Believe it or not, a "Twinterview" is not an interview conducted during a Twins game, even though that's exactly how it happened. Guess you'll just have to click through to find out what the bleep I'm talking about...
I've been on Twitter for the last few months, and one of the people I "follow" is Jordan Bastian, Jays' beat reporter for MLB.com. I've really enjoyed Jordan's "tweeting" so far - he "live-tweeted" several spring training games, sating my desire for baseball after the long, cold, dark Ottawa winter, and the kind of info he includes in his tweets is often much more interesting than what you'll find in a traditional game recap, in a stream-of-consciousnessy general impressions kind of way. (Note: this is not meant to be an indictment at all on Jordan's writing!)
One of the great things about Twitter is that you can direct your tweets at other people, even if you don't know them personally. Now, Shaq, with his 600,000+ followers clearly isn't going to respond to every adoring fan, but Jordan is a nice enough guy that not only did he respond to my tweet, he agreed to a full-on interview, conducted over Twitter; a Twinterview. (And yes, it did take place during the Twins game tonight, ironically.)
A quick note: if you're wondering why all the questions and answers are so short, I guess you're not on Twitter! Every tweet has a 140 character limit.
Where did you grow up/what's your home team?
I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and was a big Cubs fan in a family of Sox fans
How did you become interested in journalism?
When only recruited by Juco and Div III colleges, I chose to combine my two loves: baseball and writing and went into JRN at MSU.
So you played growing up, that answers one of my later questions. describe Jordan Bastian the baseball player!
Outfielder's glove with an infielder's arm. By my senior year of HS, I was a cleanup-hitting DH. One dimensional.
Is there a wide range of how accommodating various stadiums are to members of the press?
Not really. Access is pretty much the same no matter where you are. Some parks are definitely better to work in than others tho.
What makes certain parks better to work in than others?
Size of the visiting clubhouse, PR staffs, the city, pressbox, media dining room, what the park looks like. Stuff like that.
Which parks do it best, and which *ahem* don't?
Faves include: Seattle, Anaheim, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco, Pitt. Not high on the list: Oakland, Minny.
Do you prefer road swings or home stands?
Depends. I love being on the road -- hate the travel. Obviously, being w/ fam in TOR is great, but I love playing tourist as well.
Do you travel with the team? If not, who makes your travel arrangements?
I book my own flights and hotels. I've built up a nice pile of points over the years. That's def one perk of the job.
Do you spend a lot of time with other Jays' media people like Blair, Griffin, or broadcasters like Campbell, Jerry Howarth etc?
Don't see TV/Radio guys outside of the park. Blair rarely hangs w/ other TOR writers. The rest of us scribes do hang on the road.
Without dishing too much unwanted dirt, how bout a 1 word description of each of their off-beat (no pun intended) personalities?
I'll just say it's an interesting, often comedic group to work w/. Not one you can't get along w/, even if I am youngest by far.
Okay, a few questions about the net. how closely do you follow advanced statistics/sabermetrics and its associated community?
I pay attention to sabermetrics, but don't often include those types of stats in my stories to cater to the average fan/reader.
What about your blog? Do you use it as a more personal outlet, writing about things you might not be able to as a beat reporter?
I try to use the blog as more of an informal platform. I can voice my opinion more, talk about other topics and interact w/ fans.
Even though it's your blog, it's still an official affiliate of MLB.com. Does this affect what you write for it?
Being a reporter, not a columnist, is more of a limitation. As a reporter, I try to stay in the middle and let fans form opinions.
Without thinking too hard, what five baseball-centered websites do you visit most?
Baseball-Reference.com; retrosheet.org; MLB.com; Baseball Cube; and I'll give a shout out to drunkjaysfans.blogspot.com.
Your job is based online, but you work with people in newspapers. What's the general feeling among your peers re: the industry?
Papers are hurting big time. Travel is being cut back and no one feels safe these days. I'm lucky to be young and with a dotcom.
Okay, a couple questions about the 2009 Jays. How much has your opinion of the team changed as a result of their hot start?
Not much. 'Pen will be taxed this year. Rotation is a big ? Ive been impressed with the O but still see them ending in 4th or 5th.
Who are the friendliest players on the team?
It's a great clubhouse, honestly. A few of my faves on this team: Hill, Mac, Rolen, Barrett, Lind, Rios, Frasor, Romero, Tallet.
I was at a photo day a couple years ago and specifically remember Scott Downs being the life of the party.
Downs is a great guy to talk to as well. But he gets all superstitious during the year and avoid the press 95% of the time.
On the flip side, who are the surliest players (or ex-players if you don't want to name current names) you've ever interviewed?
Ryan is great in the spring and can be iffy during the season. Burnett was like that too. Overall, tho, havent had many issues.
Do you ever see the Jays' minor league affiliates?
On trips to Fla I might go to Dunedin. In 05, I actually covered the Lugnuts for the Lansing State Journal. Other than that, no.
Favourite sports besides baseball?
I'm a big Chicago Bulls and Bears fan, and obviously Michigan State -- more hoops than anything. Never was big on hockey.
Favourite bands all-time/currently?
1. Pearl Jam 2. Radiohead, after that there's a ton. Currently, diggin Arcade Fire, Interpol, Modest Mouse, Killers, Death Cab.
Would writing for the Cubbies be a dream job, or would you prefer not to mix your job with your home team?
Haven't been a diehard Cubs fan in years so thatd be ok. Being back home in Chi Sox or Cubs would be great. Dream job? Not sure..
Batter's Box would like to extend a big thank you to Jordan Bastian for his time, and for his always-excellent reporting on the team we love! And I would like to personally endorse Jordan as someone to follow on Twitter (and if you don't have it, no time like the present!).
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=2009041400053850