Published: September 27, 2007 10:46 am         

Use of 'B' word not an automatic personal foul

We try our best at the Times-News to be accurate.

Words are the tools of our trade. It's important to choose not only the correct ones but the most precise ones in describing a event, whether it be a football game, a traffic accident, or a government meeting.

But sometimes, despite our best efforts, mistakes are made.

In my Mountain Ridge-Allegany high school football game story in the Saturday, Sept. 22 edition, I incorrectly stated in my final paragraph that "Beall" would play at Frankfort in its next game.

Wow. Did I get e-mails. Phone calls, too.

Most of the e-mailers seem to be convinced:

* I did it intentionally, in a hurtful way to discourage students and players;

* That by using the "B" word I threw a cold bucket of water on all the work done by students, faculty and citizens of the communities that helped bring the Mountain Ridge district together;

* That I and the newspaper were not being fair;

* And that the kids deserved much better.

It didn't matter that throughout the story I correctly called the team "Mountain Ridge" or "Miners" 10 times. Counting the Mountain Ridge football preview booklet and a Sept. 23 column on the game, I correctly identified the team as "Mountain Ridge" or "Miners" 31 times.

It was the one slip up in the final sentence of the final paragraph of a game story that caused an uproar, possibly throwing Beall/Westmar relations back 20 years.

After Friday's game, I had interviews to conduct, a story to write, statistics to calculate, notes to decipher, headline to suggest, photos to caption, and traffic to beat. All this had to be done in less than 45 minutes.

I do not point out those things as excuses for a mistake. But it should be considered when trying to understand how a mistake could happen before being convinced it was done intentionally in a mean-spirited way.

To the e-mailers, phone callers and anyone who may have noticed the mistake but did not call or e-mail, I assure you the use of the "B" word in that final sentence was nothing but an inadvertent, honest mistake. I am sorry it happened. But I must admit I do not understand some of the accusations and demands within the e-mails that I received.

To those who e-mailed claiming I do not understand or know how it is to lose your high school, I would offer the fact that I am a graduate of the former Mount Savage High School.

To those who e-mailed to say I am biased toward Cumberland schools, I would point to the games and players I have covered involving teams outside Cumberland over the last 20 years, home and away, from season openers to state tournaments. Ask people like Joan Fitzpatrick or Rick Scaletta, Jim Bosley, Tom Bosley or Don Stemple, Phil Carr or Paul Edwards, Tim Nightengale, Slug Armstrong or Dave Hobel, Bob Rinker, Chuck Eberly, Bill Cessna, Mitch Webster, George Bishields or Doug Little if I have been unfair to their teams. I will not question their answers.

Again, sometimes, despite best efforts, honest mistakes happen. Make a mistake on TV or radio, and it's gone almost immediately. Ours, unfortunately, are in black and white for everyone to see, for as long as they want to see it.

That's understood, and accepted, by all of us. But I'd like to offer the bulk of two decades of work as evidence for readers to consider if I have been fair - not one word in the last sentence of the last paragraph of one story.

Through it all, however, I do find it ironic that I was the lone Fearless Forecaster to pick Mountain Ridge to beat Allegany.

Go figure.

Mike Mathews can be reached at mmathews@times-news.com.