Spring Break
Major League Bloggers Provide Insight
MLB
Greg Bordonaro
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Sports
The phenomena of blogging has spread rapidly across the country over the last 10 years, and now it seems to have found its niche in Major League Baseball.
However, the bloggers covering the sport aren't just your typical baseball fan or reporter.
The new wave of bloggers covering the MLB are the players themselves.
The trend began last year when Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling started his blog, 38pitches.
Schilling brought Red Sox fans into his mindset by blogging about each of his starts, the condition of the team, as well as other issues around the league he cared to opine about.
While Schilling's blog had more to do with feeding his lifelong ego trip than anything else, it did provide fans with a new media outlet, one that no sports writer could possibly replicate.
Hearing from players provides fans a unique perspective, because the players know the game, and what's going on in the locker room better than anyone else.
Better yet, blogs help fans understand the true feelings or ideas being felt by a player. When a player makes a blog they can't say they were misquoted by the press.
A blog officially puts players on the record.
Take for example a post Schilling made Feb. 7 about his shoulder injury, an injury that some people around baseball felt he hid from the Red Sox before he signed a contract extension with them to play in the 2008 season.
"Speculation is rampant right now." Schilling said in the blog. "There was absolutely no reason for anyone involved to believe I would be anything other than completely healthy and ready for the 2008 baseball season. Things have changed since then and I contacted the team early last month with concerns … There have been disagreements these past few weeks in an effort to provide me with a solution that would allow me to pitch as much as possible during the 2008 season."
Even if Schilling was lying in his blog, he is officially on the record and can't go back on his word or make excuses that he was taken out of context.
However, the bloggers covering the sport aren't just your typical baseball fan or reporter.
The new wave of bloggers covering the MLB are the players themselves.
The trend began last year when Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling started his blog, 38pitches.
Schilling brought Red Sox fans into his mindset by blogging about each of his starts, the condition of the team, as well as other issues around the league he cared to opine about.
While Schilling's blog had more to do with feeding his lifelong ego trip than anything else, it did provide fans with a new media outlet, one that no sports writer could possibly replicate.
Hearing from players provides fans a unique perspective, because the players know the game, and what's going on in the locker room better than anyone else.
Better yet, blogs help fans understand the true feelings or ideas being felt by a player. When a player makes a blog they can't say they were misquoted by the press.
A blog officially puts players on the record.
Take for example a post Schilling made Feb. 7 about his shoulder injury, an injury that some people around baseball felt he hid from the Red Sox before he signed a contract extension with them to play in the 2008 season.
"Speculation is rampant right now." Schilling said in the blog. "There was absolutely no reason for anyone involved to believe I would be anything other than completely healthy and ready for the 2008 baseball season. Things have changed since then and I contacted the team early last month with concerns … There have been disagreements these past few weeks in an effort to provide me with a solution that would allow me to pitch as much as possible during the 2008 season."
Even if Schilling was lying in his blog, he is officially on the record and can't go back on his word or make excuses that he was taken out of context.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
rpurcell
Bob Purcell
posted 3/05/08 @ 11:05 AM EST
The trend began before Curt Schilling, look into things more before you write an article regarding this. Pat Neshek, a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins created a blog back in April of 2005, when he was in the Twins minor league system. (Continued…)
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