In the sixth part of my Dodger Blogger Profile series, I take a look at one of the best in the business -- Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.
Petriello, one of the few Dodger bloggers I know of who isn't located anywhere near Los Angeles (New York, actually), does an excellent job breaking down everything Dodgers.
His blog is informative, analytical and gets tons of mentions all around the Internet. When looking for Dodger news and analysis, there's almost no better place.
1. How did you become a Dodgers' fan?
- It's kind of a stupid story. Needless to say, 7-year-olds should not be allowed to make any life-altering decisions. Anyway, as you can tell from the linked story, I became a long-distance Dodger fan at 7, and was hugely invested in the Mike Piazza/Eric Karros/Hideo Nomo years (Piazza, particularly, as how could I not love a superstar Mike P from the East Coast?).
2. What got you into blogging?
- I was pretty disappointed when Piazza was traded -- see you in hell, Chase Carey -- and between that, the awful FOX sale and horrible Kevin Malone, I largely lost interest between 1999-2003 (not so coincidentally, my college years). My interest was once again piqued with the (Paul) Lo Duca trade and playoff run of 2004, and then even moreso in 2005 when I finally got Extra Innings and found a great place for Dodger discussion at dodgers.cc. After a year or two of posting long-winded opuses there, I figured I'd be better served putting them on a blog. Nearly five years later, it's still a thing.
3. What are some goals for your blog?
- The complete destruction of Bill Plaschke. I joke, but only partially. The line of thinking he perpetrates is just so wrong-headed that I almost feel an obligation to set the story straight. I enjoy having a place where I can put out analysis that's hopefully both informed and entertaining, and I'd do that even if absolutely no one read it.
4. What's the best experience you've had since blogging?
- Doing this blog has really opened up a lot of doors. In addition to writing for Baseball Prospectus and meeting some good real-life friends, I've been interviewed by the Boston Globe and on SNY, and been able to make baseball contacts I never would have otherwise.
5. What is your most memorable in-person Dodgers' experience?
- It wasn't technically a Dodger game -- by which I mean, it was in no way an actual Dodger game -- but I was lucky enough to attend the 1996 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, where Piazza bashed a homer right over my seats in left and won the MVP.
6. How many Dodger games have you attended?
- I've seen Dodgers games all over the country; aside from Dodger Stadium, I've seen them in Boston, both Philadelphia parks, both Mets parks, Pittsburgh, and at least four or five spring training games in Arizona and Florida.
7. Who is your favorite all-time Dodger player and pitcher?
- Piazza, for sure. It's kind of a cop-out to say (Matt) Kemp and (Clayton) Kershaw now, but somehow saying "A.J. Ellis and Scott Elbert" doesn't have the same cache.
8. What season of Dodgers' baseball do you remember most? Why?
- You'll laugh, but probably 2005. It was the first time I really committed to watching and discussing them on a full-time basis, and that team was so bad that it was kind of entertaining. I also played about a billion games of "MVP 2006" with that team, and that was the one with the lefty bug, so I think I bopped 46 homers with Cesar Izturis. Good times.
9. Who is the Dodger you liked that no one else seemed to like?
- I absolutely thought Hee-Seop Choi would have made it. Still think he might have, if Jim Tracy didn't insist on playing the awful Jason Phillips at first base. Oh, and Charlie Haeger. I wanted Haeger to work out so badly.
10. What do you think the Dodgers need to do to win another World Series in your lifetime (save axing McCourt and Colletti)?
- Obviously, losing McCourt and Colletti are paramount. Then, signing Kershaw long-term. Really though, re-investing in scouting and the system is key. It's criminal that they're the lowest spending team in those areas, and as you can see, it's really hurting the big club.
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