Alan Greenwood

It is a recurring discussion in sports departments that report the exploits of young amateur athletes: Did (insert name here) pull a Bill Buckner to allow the winning to amble on home? Did the team’s best batter strike out three times with the bases loaded?

In short, should anyone covering a local game report precisely what they see, including the bad and ugly?

Or did the home team lose because a ground ball found a hole in the hard-working infielders? Did the opposing pitcher simply rise to the occasion each time the never-say-die home team threatened to take charge?

After decades of pondering the question, one scribe never fails to respond, “I don’t know?”

As the following passage shows, the issue has made some progress in the past 100 years.

MAY 8, 1921: “The Nashua High School baseball team lost to Manchester High on Saturday afternoon by the score of 19 to 3. They were out of luck all the way through the game, the Manchester onslaught proving entirely too much for them, combined with their nervousness on the wonderful Queen City diamond.

“The Manchester lads hit the ball on the nose at all times during the game while Nashua was able to connect safely but seldom.”

MAY 9, 1966: “Long-legged Greg Landry, a thorn in the side of all he faced last season, picked up where he left off in the fall as he carried the UMass gridders to a fitting 19-0 win over the Alumni on Saturday capping annual spring football training sessions.”

MAY 10, 1976: “A superb pitching performance by John Gureckis, immense hitting by his teammates and several Portsmouth High errors played the lead roles for the Nashua High baseball team in its 12-1 trouncing of Portsmouth on Saturday.

“In picking up his fifth victory Gureckis remains undefeated and has had no earned runs scored against him.”

MAY 11, 1981: “Few wins are coming easy for the Milford AREA Senior High softball team, but the Spartans are winning nonetheless.

“The Spartans scored six runs in the second inning, including a three-run homer by Leslie Laychak, then simply held on against Londonderry High School for a 7-4 victory on Friday.”

MAY 12, 1991: “Nashua native Terry Roy won two events and helped the University of Connecticut women’s track team capture New England Outdoor Track and Field Championship at Tufts University on Saturday.

“Roy, a freshman, won the New England championship in the shotput, with a throw of 44 feet, 6 inches, and the heptathlon, with 4,631 points”

MAY 13, 2001: “Sometimes you save the best for last. The Merrimack boys lacrosse team did just that on Saturday, as Eric Wilde scored with two seconds to play on a pass from Nick Cicchetti that tied the game and forced overtime, where they won it just 31 seconds in on a Jim Machinchick goal.

“Machinchick picked up the ball inside the crease in a pile and fired it home to give Merrimack a 6-3 Division II record (6-4 overall).”

MAY 14, 2011: “The Campbell High School baseball team improved to 8-4 by beating Prospect Mountain, 11-3. Garrett Sahlin pitched 3-2⁄3 innings in relief to earn the win. Cullen Baker smashed a home run and had three RBIs for Campbell. Christian Bourgea had four RBIs in the victory while Nick Freson added three hits for the Cougars.”