minute men

So today I had this story on page 10, right next to a story about a 6-foot-3 transsexual cop in Oklahoma City. From my story:

BY DEREK ROSE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

It may not have been romantic, but they did it for science.

A group of 166 men suffering from premature ejaculation repeatedly had sex with women who were timing them with stopwatches.

Those taking an experimental new drug showed a newfound stamina: three minutes — up from one.

And hey, guys, don't laugh. That's more than most of you, sexperts say.

"In the movies, everyone lasts for about 20 minutes. In real life it's about 2-1/2 minutes," said Dr. Mark Stein, a urologist at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Manhattan.

As you can imagine, story prompted much discussion in the NYDN newsroom. I wanted the lede (the first paragraph of the story) to be, "Coming soon — a treatment for premature ejaculation?" but that was vetoed by an editor.

I also mulled over, "Timed with stopwatches and primed with pharmaceuticals, the premature ejaculators soon showed a newfound stamina," but that is not really DN style. Co-worker T.C. suggested, "Ready, set — stop!"

And of course the 2-1/2 minute claim also prompted some discussion.