Why I do what I do

There are days when I wonder why I do what I do. The long nights, the tight deadlines and other elements involved with working the night sports desk at a newspaper can leave me angry, frustrated and exhausted.

Then there are nights like last Sunday when I remember why I got into journalism back in high school. The drama sports offers is unmatched. It is like a movie, but without a script. To steal a phrase made famous by the late Jim McKay, there is nothing like "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat."

When I arrived at work Sunday, I knew it could be a special night for two Cedar Rapids athletes. Quarterback Kurt Warner was leading his Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game against Philadelphia at 2 p.m. Golfer Zach Johnson held the lead entering the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. He wasn't teeing off until 5 p.m. The prospect of having a PGA Tour winner and a Super Bowl quarterback from our town on the same day was thrilling, yet problematic.

Why problematic?

In a nutshell, time constraints.

My co-worker, Tim Weber, and I had to go through all the scenarios on how we might want to present our front page: Warner win, Johnson lose, Johnson win, Warner lose, both win, both lose. Warner did his part, leading the Cardinals to a 32-25 win in a game that finished around 5 p.m. Johnson wasn't scheduled to finish his round until around 9 p.m. and there was no guarantee he would win, or even finish close to the top.

So Tim and I simply decided to wait. We didn't want to put a page together, only to have to rip it, and other pages up, if Johnson was able to win.

Of course, Johnson was in a tight battle throughout his round. Nothing was really decided until he put his approach shot on the 18th green, just before 9 p.m. After his tap-in birdie gave him the win in Hawaii, the wheels quickly began to turn.

We made a quick plan for the front page, which Tim executed brilliantly. Mike Hlas, the Gazette's award-winning columnist (you can read his always entertaining blog at http://mikegh.wordpress.com/) was on hand in Glendale, Ariz., to cover Warner's exploits. We relied on the Associated Press to give us the scoop on Johnson. Tim combined those elements in a short period of time to produce a poster-like display titled "SUPER C.R. SUNDAY" (Go to www.gazetteonline.com to see that page).

I dove in and completed an inside NFL page and an inside page packed with photos from Johnson's triumph. Combine that with Iowa men's and women's basketball on the back page and college wrestling on another inside page, we ended up with a finished section just minutes before our 11:40 deadline.

Even through we were taxed for time, the excitement of the day carried me through. I followed Zach's plight on the Internet after watching Warner rally the Cardinals for victory. I couldn't wait to dive in and help put together a memorable package. Could we have done some things better? Of course. With the time we had, I thought it looked pretty darn good.

As I drove home that night, I thought about what I do and why I do it.

The Warner-Johnson double was one of those special days. It was exciting to be a part of. With the changes coming to our company, who knows if I'll ever get a chance to produce something like that again. I also thought about the high school kid, still thrilled to see his name or picture in the paper; the die-hard Hawkeye and Cyclone fans who look to us each day for the latest on their favorite teams and any other reader who relies on us for information.

The way we reach that audience has and will continue to evolve. But one thing will always remain constant for me: Informing the public about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is why I do what I do.