THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: The fine line between cheering and reporting ... and other stuff

It’s the crazy time of year. 

Any sport that’s ever been invented is kicking into gear — or is heading toward a finish line. 

You’re thinking: “Aha! A columnist has to write about all these athletes, and hundreds of results, so he’s overwhelmed. 

“Ho-ho! 

“Serves him right for having a gig where you get paid for watching sports. 

“The guy ought to climb utility poles for a living, and see if he still thinks it’s a drag to watch the Seahawks.” 

OK, relax, all. 

The business of games and more games is NOT the issue that baffles me when we reach late summer and early fall. 

Nope, the issue is taking sides. 

It’s pretty obvious that our readers have favorite teams. 

Not all the same teams, but they do tend to lean in the same direction. 

A columnist’s job is to be objective, tell the truth the way you see it (might not be the public choice), and basically favor the local teams. 

As a rule, I’m trying to look through our readers’ eyes, and write in an uptick mood if their teams get a win. 

But still, the truth. 

IF YOU think that would be a cinch for somebody doing this job, remember that we become fans, too. 

Actually, we’re generally fans before we ever start writing about sports. 

Most of the time, we wind up covering teams we didn’t care about when we first got into this biz. 

I grew up in California, did some time in Kansas (courtesy of the U.S. Air Force), and wound up staying several years there in the Midwest. 

Slowly, slowly, my allegiance to the Giants and 49ers disappeared, and when I got a job covering the Kansas City teams, my loyalty switched to our readers. 

That is when things get difficult. 

Let’s say I’m working in Kansas City, traveling with the Chiefs, and wind up writing about a game in which a horrible official’s call costs them a game. 

How do I handle that? 

I’ve been in the job for a few years, for instance, so I have a tie to the Chiefs — not to mention my readers, a huge chunk of whom are decked out in red and gold. 

You have to do some journalistic tap-dancing, believe me, to keep your customers sticking with you, without just lying about something decided the game — a ref’s call, a dropped pass, some defender failing to cover a zone, an offensive tackle jumping offside. 

The odds are that your readers grasp what happened, but they aren’t as clued in as you are — so you handle things VERY carefully. 

That’s how it’s been the last two months. 

I started as a reporter covering the Mariners a few years ago, but then I became a fan, as well. 

Now, the Mariners have taken a dive that most of us didn’t want to see. 

I’m gritting my teeth when they lose in the 10th inning, but I have to handle the column like I’ve managed to stay sane. 

Even if …

MOST OF the time, I’m riding along with the local fans. 

I got tired of Russell Wilson’s act, and I was thrilled when he was traded. 

I’d have taken a deal where Russell got shipped out for a couple of house cats. 

As I hinted just a bit ago, the toughest situation comes up when referees or umpires are involved. 

Baseball is better now that teams can challenge calls, and it will improve even more when batters or pitchers can object to ball/strike calls. 

It’s stunning how many the umps get wrong. 

Yeah, it’s a tough job and all that, but officials and umpires get paid very well, and they KNOW that they’re going to hear some abuse when a call goes against a home team. 

I try to be fair, no matter how absurd the error and how painful the result. 

And hey, back before replays, an umpire helped me (reporter and fan) enjoy one of most gleeful results I’ve ever enjoyed. 

An umpire blew a call in Game Six of the World Series — I mean — REALLY blew a play at first base. 

It led to the Royals winning the Series, and nearly a million people enjoying a glorious parade. 

Hey, umps are human, too. 

I hope Cardinals fans have forgiven that call. 

Hah!  

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”