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 thirty in a recurring series.
Jason Rosenberg
Website: It’s About The Money
BBA #36
Personal info: Turning 40, this week, as hard as it is for me to admit that. Working full time, in finance in the cable/media biz (nothing MLB related). Married, two boys, turning 7 and 10 this Spring. Live in Westchester County NY, about 10-15 miles north of Yankee Stadium. Do not live in parent’s basement.
Question 1: How and why did you get into blogging?
I sort of fell into it, almost by accident. I used to write a lot of summaries for my fantasy baseball league and then did some free-lance fantasy writing in the early ’00′s. I let that die after a while. I had been itching to start writing again as most of my days are filled with numbers, the using the other side of my brain thing helps me. I started my blog around Christmas 2007, with an ode to Schilling. It was pretty terrible, but I didn’t much care.
When I started the blog, I had a very simple goal: To see if I could get 10 people I don’t know to read me regularly. That’s it. I did it for the discussion, the banter, the love of all aspects of the game. I was (and still are) fascinated with the way the ‘net works, driving people to read my site, where they come from, what they read, etc. The inconsistencies with the counters that track traffic are maddening, but they’re good enough to give me an idea who’s reading me.
My favorite part of blogging are the comments, the discussions. I liken it to being at a sports bar, hanging out and talking/debating your favorite topic. What’s better than that? With two younger boys at home, I don’t do the sports bar scene any longer, so this is my proxy, if you will.
The other goal that came out of the blog was to see if I could gain any closer access to the game than the average fan. I love the backstories. I want to understand the players, managers, owners, agents on a level that simply reading the paper couldn’t give me. I’ve been able to get some fun interviews done with all of these types of MLB participants and each has been great. The ancillary benefit is that I’ve been able to give my boys some experiences that they otherwise could not have gotten, like having lunch with Kyle Blanks in San Diego before going to see him play. Wanna see “awesome”? Watch the faces of two young baseball zealots meeting a 6’8″ pro MLB’er. That’s what fandom looks like. That’s why I hope that ballplayers continue to walk the foul lines and sign away. They are making lifelong fans with the stroke of a pen. The converse is also true; be rude to these kids and they’ll always remember that.
Question 2: Do you have any blogging projects planned for the off-season?
Projects? Nah, just trying to stay on top of the news and notes. Covering the Yanks stretched my 2009 into November. I needed to dial it back a bit after that. Though, nothing’s ever quiet covering the Yanks.
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.)?
There are a few things that jump out at me. I’ll try to keep it short:
- Writing a post about Josh Hamilton ditching his agent for religious reasons, and having the agent email/call me afterwards, thanking me. Getting to know Matt Sosnick has been a wonderful surprise.
- Getting my first major link (Rob Neyer/ESPN), as part of my interview with Sosnick
- The whole VoteForManny crapfest I started last summer. The AP interview, followed by multiple radio interviews from around the country, Canada, MLB on XM. I heard that my Manny blog was the first blog that Buster Olney ever linked to, but I can’t confirm that. I loved my 15 minutes.
- Getting the email from Rob Neyer last October, asking me to be his Yankee blog in the soon-to-be-launched SweetSpot Network. My response is here.
Question 4: How did you find out about the BBA and what attracted you to the group?
You came to me! I liked the line-up and the concept of aggregation. We need something like this to aid credibility.
Question 5: What do you want to see out of the BBA in the coming year?
I’d love to see some cross-pollination, contributing to one another’s sites, if possible.
Question 6: You are another of Rob Neyer’s SweetSpot members. What has that been like for you?
It’s been very good. Like a stamp of approval. Especially as the Yanks blogger, riding the wave through the World Series. Brought me a level of visibility I hadn’t seen before. My “27 Reflections” following the winning of the Series was my most-read posting ever. Having to get my thoughts on each WS game written and edited within 15-20 minutes after last pitch was a challenge and a rush like no other. I enjoyed the heck out of it.
Question 7: How do you like the new Yankee Stadium?
It’s really nice. Love having MetroNorth accessibility! It’s just so damn expensive. My boys know we won’t go to as many games as a result. Is it a bit more, um, sterile? Perhaps. But I was at Game 2 against MIN when Teix hit the walk off in the 11th and the stadium was as loud as I’ve ever heard it.
Now that the newness has passed a bit, maybe I can get to a few more games.
Question 8: Has Alex Rodriguez completely redeemed himself in the eyes of Yankee fandom?
To a large degree, yes. He owns a Yankee WS ring and that cures most ills, if not all. Do fans totally embrace him? No, I don’t think so. He’ll be unfairly measured next to Jeter and that’s an impossible shadow to escape. ARod has his flaws and due to his contract and other stuff, we read about all of them. The press/media today is 180 degrees away from the days of Mickey and Whitey and Billy cavorting around town. If ARod does what he did last year (shut up and play ball), he’ll continue to build fans. However, if he resorts to doing stupid stuff and getting caught and making asinine statements, well….
Question 9: What do you say to those that continue to clamor about the Yankees buying championships?
Where were you from 2001-2008? Sure, the system isn’t perfect but a salary cap is not ever going to happen. If MLB wants to continue to tax the Yanks (and whoever else leaps past the threshold), so be it. Lower the threshold and raise the tax %. Go have a read of any number of baseball books, including Torre’s book (Verducci does a great job of laying out how the rest of MLB caught the Yanks post-’01. Then go read “Lords of the Realm” for a bit more of the historical side of ownership.
Question 10: Is it always about the money?
Usually is. Just ask Johnny Damon! Though, I take great delight in hyping those that chose the situation over money, like with Scutaro this off-season. I hope Mauer does the same thing; Pujols, too! There are guys who NEED to stay in one uniform their whole careers. Jeter, Mo, etc. I’m bummed that San Diego native Adrian Gonzalez will be bumped from his hometown team due to a lack of resources. Not sure what can be done about this. It’s a bummer. How great are the legacies of guys who stayed with one team? No more discussions about “what cap will he wear into the HOF?” Free agency made this nearly impossible, but if Jeter, Mo, Mauer, Pujols, etc. can stay with one team for their whole careers, that’s good for the game, great for fans.
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