Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig appointed former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Dodgers on April 25, adding another twist to the soap opera that has become the Los Angeles Dodgers.“We are very fortunate to have someone of Tom Schieffer’s stature monitor the operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of Major League Baseball,” said Selig in a statement. “Tom is a distinguished public servant who has represented the nation with excellence and has demonstrated extraordinary leadership throughout his career. The many years that he has spent managing the operations of a successful franchise will benefit the Dodgers and Major League Baseball as a whole.”
Shieffer worked for the Rangers from 1991-99 and later joined President George W. Bush’s administration, first as ambassador to Australia and later Japan.
“I love baseball and baseball called,” said Shieffer. “I look forward to helping Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers through this difficult period.”
ESPN and the Los Angeles Times both ran stories about the announcement, although they each took different directions.
ESPN’s headline read “J. Thomas Schieffer to run Dodgers.” Although a little bland, the headline works because it gives the reader insight into what the story is going to be about.
The lead, which is a basic news lead, runs 29 words and identifies the who, what, and when. The nut graf provides background necessary to understand the story.
ESPN includes quotes from four different sources, including Selig, Schieffer, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, and Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake.
The Los Angeles Times ran the headline “Tom Schieffer will oversee the Dodgers.” Although similar to ESPN’s, this headline is slightly more accurate in that it says Schieffer will oversee the ballclub as opposed to running it.
The basic news lead is 29 words long and provides the reader with the who, what, and where. The nut graf in this story expands on the lead and explains Schieffer’s duties a little more in depth.
The Times failed its readers and is guilty of lazy reporting for simply reposting Selig’s statement and not getting reaction from those that might be directly affected, including the players.
For this reason, ESPN did a far better job of providing a complete story.
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