Trying to get names and digits

First off, since my wife reads this column on occasion, I want to make it clear that my topic this week is NOT about some quest I'm on to get names and phone numbers for any "little black book." At this stage of my life, the only name or number I'm interested in obtaining is that of a good chiropractor.

No, I'm directing my ire this week at the seemingly impossible task of obtaining complete and correct high school sports rosters. You know, the kind like I've used for virtually every sports season since I first started working for Tri-County Newspapers.

For the two of us who cover the 13 schools in our coverage area, rosters are a must. Scheduling and geography sometimes make it necessary for us to cover a game or two in areas where the other reporter may be more familiar with the schools and athletes. It is then we rely on the accuracy and availability of rosters to identify the players we don't necessarily know by name or face, given the vast number of student-athletes we cover.

While taking photos and still taking careful notes about the game in play, it is much quicker for us to jot down a uniform number and then refer to rosters when sitting down to write.

In the past week, we've dealt with four different teams where the names and numbers did not jive. Two involved separate volleyball matches where players were wearing different jerseys, while for two others, a roster was still not available from the school.

In such instances, if we are trying to identify a player in a photo, I send the photo to the school for possible identification, but the staff cannot always come up with one.

I'm a parent. Believe me when I say I understand how important it is for players to get their names in the papers to be credited for their efforts, and for the names to be spelled correctly.

I make typos, and readily accept blame when my fingers have worked faster than my eyes.

However, we have also had instances in the past when parents have been the ones to call and let me know, "That's not so-and-so," or "That's not how we spell our name." Yes, in most cases it has been my fault, but in others, I have correctly typed the name as it was spelled on a roster submitted by the school - the ones we rely on as official.

Yes, it's relatively early in the seasons, but the sports coverage can only be as good as the information and statistics we receive. I want it to be better, but we're doing the best with what we have to work with.

Contact Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.