REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-OSPHERE
(PLUS A BONUS CHAT WITH MARK DEROSA ON HIS BLOGGING LIFE)
by Ryan Corazza and Evan Bartsch
Jocks Blog. We Report. (You Decide.)
All the best jock blogs in one place.
Mark DeRosa plays second base (and everywhere else, really) for the best-record-in-baseball Chicago Cubs, and currently sports a .303 batting average. And, hey: DeRosa also blogs!.
He took some time out after a 10-5 victory against the Braves last evening for a brief chat with Ryan Corazza about his Internet scribing. Onwards!
MAG: The infield single you knocked down that was hit by fellow MLB.com blogger Jeff Francoeur could be the first ever blogger to blogger infield hit of all-time.
DeRosa: (Smiles genuinely — I think)
What have you liked doing about the blog?
Just giving a little bit of insight, what I'm thinking day to day. I enjoy reading the comments that people write in.
A lot of other athlete bloggers write about personal things, but yours seems to stick with the experience of being a baseball player. Will you ever dish a fraternity story or two?
I don't know about that, there's definitely some skeletons in the closet that I'd like to keep there. (Laughs.) But no, I think the fans don't realize what goes on day to day inside the clubhouse or don't realize our thought process, what we do during a game or what we feel from my perspective. So it's nice to share that with them. And the comments I've gotten have been nothing but positive.
Do you see blogging as sort of therapeutic?
That's actually dead-on. Not every blog is going to be a love-fest of how great we're playing or how everybody's doing so well. Sometimes you struggle and sometimes you want people to know what goes on in your mind day to day. I think that it gives them a true feeling of what it's like to play in the game and to be part of this team.
You gonna knock around with Ryan Theriot anymore?
(Laughs) No he's done.
ELSEWHERE IN THE JOCK-OSPHERE
"If you were watching the game you know that I injured my ankle in the third quarter," he writes. "It happened on a fast break and I rolled it. I think I may have stepped on someone's foot, but I still haven't seen the play. It's a different feeling than I've ever had. I've injured my ankle before but this one is unlike the others. The pain is on the inside of my foot. All the other ankle sprains have been on the outside.
"…I did try to go again in the fourth quarter, but I really couldn't make any hard cuts. No one is 100% at this point, but I was probably 50%. Coach made the right decision taking me out because I didn't have my quickness. E House did a great job filling in. When his name was called he was ready to play and that's big for us.
"There's no question this one is disappointing. We feel like we had a chance to really put them away and go up 3-0. Paul never had a chance to get in a rhythm because of foul trouble and we just struggled on offense. Even though we played very bad we still had a chance in the end. We just didn't get the stops down the stretch when we needed it. They were very aggressive tonight similar to the way we were in game 2. But in the end we still had a chance but let it get away."
Shake it off Rajon, it wasn't your fault. This isn't your fault. Look at me, son—it's not your fault.
Donovan McNabb: Chilling with the Phillies, Griffey Jr.
The quarterback turns batting practice phenom Ken Griffey Jr. fanboy:
"Early in the week I had a chance to take batting practice with the Phillies," he writes. "First, I had a chance to meet the fellas in their locker room. Then they dressed me up in some Phillies gear and I headed to the batting cage. I think I saw about 20 pitches and I connected on most. My best drive was a one-hopper over the left field fence for a ground rule double.
"I also had a chance to meet Ken Griffey Jr. and we exchanged jerseys. What a great guy and obviously a player headed to the Hall of Fame. He came to Philly one home run shy of 600 and will certain pass that milestone soon. We talked about the joy we have playing the games we love for a living and how that fun helps us to play well. I was a bit in awe. I remember watching him play baseball when I was in high school!"
Baron Davis: Freestylin' with Snoop Dogg
The Golden State guard chilling with Snoooooooop:
"Sunday night I was fresh to death and headed to the Sports Spectacular, man I look like Denzel in this suit!" he writes. "The event is an annual event that raises more than $1 million each year to benefit Cedars-Sinai and the battle against birth defects … Big shout out to D. Fish and his fam! It was great to have all of my family and friends there with me. Cash was able to present me with the award. Yo, I'm about to be uncle Boom!! LOL … My night ended with me and Snoop freestyling HUH! I mean what else do I need to say."
