Bassetti: Remembering the clipboard that gave all

I lost a dear friend lately, for which I’m deeply saddened.

It was so sudden.

It all happened right in front of me while covering the Division II district wrestling tournament at Alliance High School.

In fact, it happened right in my hands.

Thank you for the sympathies, but the individual taken from my midst wasn’t a person, it was a thing.

My clipboard of 20-plus years met its demise in horrible fashion when the rivets holding the large metal clip dislodged, causing the whole assembly to come loose and fall off.

There I was, stunned to see the clip, pin and springs separated from their board. I nearly cried because my pile of papers and notes had no anchor, no clamp to cling to.

What good is a slab of particle board that loses its snap and can’t hold anything securely?

I should have been a better caretaker and heeded signs of deterioration over the last few years: the clipboard’s loss of tension caused by trying to stuff too many sheets under it.

Clipboard abuse, I guess.

Outdated? Old-fashioned? Obsolete?

Yes, but its importance was invaluable and its contribution immeasurable. How can you underestimate a tool of the trade that held hundreds of sheets and thousands of words for events ranging from baseball games to boxing matches, track meets to triathlons and tractor pulls to press conferences?

It was my constant companion, taking residence in the front seat of my car. It was at my side when needed for support for whatever sport — indoors and out in all types of weather elements. Maybe that’s why it was so brittle in the end?

I can’t recall it failing me one time, which means it was “clipendable.”

I’ll never forget that day my friend fell apart when I pressed down and asked it to grip one more time.

After its disintegration, I couldn’t bear to watch the parts and pieces being tossed into a waste basket in the office of Alliance athletic director Mike Schott, who was kind enough to give me some desk space for my work that evening.

Not a fitting burial, but a fitting place because of its years of service to an athletic population.

If I ever return to that office, it’ll be a melancholy moment.

I know it’s in a better place now, but it lives on in articles generated from words scribbled on its surface. Those who received some publicity or notoriety for their accomplishments should hold a day of mourning out of respect for the fallen flat friend.

Will a replacement follow, a second-generation clipboard?

Yes, the offspring (no pun intended) is already in operation and seems eager to serve.

Even though I may not need it many more years, clipboards past and present have a place on Earth and a useful future elsewhere.

I can see it now, on the moon where zero gravity would have a field day with loose sheets of paper.

One small clipboard for man would prevent one giant mess for mankind.

John Bassetti is a sports writer for The Vindicator. Email him at bassetti@vindy.com.