By CHUCK SCOTT
San Diego Union-Tribune

	WHAT'S FUN AND WHAT'S OVER THE LINE

Proof was as easy to find as that morning's edition. The back page of the tabloid touted a feature on baseball fans' frenzy for foul balls. The headline? "Nuts Over Balls."

"Whether you're in Macon, Ga., or Bakersfield or Philadelphia, there's no excuse not to have fun with your section," McLoone said.

It's not just the readers who benefit. Added Doug Darroch, back page editor for the Daily News: "If you want your copy desk to last, you need to involve them in creative things, otherwise they'll burn out and get stale."

But how do you avoid going too far?

The most important thing is knowing your audience. "What's over the border for us as a tabloid and what's over the border at USA Today or the Washington Post are a lot different," McLoone said. "When you talk about what's over the line, everybody's line is different."

The mantra at the Daily News is "In for a dime, in for a dollar," a phrase heard more than once during the workshop.

After struggling closer Jose Mesa was demoted, the Daily News headline was "You Mesa Up, You Sitta Down" (it didn't sitta well with some Italian readers). And after the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs in a poorly played 5-1 loss to Ottawa on May 5, it was "Stinko de Flyo."

Then there was the New York Post headline when Roger Clemens came out of retirement to play for Houston: "What an Asstro!"

Several in the audience had little doubt they'd be looking for new jobs had those headlines appeared in their sections. Others offered examples of headlines that appeared in their paper that they wish hadn't, including one for a Syracuse basketball victory over Notre Dame: "Orange Sober Irish."

Darroch's suggestion: Get other opinions.

"Sometimes (an offensive phrase) can happen when you don't have enough people to bounce things off of, to put up a stop sign," he said.

Of course, at some papers, reaching that stop sign might require topping off the gas tank first. McLoone said Darroch called him recently to pitch a headline for a story on Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown and his previous stint with the 76ers. McLoone said he laughed out loud when he heard the headline, then told Darroch, "That's great. Too bad we can't use it."

But later that night Darroch called back to say editor Zack Stalberg saw it and loved it. The headline — "He Piston Us" — ended up running, with the first four letters of the middle word in yellow, no less.

McLoone said he didn't think they got any complaints.