02/18: Interviewing the Yankees Blogosphere: Ken Davidoff, Baseball Insider
Posted by: Patrick
Our next interview is with Ken Davidoff, who blogs for Newsday at Baseball Insider.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
To clarify, my job for Newsday is national baseball writer. My focus is not only the Yankees, but the Mets (I'm in Mets camp at the moment) and the rest of Major League Baseball. When I'm not working, I'm almost certainly spending time with my wife and son.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
My blog - and again, it's about all of baseball, not just the Yankees - has been in existence since April 16, 2007.
What's the best and worst part of blogging?
The best parts are the ability to communicate more easily with readers - indeed, start a mini-community of sorts - and more freedom to opine than in a newspaper column. If I have a quick opinion about a topic of the day, I can just fire it off on the blog.
The worst part is simply that it creates an increased workload.
How did you end up at Newsday?
I began my journalism career at an extinct newspaper in Woodbridge, New Jersey called The News Tribune, covering high school sports. From there, I graduated to The Bergen Record, where I initially covered high school sports, then colleges, then pro sports (as a general assignment reporter) and eventually became the Yankees beat writer in 1998. I switched to Newsday in 2001 and became the national baseball writer in 2005.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a sports writer?
It was my dream since I was 7 years old.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
I think Pete Abraham deserves credit for starting the trend among newspaper writers at lohud.com. I am alternately entertained and appalled by noMaas.org. I grew up with Matt Schweber, who writes eloquently at The Yankee Republic. And at newsday.com, our Yankees beat writer Kat O'Brien hustles to keep Yankees fans updated on all the latest news.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
The 1978 season, primarily the one-game playoff against Boston, ALCS Game 4 (the clincher against KC) and World Series Game 4 (whe Reggie interfered with the double play).
What baseball team did you root for as a kid?
The Yankees, although I hopped on the Mets bandwagon in the mid-1980s.
How did you come to be a Yankees fan as a kid? Was someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for the Yankees?
It was really a matter of it being 1977-78 and the Mets were both boring and awful. I didn't hate the Mets - what purpose would that have served? - but I followed the Yankees more because they were more competitive.
Why'd you switch to the Mets?
I didn't switch to the Mets, per se, as much as I rooted for them in addition to the Yankees. Times were different back then, even the mid-1980s. There wasn't the same contempt from one team to the other. The Mets had an unbelievably brash manager in Davey Johnson and exciting young players like Gooden and Strawberry. I rooted for them as well as the Yankees.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Probably more respect than admire. Brian Cashman, Joe Girardi, Damon Oppenheimer, Tony Pena on the non-playing side. Among the players, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui most of all.
Who is one Yankee that fans will be surprised to see make a positive impact this season?
Kei Igawa. With a year's experience and a real pitching coach, he'll contribute as a spot starter/long reliever.
Joba aside, who do you think is most likely to thrive in the setup man role?
Ross Ohlendorf. I don't think he'll be fazed by the pressure.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
That's easy. Jeter. He comes through too often not to pick him.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
To clarify, my job for Newsday is national baseball writer. My focus is not only the Yankees, but the Mets (I'm in Mets camp at the moment) and the rest of Major League Baseball. When I'm not working, I'm almost certainly spending time with my wife and son.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
My blog - and again, it's about all of baseball, not just the Yankees - has been in existence since April 16, 2007.
What's the best and worst part of blogging?
The best parts are the ability to communicate more easily with readers - indeed, start a mini-community of sorts - and more freedom to opine than in a newspaper column. If I have a quick opinion about a topic of the day, I can just fire it off on the blog.
The worst part is simply that it creates an increased workload.
How did you end up at Newsday?
I began my journalism career at an extinct newspaper in Woodbridge, New Jersey called The News Tribune, covering high school sports. From there, I graduated to The Bergen Record, where I initially covered high school sports, then colleges, then pro sports (as a general assignment reporter) and eventually became the Yankees beat writer in 1998. I switched to Newsday in 2001 and became the national baseball writer in 2005.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a sports writer?
It was my dream since I was 7 years old.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
I think Pete Abraham deserves credit for starting the trend among newspaper writers at lohud.com. I am alternately entertained and appalled by noMaas.org. I grew up with Matt Schweber, who writes eloquently at The Yankee Republic. And at newsday.com, our Yankees beat writer Kat O'Brien hustles to keep Yankees fans updated on all the latest news.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
The 1978 season, primarily the one-game playoff against Boston, ALCS Game 4 (the clincher against KC) and World Series Game 4 (whe Reggie interfered with the double play).
What baseball team did you root for as a kid?
The Yankees, although I hopped on the Mets bandwagon in the mid-1980s.
How did you come to be a Yankees fan as a kid? Was someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for the Yankees?
It was really a matter of it being 1977-78 and the Mets were both boring and awful. I didn't hate the Mets - what purpose would that have served? - but I followed the Yankees more because they were more competitive.
Why'd you switch to the Mets?
I didn't switch to the Mets, per se, as much as I rooted for them in addition to the Yankees. Times were different back then, even the mid-1980s. There wasn't the same contempt from one team to the other. The Mets had an unbelievably brash manager in Davey Johnson and exciting young players like Gooden and Strawberry. I rooted for them as well as the Yankees.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Probably more respect than admire. Brian Cashman, Joe Girardi, Damon Oppenheimer, Tony Pena on the non-playing side. Among the players, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui most of all.
Who is one Yankee that fans will be surprised to see make a positive impact this season?
Kei Igawa. With a year's experience and a real pitching coach, he'll contribute as a spot starter/long reliever.
Joba aside, who do you think is most likely to thrive in the setup man role?
Ross Ohlendorf. I don't think he'll be fazed by the pressure.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
That's easy. Jeter. He comes through too often not to pick him.
