If you haven’t noticed, since the Sept. 6 issue, your Hermiston Herald has been running sports in the newspaper.

It’s a work in progress, but I would like to thank Annie Fowler, Kathy Aney and Yasser Marte of the East Oregonian for supplying content. Also, Hermiston’s own Everett Wicks has shown interest in covering sports with his camera and pen. I have confidence that he’s up to the task.

Growing up in Oklahoma, sports were a big part of my life. I played baseball, basketball and football, and I ran track. In high school I covered sports for the school newspaper.

I continued covering them for the university’s paper when I got to college. I eventually switched to news there but took on football freelance assignments with the newspaper in Okemah, birthplace of folk singer Woody Guthrie.

After college, I worked for a daily and then its weekly publication, covering sports at both. I also did that when I went to work at my tribe’s newspaper.

And one thing I noticed when working at all those different publications is that people wanted to read about local sports. Granted, I wrote for some publications before the internet boom, when print was still the main outlet. But even after stories began being published online, people still enjoyed seeing sports in the newspaper. I don’t know why it is, but there seems to be a bit more prestige in seeing a family member or friend on a printed page than the screen of a computer.

Over the years, when I have finished interviewing people for stories, some of them have asked, “When will this be in the paper?” And many times I told them, “It may not make the print edition, but it will definitely be online.” And more times than not, their faces seemed to sadden a bit. Hopefully, with the Hermiston Herald printing sports again, people can look forward to reading about family members or friends who play them.

But with that, let me state that it’s easier to cover sports when schools are in session. When they’re out for the summer, things get a bit trickier. There are summer leagues to cover, so when the time comes, let us know about those. Also, tell us about possible feature subjects — excelling teams or individuals, coaches who make a difference in players’ lives or a player overcoming odds.

I also want to take some space to state that reporter Daneli Atilano has done a wonderful job in her short time here. She has proved to be a quick learner and willing to take on any story. She also brings ideas to the table and being from Hermiston, knows the area much better than I do. I would also like to give kudos to Community Editor Tammy Malgesini, who has remained steadfast with her production since I’ve joined the team.

However, I am still looking for freelance reporters who can help the Herald report on the other towns and beats in our coverage area. Freelancers Laura Kostad and Ashley Seibel have provided some wonderful stories, as has Herald intern McKenzie Rose. But it would be nice to have people in the fold to help cover county commissioners, city council and school board meetings in Umatilla, Stanfield, Echo, Boardman, Irrigon, Heppner and Lexington. If you are interested or know someone who may be, email me at tsnell@hermistonherald.com.

And finally, this past week I was reminded to not judge a book by its cover. Daneli wrote a short story on Juanita Brown, of Pendleton, retiring from Rite Aid after 48 years. When published online and on social media, I didn’t think anything else about it.

However, as of the time of this writing, that story has garnered 907 likes, 78 comments and 14 shares on Facebook. Just goes to show you never know what people will enjoy.

“We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.” — Will Rogers