The lineup

It's opening day! Finally, baseball is back and I get to shake my head at the Mets annual attempt at fielding a decent lineup. But don't get me started.

A News Director is a lot like a baseball manager in that he or she has to put together a lineup that will win. Sometimes you find a combination that works, and sometimes not. Many times you end up playing people out of position, or putting people in the starting lineup who don't pan out.

Your position in the lineup, or on the bench, has everything to do with one person's opinion and little to do with being fair. Why did that other person get the weekend anchor gig when you're clearly more experienced? Why does one reporter get assigned all the good stories while you end up with the chicken salad packages?

It's all a factor of the lineup.

(The one man band thing, by the way, is like taking a relief pitcher and asking him to bat cleanup. Sorry, couldn't resist taking a shot at the bean counters in the middle of the metaphor.)

Many times there are other factors in the lineup. For instance, the Mets sent some promising people back to the minor leagues who were clearly better players than the ones they kept. The reason? They're paying other people too much money to play in the minors. Makes no sense to me, as you should want your best team on the field.

But sometimes a station is paying an anchor too much money to sit on the bench, and the result is you don't get a chance you probably deserve.

News departments, like baseball teams, need utility players; those guys who you can plug into any position knowing they'll do a solid job. And News Directors also love their clutch hitters; people you can call in the middle of the night who won't complain and hit the ground running for the big story.

So if you feel like you're sitting on the bench or playing in the minors, your best hope is to be that utility guy or clutch hitter. Make yourself more valuable to a News Director, and the day will come when you're in the starting lineup.