Nothing emphasizes the benefits of newspaper websites over physical newspapers more than a late sporting event -- and few games are as tardy as the most recent contest between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres. The game started on April 17 but didn't end until almost half past 1 a.m. Mountain time the following morning. That's when the Rockies finally earned a 2-1 victory after 22 innings and six-plus hours of play.
The Denver Post put up its piece about this baseball war of attrition with lightning quickness -- the first posted comment about the article came in at 1:48 a.m. -- and the Rocky Mountain News did almost as well; its account went live at 2:32 a.m. But because the physical papers had to go to press long before the conclusion, readers who opened the sports section looking for a Rockies score that morning were sorely disappointed. The edition of the Post that landed on my driveway featured a story that went through the 16th inning, while my copy of the Rocky filled an entire page with a photo of Matt Holliday. By the way, that slide took place during the top of the second.
The Rockies came out of this marathon as clear winners. And the losers? The Padres -- and the folks selling newspaper subscriptions. -- Michael Roberts
Correction, April 19: A reader points out, accurately, that the time noted above is incorrect. The game ended at almost half past one Pacific, nearly half past two Mountain. As a result, the comment on the Denver Post site at 1:48 a.m. most have been affixed to the in-progress article, not the final version. As for the Rocky, the tab managed to get its account online just ten minutes after the final out -- an even quicker turnaround than I thought. Apologies for the error. -- MR
