February 2009 – Craig Fehrman

[New Haven Advocate]

It’s just some sorry attempt to get his 15 minutes. He’s just trying to jump on the bandwagon of the whole book era right now, and it’s just a sad attempt. I never even seen the guy in my life. I couldn’t point him out in a room.

—Bobby Jenks

Let’s gloss this little gem. Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit (Jenks’s “it”) is a new book by Matt McCarthy (Jenks’s “he”), and, as the above reaction may suggest, it dishes some dirt on a slew of MLB stars. But the book also captures the broader culture of minor league baseball, which includes approximately nine fringe players for every future big leaguer.

Contra Bobby, I found McCarthy to be a decent (and decidedly tangible) guy, even though the intentions behind his book—he dedicates it to “My Teammates”?—feel a little weird. Read more in my feature-slash-interview with McCarthy in this week’s New Haven Advocate.

[Gelf]

Reporters make for some of the toughest interviews, precisely because they know what makes for a tough interview. They directly address questions, rarely ramble, talk in soundbites.

This might seem like a writer’s dream—they even remember to pause and let you catch up!—but the best material in an interview often comes when people ramble, non-sequiturize, or just fill dead air. When reporters worry about helping you out and giving you what you “need” for a story, they often render the conversation sterile and predictable.

This was not a problem with Ken Krayeske. Despite Deadspin’s snark, Krayeske has a pretty solid resume as a reporter, but it’s his recent question to UConn coach Jim Calhoun that’s getting him national attention. The ensuing dust-up has generated plenty of inane opinion, but little actual reporting. So, with Gelf’s blessing, I decided to talk with Krayeske about his question. The results may surprise you.

Month: February 2009

“the whole book era,” brought to you by Bobby Jenks

Calhoun vs. Krayeske