Chinstraps and Mouthpieces
Most situations in life somehow can be put into sports terms.
And if last week’s events at The Mirror office could be discussed on this page, then this piece would have to have a sports angle. So, this non-sporto story will be written in Sport-uguese, where words and acronyms such as twinbill, blitz, round-tripper, RBI and ERA are used fluently.
First, one must know the lineup before getting the story. The Mirror squad consists of five members. First, there’s Caroline Trowbridge, our editor and publisher and the team’s signal-caller. At quarterback, she directs the team and reads the defense for blitzes. She’s also been known to call an audible when late, pertinent news pops up with a deadline approaching.
Next is Lisa Scheller, our news editor, a tailback who takes the ball and simply runs with it. Terylan Walker, the office manager, and Paula Gish, the newspaper’s ad representative round out the team, along with myself, known by some as simply the sports guy.
Walker, usually able to zip from here to there in the blink of an eye, is the team’s main receiver. Gish, meanwhile, is on the line, not because of her physique, but because she gets in the trenches of the advertising world. For this, she gets the nod as a lineman.
I also am on the line, but not for any significant reason. The other positions were pretty much taken, and it’s the position I did play throughout my football career.
As with any team, injuries are not welcome. Gish, though, fell recently and broke her leg. Physicians installed pins and a plate, and thus, she’s been sidelined. One player out makes things difficult, but the team marched on.
Nearly two weeks ago, Trowbridge missed a game or two because she was going on vacation. This, however, wasn’t a big deal. Football players sometimes sit out a week to get rejuvenated because of a nagging injury. Vacations can help this problem.
Unfortunately, luck continued an unfriendly trend for Mirror employees. A trip to Chicago instead became a jaunt west to Russell. Trowbridge’s mother broke her leg two weeks ago. She has improved, but unfortunate times kept coming.
For The Mirror, there were some losses, but Scheller simply shifted to quarterback and The Mirrors, now without a true back, switched their offense to the shotgun. The new game plan looked brilliant, at least until Aug. 3.
Walker had a reaction to a migraine medicine and had to be hospitalized a few days. Her episode worried the team greatly, but she was back in the lineup after four days. During her absence, though, another flanker had to be found. Luckily, The Mirrors signed the Eudora Newsies’ office manager Theresa Abel to a three-day contract. Abel had to make a slight transition, but seemed at home in the new scheme.
In the shotgun, Scheller was basically all alone in the backfield. Some-times she had to scurry to find a receiver. Heck, even the lineman was eligible on some plays.
The reduced lineup caused minor problems. I was flagged a few times for illegal procedure, while Scheller overthrew a receiver and was picked off once.
Although some of the practices seemed rocky, when game day came last Wednesday morning, it was evident the team held together for the win.
On Monday, Trowbridge returned, nearly completing the roster.
Gish is still rehabbing the leg, but her return is expected soon, too. Al-though the football team has weathered some difficult conditions lately, The Mirror is still alive and kicking.
When Gish comes back, the team will have its first full roster in some time.
Either way, The Mirror will keep churning out newspapers with a Sportuguese clichn mind.
“We’ll give you 110 percent.”