03/13: Interviewing the Yankees Blogosphere: Bryan Hoch, Bombers Beat
Posted by: Patrick
In this edition, we have a great interview with Bryan Hoch of Bombers Beat.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
It's not often, but I enjoy kicking back at home, going out with friends - the usual. I'm making an effort to see at least one interesting museum or place in every city the Yankees travel to this season. Rock concerts are also a huge plus. I was hoping to see Van Halen during Spring Training but had to miss the concert due to Andy Pettitte's press conference.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
This will be the second season. I took over Mark Feinsand's old blog at Yankees.com.
What's the best and worst part of blogging?
The best part is definitely the interaction with the readers. It's also important to be able to get news up quickly. Worst part? I'm not sure there is one, but I'd say that sometimes after we write six or seven articles on a particularly busy day, it's a grind to realize you have one more thing on your agenda before you can go get some dinner.
How did you end up at MLB.com?
I spent several years writing on a freelance basis about New York baseball for a variety of publications and news outlets, including MLB.com. I backed up some on Yankees.com but my focus was really across town until there was a job opening at the Yankees site. Needless to say, it was a no-brainer. I accepted the job before I even found out what it paid!
When did you decide that you wanted to be a sports writer?
Very early on. I can remember publishing a "newspaper" in third grade that was really just a printout from a word processor, but hey, it was the 1980s. We had a whole staff made up of the third grade class covering the events of the school. Later, I started my career by writing about baseball online as a high school freshman (this is in the way-back days, before anyone even knew what a blog was). I don't think I'd be covering the Yankees today if the Internet didn't exist. The Internet has created so many new outlets and opportunities for people. It's really a great thing.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
I can freely admit that I think Peter Abraham's blog is the best one out there. He has such a following, he gets information up quickly and it's great to read the banter between his readers. Bronx Banter, WasWatching.com, noMaas and YanksBlog.com (there's a free plug for you) are also terrific. I'm sure I'll be leaving a few good ones out, but it's always great to read new points of view. You very quickly learn in this field that someone else always sees things differently than you do. I also think it's awesome that Phil Hughes has joined the blogging universe.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
I grew up in a time period when Donnie Baseball was "The Man." I seem to recall really liking Dave Righetti for a while and I think on my Little League baseball cards, one year I listed Righetti as my favorite player. Mike Pagliarulo stands out as well. I also remember the years of Jesse Barfield, Mel Hall and Andy Hawkins. There were a lot of lazy afternoons spent listening to the Scooter talk about everything and anything.
What baseball team did you root for as a kid?
It's interesting. When I really started following baseball, I was sucked in by the history of the game. That really made the Yankees a natural fit. Mickey, Joe D., Yogi, Babe, Lou ... how can you not be enthralled by all of that? The strike of '94 really killed baseball for me and I faded away for a short period and found other interests (namely, the NBA and NHL).
I wound up missing the whole Yankee dynasty, because what really brought me back to baseball was a new and exciting young core across town - the so-called Generation K. I thought Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson were going to bring a championship to Queens and they had my complete interest. I took a lot and I mean a lot, of abuse going through school following the Mets while the Joe Torre era took off. Even now, I think a lot of people I grew up with would be shocked to learn what I do now.
Was someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for them?
My family had a strong National League background, so I'll say yes. My grandfather was a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan and was crushed when they went west. He would only take my father to the Bronx to see a player like Ted Williams - otherwise, he refused to set foot in Yankee Stadium. My dad grew up with the Miracle Mets of '69 and took me to my first game at Shea Stadium. Darryl Strawberry hit a three-run homer off the scoreboard and Dwight Gooden pitched a three-hit shutout over Philadelphia.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Honestly, I think you should offer a lot of respect to Brian Cashman. He's been through the ringer in New York and you don't last that long in the GM role of the New York Yankees if you're not tough. It would have been easy for him to pull the trigger on a Johan Santana deal and try and get a World Series in his contract walk year, but Cashman held firm and is doing what's best for the Yankees, not for his job. That takes guts.
Who is one Yankee that fans will be surprised to see make a positive impact this season?
Phil Hughes looks great so far in camp. He's throwing with a little more pop and has been working hard all winter. Some people may be down on him but you have to understand the hamstring injury cost him some velocity and he was pitching without his best stuff. I can see Hughes winning 15 games for the Yankees in the very near future.
Joba aside, who do you think is most likely to thrive in the setup man role?
I think the jury is still out on Kyle Farnsworth and I'm not sold on LaTroy Hawkins. Chamberlain in the eighth inning may be something they do need to rely on. I know Girardi thinks he can get the most out of Farnsworth, but a lot of Farnsworth's problems were falling into 2-0 and 3-1 counts. I'm not sure how a new manager fixes that.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
Jeter didn't get his reputation out of thin air. You try to discredit the myth of him as a "clutch player" and time and time again, he comes through with the game on the line. He may have lost a step defensively last year but there isn't a pitcher who likes to see Jeter at the plate with runners in scoring position. He just finds a way too often.
When you aren't doing something related to or depending on the Yankees, what are you up to?
