The Peter Abraham Interview

TheLoHud Yankees Blog, by Journal News Yankee beat writer Peter Abraham, has quickly become the most popular blog written by any of the Yankee reporters. Abraham combines timely news, in-game analysis, and a lively comments section to entertain and inform his readers.

For those unfamiliar with Peter’s blog, it was the first for a beat reporter in any sport in the New York market and one of the first for a baseball writer in the country.

He blogged at the 2005 winter meetings for 5 days, and that went so well that the paper agreed to let him have a go at it during the season.  He officially launched The LoHud Yankee Blog on Feb. 27, 2006 and it’s now a can’t-miss daily read for Yankee fans.

Peter was kind enough to share his views with me on subjects ranging from the Yankee fan base to his coverage of Alex Rodriguez.

So what got you into sports writing in general, and covering the Yanks, specifically?

I started writing when I was 16 covering my high school swim team. Worked my way up from there. I came to New York in 1999 and got the Mets beat at first. I switched to the Yankees in Oct. 2005. If you're going to cover a demanding beat like baseball, I wanted to cover the Yankees. They're easily the most interesting team in the game.

Growing up, were you a Red Sox fan, a fan of another team, or no team at all?

I was a Patriots’ fan when I was a kid because my dad had season tickets. I was more of a fan of The Boston Globe and Peter Gammons, Bob Ryan, Ray Fitzgerald and Leigh Montville. I really enjoyed reading about baseball. Once I started working in newspapers when I was 16, I focused on that. Covering a few Red Sox games when I was 18 and 19 opened my eyes because they were really bad guys in those days.

What is your opinion of the intensity of the Yankee fan base as compared to the fan base of the Mets and Red Sox?

Red Sox fans are more intense because there is only one team in Boston and it's more of a social institution. A player in Boston literally can't have dinner without being bothered by fans. That's not the case in New York because of the more diverse population. Mets fans are great fans, very knowledgeable about their squad. Yankee fans, in my experience, are more forgiving of their team. I'm surprised at how many dislike Joe Torre, however.

Your blog is widely considered the most popular of those authored by Yankee beat writers. To what do you attribute this?

I work hard at the blog. I also read a lot of blogs and try and learn from them. Bronx Banter, for instance.

How much has the blog added to your daily workload? You seem pretty committed to answering emails and questions, not to mention the in-game commentary.

It adds some to my workload. But with the newspaper industry changing so much, you have to learn new skills and be versatile. So I hope the blog helps me out down the road. It's not like I'm retiring any time soon.

Has the added responsibility of the blog changed the way you handle your daily articles for The Journal News?

Not really. I try and have fun on the blog and throw in a few opinions. I would not do that in a story for the paper. It's two different jobs. I write the blog to entertain and inform. Writing for the paper is far more formal and structured.

When things get heated in the comments section, do you sometimes feel as if you are working as security at an insane asylum?

My sister reads the blog and calls me the "Mayor of Idiotville." I think 95 percent of the people are smart and good posters. But I allow myself to get aggravated by the nitwits, which I shouldn't.

There is a vocal and spirited contingent of Yankee fans who feel that you are unfair to A-Rod in your commentary. Some even suggest that you openly root against him. Care to comment?

I feel privileged to be able to cover Alex, who is one of the best players in the history of the game. When I'm an old man, I'll be able to tell stories about covering guys like Alex, Piazza, Rivera and Jeter in their primes. I defy anybody to find one sentence I have written in the newspaper that is anti-Alex in any way. In fact, I have defended him several times in my Sunday baseball notes column and wrote that MLB can't wait for him to break the home run record.

In the blog, I'm often trying to entertain people. I also want a lot of traffic. The best way to drive traffic is to bring up Alex because he's so polarizing. People either seem to love him or hate him. Why would I root against him? He's a gold mine if you're a newspaper writer. Beyond that, my job doesn't change one bit whether Alex does well or doesn't do well. If anything, it's easier when he's in the news.

What I'm learning is that some people are so in love with athletes that they interpret simple news as being negative. If I write that Alex struck out, they think I'm ripping him. To whom much is given, much is expected. Alex is a great talent, so obviously how he performs is news.

Fair enough. So when you say that A-Rod is “Underdog,” and you post that he shouldn’t be awarded a hit on a play that might go unnoticed if the hitter were Jorge Posada, no one should fret about an ulterior motive?

Alex calls himself underdog every day. Which, anybody would have to admit, is kind of silly. That post about the hit was about the official scorer, not Alex. Meanwhile, let's say I had an ulterior motive. What is my goal? Just explain that to me. Assume for a second I'm sitting there plotting against Alex as assorted idiots seem to think I do. Do I get a raise if he strikes out? Do I get to keep his car if he signs with Anaheim? Do I get to play third next season? It's just comical to me. My only interest in Alex is watching him play and having him answer my questions.

What’s been the most fun part of the blog for you?

It's not really that fun; it's work. The most fun has been meeting some people who have posted.

You’ve mentioned that you don’t root for teams in baseball, but for people. Can you mention some of the good people you’ve covered that have impressed you?

Impressed me as players, it’s a long list. Impressed me as people? Tony Clark, Cliff Floyd, Jose Reyes, Mariano Rivera, Chien-Ming Wang, Joe Torre, Guy Conti, Rick Peterson, Don Mattingly, Joe McEwing, Dan Wheeler, John Smoltz, Jim Thome, Torii Hunter, David Wright, Hideki Matsui, Ichiro.

One of the players that all the writers seem to like very much is Johnny Damon. Is it because he is super-honest? Friendly? Accessible?

All of the above. He is a guy who realizes how lucky he is. Just a genuinely nice guy.

Gut reaction: Is this Joe Torre’s last year as Manager?

Yes

Do you have an opinion of the Yankee Starting Pitching this Year?

Sure, it's bad now but it'll get better once Wang gets back. It'll be a lot better when Clemens gets here. Moose and Pettitte will be OK. Igawa and Pavano I'm not so sure of.

In your view, what kind of behind-the-scenes leader is Jorge Posada?

He is the most underrated player in the majors in my opinion. Plays hard, plays hurt, plays well, represents the Yankees well, supports his manager, never complains, holds teammates accountable. History will be kind to him.

How well do you feel Matsui, Wang and now Igawa assimilate themselves with the rest of the team? Is there isolation?

Matsui is no different than anybody else. Funny, funny guy and a real gamer. His teammates love him. He speaks English but he doesn't for the cameras because he wants to make sure nothing gets confused. I don't know Igawa yet. Hard to tell with pitchers because you only see them once every five days or so.

Leave our readers with a tidbit of information that they can’t get anywhere else…

Yankees trainer Gene Monahan is a huge NASCAR fan. I mean tremendous. Goes to races, wants to live near a track when he retires, knows drivers, etc.

There's plenty of other stuff but I'll keep that behind closed doors. Have to maintain some trust.