Purple Row is a fan blog. It’s also a fan blog privileged enough to have access to cover games in person from time to time. Usually when this happens, we talk as a staff about which players the person going to the game should talk to, and what they should ask. This process works, but it’s also limited to the interests of a few people.
Another characteristic about Purple Row is that it’s a community of readers who are every bit as knowledgeable about the Rockies as the staff. So why not turn to the Purple Row hive mind for ideas?
Sam Bradfield will be covering the Rockies’ weekend series in Arizona. So, who should she talk to, what should she ask, and what’s the story you ultimately want to read? What are you curious about that Sam can help find out about?
Leave your question, questions, or story ideas in the comments. We’ll comb through all of them and pick 3-5 of the most compelling questions and will certainly take note of ideas with a lot of reader recommendations (turn your favorites purple!). Tomorrow we’ll create a new post with the finalists, and then we’ll leave it to Purple Row readers to vote for their favorite. Sam will do her best to get the question to the right player and will write about it next week.
Here are some general parameters to think about before you offer your pitch:
- Think about questions that will get interesting answers; while I, too, would really like to know about playing time distribution, asking Bud Black “why do you play Ian Desmond so much?” isn’t going to return anything interesting
- Think about ideas that can be accomplished with one or two interviews that last 3-5 minutes at most; so something about one player’s mechanics, but not the Rockies philosophical and practical approach to mechanical adjustments
- Ideas don’t have to be about the latest news (see: the story about Nolan Arenado’s baseball gloves)
- Ideas don’t necessarily have to be about baseball (see: Strike Up the Rocki-ies Band!)
- Remember the source of information; difficult questions are welcome, but questions that amount to “why are you a disappointment?” won’t get very far
So turn to your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow Rockies fans and brainstorm anything you’ve always wanted to know about your favorite team. Be thoughtful, be creative, and most importantly: have fun!