stretching, which, I was later informed is not an appropriate tactic.

Mike Piazza