ATLANTA — Many years ago, when I was just getting started in this crazy business, a jaded, cynical sports writer told me: “Remember, you never, ever root for the team you cover. You root for the story. Covering a good team is great, and so is covering a bad team. What you don’t want is a mediocre team. There’s no news there.”
I protested, saying, “What about individual players, can I root for them? That makes for a good story, too.”
The jaded, cynical sports writer (who shall remain nameless) looked at me and said: “That’s OK, but don’t do it too often.