One of the things I’ve most loved about the Internet is the ability, as a St. Louis Cardinals fan, to read baseball coverage in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at will instead of having to wait to run into the odd print copy or catch an occasional features wire story. Reading about the Redbirds means regularly reading the work of Derrick Goold, one of the two main Cardinals beat writers at the P-D. I’ve enjoyed Derrick’s coverage for the past few years, especially his Bird Land blog and Bird Land posts, and could easily have asked him more than 3 or so questions. In fact, I thought of a couple more just writing this intro.
Derrick is 34 and has been at the P-D since 2005. He covers nothing but Cardinals, “24/7/365.” He also is a radio personality and this year published the book 100 Things Cardinals Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die.
The University of Missouri grad responded to my pitiful request to answer these questions “for an old journalist” by replying that he refuses “to believe there is anything like an ‘old journalist.’ Journalists don’t get old. They just get seasoned, smarter and furlough’d. Oh, and our handwriting goes to hell.” (He’s not kidding.)
1. You seem to do a large amount of work during baseball season–writing game stories and features, doing all kinds of stuff online, including the 10@10 entries on your Bird Land blog. How much of a challenge is it for you to get 10 at 10 done nearly every day during the season? (Note: Derrick’s 10-point post no longer has its own name; it’s a normal post on his Bird Land blog.)
You can just delete the qualifier there. There’s no need for the “during baseball season” line any more. It’s always baseball season and there’s always an audience for baseball coverage, especially in baseball-mad St. Louis. In the year and one month of doing the 10@10, I’ve found it a twofold challenge. First, the goal is to get it out by 10 a.m. each morning. That has proven impossible on some days, but I’ve yet to have one drift past 10:59 a.m. So, the spirit of the headline stays true, if stretched. Sometimes after a late night at the ballpark, it’s just difficult to get the gears going early enough to make a coherent 10@10. (Some would argue I fail at that, too …) Second, the content. I do try to keep notes every day on subjects that could make a good 10@10 entry or stats to look up. I also star quotes and anecdotes in my notebook that just won’t make the paper, but are perfect for a part of the 10@10. It all goes back to deadline. I’ve found that deadline is a great motivator. Writers’ block? There’s no time for stinking writers’ block when something has to be done, now. Perpetual deadline is my muse.
2. In the past, the Cardinals’ press box buffet had a pretty good reputation among sports reporters. Is it still impressive, or have ballclubs had to cut back? How does the Busch press box feed compare to those at other ballparks?
I am the wrong person to ask, as my colleagues in the press box will tell you. I won’t bore you with the reason, except to say it dates all the way back to my time with The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where, my friend, let me tell you about the press box food there. It was a culinary celebration of jambalaya, crawfish, pralines, you name it. Any way, the short version of the story is I was bothered by something that happened routinely in the LSU media room and I stopped eating there. I brought my own food to the game, if I needed food at all. I’ve done the same thing ever since. I do have a weakness for pretzels and popcorn and will buy those from the food stands at whatever ballpark. But if I can avoid eating at the media dining center–no matter the cost (free, $5 or even $10)–I will, with the exception of the rare free box of popcorn or soft-serve ice cream.
3. Is there a lot of chatter among reporters in the press box during a game? Do you and the other P-D reporters on the road interact a lot with reporters covering other teams? Do you share info?
Yes, there is a lot of chatter. (And my chatter I mean sarcasm, playful needling and opining.) Yes, we interact. One of the best parts of traveling is getting a chance to mingle, talk and every so often clink pints with beat writers from other cities. Some of my dearest friends in the business are baseball writers, hockey writers, football writers, and basketball writers in other towns. Sometimes the press box is the only time during a series or the regular season we get to talk. Share info? Well, we do compete. Competition is essential to the job, and any time there is competition that means there is a winner. Who gets the news first matters. But we also know when to cooperate. An example that comes to mind is when there is one writer on the road sometimes you’ll swap quotes with the other reporter so that the game story has info from the other clubhouse. Quotes can be currency like that. News is a treasure you often keep to yourself until it’s published.
Exit questions: Who’s taller: Bryan Burwell or Bernie Miklasz? And how do you pronounce Bernie’s last name?
Mick-Liss. Not too tricky. Bernie is taller, I think, but I didn’t attend this year’s sportswriters combine.
Follow Derrick on the P-D website at his Bird Land blog, on Twitter at dgoold, and “like” his Bird Land page on Facebook.
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