Crime Night

Usually, this column space is devoted to some funky commentary about sports, this being the sports page and all.

But today, I thought I'd break on through and let you see the other side of Crimson sports writing--laying out the story on a beautiful, eye-catching page that makes the reader say, "I wanna see that beautiful, eye-catching sports page!"

So here it is, Ginz's night au Crimson, laying out the page.

The evening begins at about 6 p.m., when I head to the building full of confidence. The evening will run smoother than a Wet Banana.

All the stories are being written, no one will be using the Macintosh we use to scan pictures onto the newspaper page and I'll get one of the Power Macintosh's we use to lay out the page.

Then I actually get in the building.

Last night, there was a ton of food in the building--a Crimson Open House.

Mmm--food. Clearly a good sign.

And when I get to editing stories, two of them are already done and ready to be edited.

Is this heaven?

I then go downstairs, and like some Spanish conquistador, I lay claim to one of the Power Macintoshes.

Two-for-two.

Now comes the good part--laying out the page in the most aesthetically pleasing manner.

Heard of the Subway "Sandwich Artist?"

I become the "Crimson Page Artist."

But unfortunately, I'm Michael Ginsberg, not Michelangelo.

I begin by doing the same bloody layout I've done for the last three years--dominant picture in the upper right, one big lead story at the top, two stories side-by-side in the middle separated by a picture, and maybe a couple of stories at the bottom.

Booor-ing!

So I go back to the drawing board, and I listen for the sound of the muse.

She speaks.

"Booor-ing!"

So I move pictures and shift some stories. I put the dominant picture in the middle of the lead story. Start one story in the middle, but put a picture next to it rather than another story.

Now we're cookin.'

I throw in a prediction box. I stick another big picture at the bottom.

Voila!--"Le Page du Ginz."

Meanwhile, I've still got to choose and scan some pictures for the page.

We take negatives and scan them directly into the computer, so I look at the negatives.

I hold the negatives to the light. More staring.

Finally, I see the perfect photo! Action, movement, a key player on the team! I'm golden!

But things quickly sour.

The computer that reads in the pictures from the scanner doesn't seem to recognize the scanner is there.

Something about missing Preference files or something.

So here I am, Mr. Big Shot Sports Executive, standing amidst a crowd of freshmen here for the Open House, and I can't scan in pictures. The picture of embarrassment am I.

But suddenly, our resident Mac-Daddy pulls my chestnuts from the fire, and a picture of Eion Hu appears on the screen.

I'm saved.

The muse speaks again.

"Not!"

There are still two stories missing. Gotta wait for them to come in. Oh, yeah, and I've still got to put in all the scores from last night's pro games.

But the stories arrive, and I edit them too, and send them onto the beautiful page at your left.

Somehow, things come together, and a page is born.

Hope you like it.