It's not often, but I enjoy kicking back at home, going out with friends - the usual. I'm making an effort to see at least one interesting museum or place in every city the Yankees travel to this season. Rock concerts are also a huge plus. I was hoping to see Van Halen during Spring Training but had to miss the concert due to Andy Pettitte's press conference.
How long have you been blogging about the Yankees?
This will be the second season. I took over Mark Feinsand's old blog at Yankees.com.
What's the best and worst part of blogging?
The best part is definitely the interaction with the readers. It's also important to be able to get news up quickly. Worst part? I'm not sure there is one, but I'd say that sometimes after we write six or seven articles on a particularly busy day, it's a grind to realize you have one more thing on your agenda before you can go get some dinner.
How did you end up at MLB.com?
I spent several years writing on a freelance basis about New York baseball for a variety of publications and news outlets, including MLB.com. I backed up some on Yankees.com but my focus was really across town until there was a job opening at the Yankees site. Needless to say, it was a no-brainer. I accepted the job before I even found out what it paid!
When did you decide that you wanted to be a sports writer?
Very early on. I can remember publishing a "newspaper" in third grade that was really just a printout from a word processor, but hey, it was the 1980s. We had a whole staff made up of the third grade class covering the events of the school. Later, I started my career by writing about baseball online as a high school freshman (this is in the way-back days, before anyone even knew what a blog was). I don't think I'd be covering the Yankees today if the Internet didn't exist. The Internet has created so many new outlets and opportunities for people. It's really a great thing.
Besides your own, what are your favorite Yankees blogs?
I can freely admit that I think Peter Abraham's blog is the best one out there. He has such a following, he gets information up quickly and it's great to read the banter between his readers. Bronx Banter, WasWatching.com, noMaas and YanksBlog.com (there's a free plug for you) are also terrific. I'm sure I'll be leaving a few good ones out, but it's always great to read new points of view. You very quickly learn in this field that someone else always sees things differently than you do. I also think it's awesome that Phil Hughes has joined the blogging universe.
What are some of your earliest memories of the Yankees?
I grew up in a time period when Donnie Baseball was "The Man." I seem to recall really liking Dave Righetti for a while and I think on my Little League baseball cards, one year I listed Righetti as my favorite player. Mike Pagliarulo stands out as well. I also remember the years of Jesse Barfield, Mel Hall and Andy Hawkins. There were a lot of lazy afternoons spent listening to the Scooter talk about everything and anything.
What baseball team did you root for as a kid?
It's interesting. When I really started following baseball, I was sucked in by the history of the game. That really made the Yankees a natural fit. Mickey, Joe D., Yogi, Babe, Lou ... how can you not be enthralled by all of that? The strike of '94 really killed baseball for me and I faded away for a short period and found other interests (namely, the NBA and NHL).
I wound up missing the whole Yankee dynasty, because what really brought me back to baseball was a new and exciting young core across town - the so-called Generation K. I thought Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher and Paul Wilson were going to bring a championship to Queens and they had my complete interest. I took a lot and I mean a lot, of abuse going through school following the Mets while the Joe Torre era took off. Even now, I think a lot of people I grew up with would be shocked to learn what I do now.
Was someone in your family influential in making sure you pulled for them?
My family had a strong National League background, so I'll say yes. My grandfather was a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan and was crushed when they went west. He would only take my father to the Bronx to see a player like Ted Williams - otherwise, he refused to set foot in Yankee Stadium. My dad grew up with the Miracle Mets of '69 and took me to my first game at Shea Stadium. Darryl Strawberry hit a three-run homer off the scoreboard and Dwight Gooden pitched a three-hit shutout over Philadelphia.
Do you admire anyone (doesn't need to be a player) in the Yankee organization?
Honestly, I think you should offer a lot of respect to Brian Cashman. He's been through the ringer in New York and you don't last that long in the GM role of the New York Yankees if you're not tough. It would have been easy for him to pull the trigger on a Johan Santana deal and try and get a World Series in his contract walk year, but Cashman held firm and is doing what's best for the Yankees, not for his job. That takes guts.
Who is one Yankee that fans will be surprised to see make a positive impact this season?
Phil Hughes looks great so far in camp. He's throwing with a little more pop and has been working hard all winter. Some people may be down on him but you have to understand the hamstring injury cost him some velocity and he was pitching without his best stuff. I can see Hughes winning 15 games for the Yankees in the very near future.
Joba aside, who do you think is most likely to thrive in the setup man role?
I think the jury is still out on Kyle Farnsworth and I'm not sold on LaTroy Hawkins. Chamberlain in the eighth inning may be something they do need to rely on. I know Girardi thinks he can get the most out of Farnsworth, but a lot of Farnsworth's problems were falling into 2-0 and 3-1 counts. I'm not sure how a new manager fixes that.
Out of all current Yankee hitters, if you need someone to make something happen, who do you want?
Jeter didn't get his reputation out of thin air. You try to discredit the myth of him as a "clutch player" and time and time again, he comes through with the game on the line. He may have lost a step defensively last year but there isn't a pitcher who likes to see Jeter at the plate with runners in scoring position. He just finds a way too often.
Mike A. wrote: