Would you decline an interview opportunity?

[BB Bobcat]

The MLB team I cover is parading players in once a week leading up to spring training, and setting up interviews with the beat writers. While I appreciate the concept, some of the guys they are bringing in are not people that I really feel I need to talk to a month before spring training.

My inclination is that I just ought to go in and talk to the guys anyway, just as a token to say I appreciate the PR staff bringing them in. On the other hand, if I really don't need them, aren't I wasting their time, as well as mine?

 

[alleyallen]

BB, why not take advantage of the opportunity by injecting a little creativity?

For example, do a story on how they spend their off-season. When do they get up every day? What's the workout regimen? Do they get a chance to do all those parent things they normally miss, like school plays and choir recitals?

There's bound to be a story out there.

I never turned down a chance to interview someone. I talked to a soon-to-be-retiring librarian at Ft. Ben Harrison and it turned out she had a pretty cool side story: she was a pageant judge with Mike Tyson WAAAAYYY back in the day.

 

[BillyT]

You never know.

God forbid, what if the guy gets hit by a meteor next week.

He could get traded.

You also might just find something interesting or have something in your files for a really slow day.

Can you suggest to the PR guys who they oughta bring in?

 

[txscoop]

I would think you don't turn it down because what if one day they become stars and turn you down?

 

[Bill Brasky]

I don't think its a bad idea to interview these guys. At the very least, you have a notebook item or a "They're trying to drum up interest in the team by putting these players before the press" article. And no matter how dull these guys are, they probably have something to say about the big offseason news, like the Mitchell Report, or A-Rod's deal, or whatever.

 

[MileHigh]

Should definitely go to the interview, if for nothing else it helps establish a relationship with them that could come in handy down the road.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If they bring them in and you're the beat writer, it's your job to go...

If there's no story, you don't have to write anything, but you definitely need to be there...

 

[shockey]

sorry, don't mean to be rude, but...

WHAT A STOOPID QUESTION!!!

you come off as quite the lazy slacker if you blow it off. EVERYONE has a story to tell. find it.

 

[Cristiano_Ronaldo]

Yeah, this is a pretty ridiculous question. It's your beat. Okay, so caravans are boring and usually a waste of everyone's time. But you get time alone with the player afterwards. Imagine the ass-chewing you'd get if you blew off an event where John Pitcher announced that this would be his last season, or that he's upset with the GM over the offseason inactivity...

Don't be lazy.

 

[BB Bobcat]

I didn't mean to be lazy.

All I meant was that I don't want to waste their time if I'm not actually writing a story. It's not like I'm not going to have enough time in six weeks of spring training to talk to these guys. I'm also talking about rookies, bench players and middle relievers here.

But, as I said in my original post, I will go.

 

[Screwball]

All I meant was that I don't want to waste their time if I'm not actually writing a story.

They'll all tell you they don't read the papers anyway, so they'll never know.

 

[John]

Should definitely go to the interview, if for nothing else it helps establish a relationship with them that could come in handy down the road.

And that might be the best reason to go.

 

[Paper Champion]

This is Major League Baseball. I'm sure there is a something creative you can get out of this.

Besides, it's a competitive beat. How often do you get to sit down with a player without having to squeeze time around batting practice or rushing on deadline after a game?

If anything, the early face time could help you later in the season. By all means go.

 

[forever_town]

I wouldn't turn it down if I had the chance to. Sometimes, you can get good stuff that falls in your lap.

Case in point: I interviewed Rob Zombie's drummer, even though it normally wouldn't go in my paper. Turned out to be one of my more popular stories.

 

[In Cold Blood]

I can't imagine face time with players on your beat could ever be a bad thing. As mentioned above, if nothing else, it helps you build a relationship with them. And who knows, that great story might be hiding somewhere just waiting to be found.

 

[Tom Petty]

sorry, don't mean to be rude, but...

WHAT A STOOPID QUESTION!!!

you come off as quite the lazy slacker if you blow it off. EVERYONE has a story to tell. find it.

... unless you work in florida.

 

[mike311gd]

Should definitely go to the interview, if for nothing else it helps establish a relationship with them that could come in handy down the road.

If they bring them in and you're the beat writer, it's your job to go...

If there's no story, you don't have to write anything, but you definitely need to be there...

Back-to-back posts knock it out of the park.

You need to go, like you said you are, because it's the responsible thing to do. It can't hurt you to get to know these guys a little better.

 

[Joe Williams]

Oh, sorry.

Thought this thread was about getting a job call from a Lean Dean paper.

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

It really worries me that a pro beat writer would need to ask this.

 

[User 1019]

I'd kill for the chance to interview a big-leaguer.

Edit: ANY big-leaguer!