Thursday, August 30, 2007

After the whistle

On Wednesday, I wrote for The Press-Enterprise and Sports Ticker as well. My story for Sports Ticker was already in the body of an e-mail headed to the appropriate people when Chris Klein scored. Normally I would have been angry because another half-hour and a lot of the last 15-20 minutes went for nothing but the goal just left me speechless. I was stunned not just that the Galaxy equalized but how they did it.

With the tops of both stories pretty much shot, I wrote two ledes for each PE and Ticker story: one for a Galaxy win and the other for a Pachuca win. When Landon Donovan stepped forward to take the Galaxy's fifth PK, I moved up the Galaxy-win lede to the top of the Ticker story and started to transition into the body when Miguel Calero denied him. After Xavier missed, the game was over and I moved the appropriate lede to the top.

I walked downstairs and my legs were a bit numb. I couldn't believe how dramatic the game was and how much it took out of me emotionally. I hadn't realized it until I was walking down to the post-game press conference.

It was funny because before the game the song "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine blared through the stadium and once I got going on my way home the same song came on the radio. To me, it was fitting that I heard such a powerful song before and after that match.

I saw Rage in concert earlier this month and that had been the last time before Wednesday that pure drama and emotion unfolded before me. Like I was after the game, I was emotionally spent after the concert. I didn't leave the stadium until well after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, well, Thursday morning by that point, and didn't get home until 2:30.

All in all, it was all worth it.

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