At the end of the award voting, I decided that since the Baseball Bloggers Alliance had come along so quickly, it might be nice to get an idea of who was actually in the group. To that end, I’m working through the roster and asking ten questions of each member. The first five are standard, while the last five are a little more personalized. Hopefully this will help us get a feel for our fellow members. So, here’s entry two in what hopefully will be a recurring series.
James
Website: Astros County
BBA #: 5
Question 1: How and why did you get into blogging?
I had been reading a couple of the other Astros blogs out there, and I just thought, “I can do this.” So on a cold, snowy November 2008 day, Astros County was born.
Question 2: Do you have any blogging projects planned for the off-season?
I’m looking at the 2009 splits of every minor-leaguer in the Astros’ organization and, where applicable, compare 2009 to other seasons. I’m now somewhat regretting this decision, as it’s the middle of November and I’m still in Rookie ball.
Question 3: What’s been your most enjoyable experience as a blogger (particularly well-received post, a high-profile link, a connection you wouldn’t have had otherwise, etc.)?
I’ve made a connection with the beat writer of the Astros’ Double-A team in Corpus Christi, and something came up (I can’t even remember what it is now) where I sent him an email. He answered me pretty quickly, but let me know that the guys in the press box at Corpus read Astros County during the game. That was probably my favorite experience so far – that and one that’s referenced below.
Question 4: How did you find out about the BBA and what attracted you to the group?
Astros County had done some Q&As with Daniel at C70 at the Bat in advance of Astros-Cardinals series (and yes, putting the Astros first was intentional) during the year, since the idea was his and we had some contact, I signed up pretty quickly. What attracts me to the BBA is the collaboration opportunity. This off-season the Astros hired the Blue Jays’ Brad Arnsberg as their pitching coach, and I was able to get opinions from the Blue Jays’ members of the BBA. Baseball is such an inter-connected game, I appreciate having that contact with bloggers from other teams.
Question 5: What do you want to see out of the BBA in the coming year?
I’m happy with the direction it’s going, and with the notice we’re getting from SABR and (kind of) the BBWAA. I’m personally going to get better about reaching out to other NL bloggers in advance of big series (provided the Astros have any of those in 2010) for collaboration.
Question 6: What drew you to following the Astros?
I grew up in Houston, so the Astros were about the only thing going. I certainly wasn’t going to follow the Rangers. Having Bagwell and Biggio on the team helped, as well.
>Question 7: What’s your favorite memory of the Astros?
I was at my brother-in-law’s bachelor party when the news broke that the Astros had traded for Carlos Beltran back in 2004, so that was pretty great, but mainly because it took the festivities to the Next Level. Game-wise, going to the World Series in 2005 was certainly up there, even though the Astros got the closest ass-whoopin in World Series history. Oddly, one night I was out with some friends in high school, and we went to a coffee shop in Houston. Sitting there was Ken Caminiti, who was built like a bull, and he had about $35 worth of food – eggs, toast, pancakes, french toast, pork chops, ham, the biggest glass of milk ever poured. And ate it all.
Question 8: Who is your favorite player that’s been a part of the Houston franchise?
If he hadn’t pissed off on back to the Rangers, I would have said Nolan Ryan. That said, Craig Biggio was probably my favorite player to watch. He took some shots for playing when he maybe shouldn’t have in an effort to get to 3,000 hits, but nobody played harder than Biggio, and there has been a void in clubhouse leadership since he and Bagwell retired.
Question 9: Is ownership a help or a hindrance, for the most part, in your opinion?
Ownership is a strange mixture of both. Whenever the Astros have an obvious need, Drayton McLane will generally pay for it. The problem is, he doesn’t make great decisions. The Astros needed a corner outfielder who could hit. The obvious jump in logic probably wasn’t to give Carlos Lee $100 million for six years. The Astros have had a good track record as far as being a quality organization since McLane bought the team, but he doesn’t just let his baseball guys do their job. When Gerry Hunsicker left (whether by getting pushed out by McLane, or so infuriated that he took off), the team started to go downhill, and it’s going to be a few years before they recover – provided Ed Wade is given a fair chance.
Question 10: I’ve seen some of the posts by a 2009 draft pick of the ‘Stros. How did that come about?<
That’s right. I held a poll, picking a player from each level of the farm system, from the Gulf Coast League to Double-A, to vote on which minor-leaguer we would adopt. Keep up with their stats, send a care package every now and then (the first care package had Goldfinger, Bactaid, Snack Packs, and an issue of Vogue.), etc. The Astros’ 27th Round draft pick in 09, Aaron Bray, who was playing in the Appalachian League, won the 1st Annual Astros Adopt-a-Player poll. He sent me an email after the vote ended, and we kept in touch periodically. He’s a senior at UNC-Charlotte in his last semester this fall, so we talked about him writing a weekly post about what happens in the off-season for a minor-leaguer. He’s not so detailed posts – but then again, if I was a 27th round pick starting my professional career, I wouldn’t be, either – and it’s a fun series.
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