The Special Edition That Wasn't There

We've always been curious about what happens to those pre-made shirts that say things like "Houston Astros 2005 World Series Champions" — it turns out this is what happens — but now we have a new question: What about those "special editions" newspapers put together weeks in advance that end up being moot?

For example: The editors of the Indianapolis Star had been planning a big blowout issue on the Colts' trip to the Super Bowl that now, of course, is nothing but virtual scrap metal. They put a lot of work into it too.

"My mindset was that they were going all the way and we had to be ready," Tim Wheatley, assistant managing editor/sports, told Editor & Publisher. Although the Colts had been major playoff contenders during the previous two seasons, even reaching the AFC championship game in 2004, Wheatley says "we never got this far along [in planning]."

They had even commissioned a book about the season, with 16 chapters already written by beat reporter Phil Wilson. You think that guy who had had the heart attack was stressed out by last weekend's game? Try watching 30,000 words evaporate into nothing. If Mike Vanderjagt ends up found in a Dutch gutter, bleeding out both ears and missing a right foot, we have a suspect.

Colts' Upset Loss Forces 'Indy Star' To Shelve Super Bowl Plans [Editor & Publisher]