Inside the Press Box: Joseph White

Storming the Crease is conducting a series of interviews with people who cover (or work for) the Caps and the NHL. You can find the complete log on the right sidebar. Today's fourteenth installment: Associated Press reporter Joseph White.

1. What first brought you to the AP and how long have you been with them?

Most of my early work was in radio, and I began doing freelance pieces for AP Radio while living in London in 1990. The sports department was across the hall from the radio department, so I was an eager applicant when a sports opening popped up in 1993. I transferred to Washington two years later, when I was ready to move back to the United States after five years abroad.

2. How is writing for a wire service different than working for a newspaper or magazine?

The Internet era has changed the answer to that question. It used to be that we in the wire service business were the only reporters on perpetual deadline, while newspaper reporters only had one or two deadlines to meet at the end of the day. These days, newspaper reporters are asked to file constant updates for their papers' Web sites. When I hear them complain about it, I say: "Hey, we at the AP have been doing it that way for 150 years!"

3. How does covering the Caps compare to covering other local teams?

Lots of ways to answer that one. The Capitals don't attract the same regional interest as the Redskins or the Nationals (I'm sorry, but the Caps aren't the talk of the town in Staunton, Va.), so I try to choose story ideas that will appeal to a national audience. That wasn't easy when the team was losing, so I often pursued unusual or novelty story ideas.

Nowadays, of course, there is much more interest. When in doubt, I just need to get the word "Ovechkin" in the lead -- and I know people will read it! The biggest pain when actually covering a game is the long distance between the press box and locker room, which literally forces us into a mad dash after the game to show up in time for player interviews. Obviously, no one consulted us when the Verizon Center was built.

4. What's your favorite hockey-related memory?

Meeting Vladislav Tretiak in the Verizon Center press box. (Soviet athletes were untouchable icons for those of us who grew up during the Cold War.)

5. What occupies your time when you're not working?

Cycling, camping, hiking, orienteering -- usually with my teenage son. One thing I do NOT usually do is watch sports on television. It's already my job; it doesn't need to be my life.