I’ve done a Q & A about blogging, new media, and what not with online friend Rolin, whom I’ve known on the interwebs for many years. I recognize that this stuff may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he asked great questions and I think it makes for a cool read, although I’m biased.

Part 1 covers, among other things, the origins of Ducksnorts:

Somewhere along the line, I read about blogs in a newspaper article and liked the concept. I added a blog component to the site in 2001. The landscape was radically different back then, and I could read every baseball blog in existence in less than an hour a day.

In Part 2, we discuss my favorite aspect of blogging, interacting with folks:

I’m a musician and I’ve played in bands for most of the last 20 years. I’m in my current band because the drummer is a reader with whom I’ve developed a relationship over the years. He knew I played guitar and asked if I’d like to sit in with them. I did, and I’ve been playing in the band ever since. They are great guys that I would not have met had it not been for Ducksnorts.

We also talk about the Sandy Alderson interview:

My experience interviewing Alderson was incredible, easily one of the coolest things I’ve done in baseball or in life. He is disarmingly direct in his speech (which I love) and doesn’t mince words. I think maybe his directness intimidates some people, but I found him to be very engaging and accommodating.

Part 3 concludes with thoughts on press box access, my association with Rob Neyer (interesting timing on that one, eh?), and more:

If I were invited into the press box, I might try it once or twice just to see what it was like. It would give me a greater appreciation for what beat reporters do. Actually, cranking out content most every day has already done that. Now that I understand what is involved in putting together a product, I’m far less critical of reporters than I used to be — especially guys on the beat. Their deadlines are insane.

* * *

And if you need a little less of me, there’s plenty of that out there…

• Can You Quantify Disappointment? (Toronto + Sports Blog). Here’s a cool follow-up to a recent story about Voros McCracken, inventor of DIPS. [h/t BBTF]
• Please Allow Me to (Re)Introduce Ourselves (Baseball Prospectus). I’ll be stepping up my involvement with Prospectus this year. The lineup of new writers is ridiculous. If you do the Twitter thing, a bunch of us are there.
• Books on a Snowy Day (Joe Blogs). I’ll need to add some of these to my list. Also, what is “snow”?
• Position Players by WAR: Free Agency (FanGraphs). I <3 this series. Note the proximity of Tim Raines to Tony Gwynn.
• MLB Players Of The Decade: Twins’ Joe Mauer Obvious Choice At Catcher (SBNation). Yeah, pal; tell it to Nick Hundley. I’m sure he’d agree with you, but never mind that.
• My interview with Rob Neyer (Baseball Past and Present). Speaking of Rob, here’s a nice little interview with him.
• Answering Questions about Blogging for Melanie (Gaslamp Ball). Is there anything I do that they won’t copy?

Tagged as: baseball prospectus, blogging, gaslamp-ball, jed hoyer, joe mauer, nick hundley, rob neyer, sandy alderson, tim raines, tony gwynn, voros mccracken