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 five in what hopefully will be a recurring series.
Seth Stohs
Website: Seth Speaks
BBA #3
Personal: 34, Regulatory Product Planner for Marvin Windows & Doors, 3 1/2 year old daughter.
Question 1: How and why did you get into blogging?
I love sports talk radio. I love hearing several opinions on various topics and then developing my own thoughts. I would frequently send friends long thoughts on Twins topics or the NBA Draft, or other topics. Then I was bored one day and did a search for Twins Dork, and the Twins Geek’s site showed up. Then I found Aaron Gleeman’s blog… I thought I could do it too, and six years later, I guess it’s still going.
Question 2: Do you have any blogging projects planned for the off-season?
Like all baseball bloggers, I’ll be expressing opinions on any Twins-related transactions or rumors. As I did last year, I am writing the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2010. Last year’s book was about 80 pages and contained about 175 prospect profiles. This year’s book will be probably a little longer, and hopefully incorporates a lot of lessons learned from the first book. I try to do a lot of Q&As with Twins minor leaguers and will post those from time to time. TwinsCentric is also working on another project or two.
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.)?
Blogging has certainly created a lot of good relationships with readers, other bloggers, beat writers, Twins and Twins minor league players and others around the Twins and their minor league affiliates. The interaction with readers and others is what makes it all worthwhile.
Question 4: How did you find out about the BBA and what attracted you to the group?
You contacted me initially about an idea in which we could bring together a blogger or two from each organization. We could use each other on our sites or other media to learn more about another team, prepare for matchups, etc. I think it’s a great idea.
Question 5: What do you want to see out of the BBA in the coming year?
I just think that it will continue to grow and gain more notoriety. The awards voting was a great idea and gave some credibility. I think podcasts or those types of things are great ideas.
Question 6: How long have you been following the Twins?
My earliest memories are from the early ’80s, but I really started following on a daily basis in May of 1984. I was almost 9, and Kirby Puckett was called up to the Twins. I probably just liked his name, but from that point forward, I wanted to be #34 in little league and moving up. I was in 7th grade when the Twins won the 1987 World Series and a Jr. in high school when the Twins won in 1991.
Question 7: You’ve seemed to embrace most modern media. How do you enjoy doing your radio show?
I love it. Doing the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast for the last 15-18 months has been a lot of fun. BlogTalkRadio makes it very simple. I had some player contacts, and there are a lot of bloggers who enjoy talking about their teams. I’ve tried a few things to find out what works best. In my mind, doing 1-2 shows a week during the season makes sense. I did a show every night the last three weeks of the Twins season and into the playoffs. That was a bit much, but there was such excitement around the Twins. People/fans eat up whatever information they can get, so it’s a lot of fun. The more participation in the chat room and in phone calls received, the better.
Question 8: Are you going to miss the Metrodome? How excited are you for Target Field?
I have a lot of good memories in the Metrodome. Obviously you like knowing that there will be a game. But there’s nothing like outdoor baseball. That is the way it should be. Seeing the models and pictures of Target Field, it is going to be a great place to watch a game, and a great experience to be part of. The Metrodome is a football stadium that the Twins were in for a long time and experienced a lot of success in. But as a fan, it was not a good place to watch a game.
Question 9: Which Twins prospect are you most interested in?
All of them. Ha! I mean, Aaron Hicks is a guy with so much talent that it will be fun to watch him develop. There are a lot of talented prospects that I’ve been able to get to know who are great to follow and learn from. The additions of Miguel Jean, Kyle Gibson, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco in the last 4-5 months gives the Twins some very young, but very high-end prospects to be excited about.
Question 10: Who is your favorite player on the current roster?
Who is your favorite player on the current roster? That’s an impossible question to answer. I mean, the easy answers are Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Pat Neshek hasn’t pitched the last couple of years, but he’s a great guy who is terrific with fans. Jeff Manship and Kevin Slowey have been active participants in Q&As on my site and with my NFL “Expert” Pick panel. I guess if I had to pick a favorite, I would go with… Michael Cuddyer.
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