This begs the question: Does Boom Dizzle have better flow than fellow NBAer Tony Parker? We would hope so.
Mike Mason: On Yearbooks … and Hot Chicks
The motocrosser saying goodbye to some friends, and trying to meet other ones:
"Being on this tour for so long has kind of turned us all into a family and as much as I want to go home I really am going to be sad to leave all these guys and the all the great memories behind," he writes. "It's kind of like your last days at high school only we don't get yearbooks, which makes it hard for me to find an excuse to talk to the hot babes on tour now, I can't go up to them and break the ice by asking them to sign my yearbook!!"
Paul DePodesta: Baseball Is Like a Casino
The Pads front office guru drops a Vegas anecdote to explain how blind luck works sometimes, but ultimately the house wins out:
"On one particular hand the player was dealt 17 with his first two cards," he writes. "The dealer was set to deal the next set of cards and passed right over the player until he stopped her, saying: 'Dealer, I want a hit!' She paused, almost feeling sorry for him, and said, 'Sir, are you sure?' He said yes, and the dealer dealt the card. Sure enough, it was a four.
"The place went crazy, high fives all around, everybody hootin' and hollerin', and you know what the dealer said? The dealer looked at the player, and with total sincerity, said: 'Nice hit.'
"I thought, 'Nice hit? Maybe it was a nice hit for the casino, but it was a terrible hit for the player! The decision isn't justified just because it worked.'"
Later in the night, this guy won $3,000,000 on a slot machine. Hey, it was just his night.
Jeff Francoeur: I Heart Chicago
With the Braves taking on the Cubs in a three-game set this week, Frenchy drops his love for the Second City:
"I think a lot of us are looking forward to Chicago," he writes. "I love the fans, the food and the drink. They've got great everything. It's a place where you can relax and have fun. When you wake up, you know that you're going to get to play in a cool stadium and in a cool city. It's just a lot of fun."
Misty May: Shakes Her Groove Thing
After May-Treanor returned to the sand on Sunday—her day off after winning the 2008 AVP Hermosa Beach Open—she proved once and for all that she has all of the right moves.
"I got to dance with the Beach Girlz and it was so fun!" said May-Treanor of her dancing debut.
During the time out at the 28th point of the first game during the men's final, May-Treanor made her debut with the Beach Girlz to T-Pain's song Apple Bottom Jeans in the sand.
"I learned the dance yesterday with a DVD they gave me and it was fun," said May-Treanor. "I haven't danced since I was 11, so it was a lot of fun to get back in the routine and do something with the crowd outside of volleyball. The girls are fantastic and are really nice, genuine people who made it easy."
Along with the Beach Girlz—a new entertainment feature on the AVP Tour this year—providing some guidance with the steps, today's performance also came to fruition because May-Treanor chose to bust a move.
"NBC was looking for something out of the norm and I didn't have time for anything else," said May-Treanor. "They wanted to get me playing poker, but that's kind of boring. Also, with the choice between dancing and poker, I chose dancing."
"The Q and A portion of this blog has been amazing," he writes. "I have loved reading and answering everyone's questions but it is however, time to branch out and give you the opportunity to ask another Redskin his opinion. This time it is Jason Campbell's turn.
"Now I don't want nor will I ask questions that Jason gets all the time. We want you to be creative. So please ask questions you have never heard Jason answer and will probably never get asked again. To help stimulate some creativity, enjoy watching this classic from Bog TV."
If you enjoy teammates ganging up on one player in order to shower that player with pseudo, yet loving praise, this video is for you.
Annika Sorenstam: Photo Shoot with Eli Manning
"I am checking in from NY," she writes. "I just finished a photo shoot with Eli Manning for USA Weekend. I had never met Eli before, but I followed his success last season. What a nice guy! He is so down to earth and unassuming.
"We shot for about 3 hrs and we had a fun time. The insert will be placed in newspapers sometime in October and it's all about our Foundations and how we give back in different ways. Please check it out for more details and other great photos."
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