From the Press Box to the Cheap Seats: What’s Next?

Yesterday’s experience as a credentialed member of the Dodgers media posse was really quite something.  After having a little time to process everything, I’ve come to appreciate the way the Dodgers set this experience up.  They didn’t over-regulate the experience or tell us what we could or couldn’t do.  Rather, they only asked that we represent their point of view in our coverage of the team (which I certainly hope we always do!).  Beyond that, we were free to roam and explore the stadium, the dugout, the press box and the clubhouse.  Follow the lead of the established media and enjoy.  That was it.

Much like Orel from the Sons of Steve Garvey, I’m hesitant to reveal too much, as I don’t want to taint the experience for other blogs that will go through this same process, but I will say that the entire afternoon and evening was truly was an eye-opening experience that gave me a lot of insight and appreciation for what professional sportswriters do an daily basis.  Just sitting in the Dodger dugout at 4:00 p.m. before the game and watching the interactions of the beat writers and reporters with the players, coaches and front office staff, showed close working relationships.  I hope over time that our coverage will indeed benefit from this access in some small way, much as it has for the mainstream media that are with the Dodgers day in and day out. 

When the Dodgers hosted their first Blogger Night, there was a lot to absorb from our conversations with Frank McCourt and Ned Colletti.  Since that time, we’ve learned how to better use the information that we learned, and apply it in a more thoughtful way leading to better writing and content.  Over time, our coverage  of the Dodgers will continue to get better as we spend more time in the press box and with the team.  We’ll transition from taking in the experience to making the most of the opportunity.  I think right now we’re somewhere in the middle of those two points, but I already have big plans for making the msot out of my next trip to the press box.  But when all is said and done, we’ll always consider ourselves fans first, and our coverage will always reflect that passion and intensity for the team, but yet will be kept in check by doing what’s right from a content perspective.  This is an interesting period in time in the world of social media, and I believe the way forward is still being discovered.

One question that I’ve received quite a few times from people is about how we wrere treated by the mainstream media.  The answer is that they couldn’t have been nicer.  In particular, Dylan Hernandez from the Los Angeles Times was a great resource and an even nicer guy, and Kenny and Josh from “Dodger Talk” were their normal easy-going and helpful selves.

Finally, we also learned how many little communities of Dodger fans there are out there!  Let me just tell you that Dodger fans love Twitter, and I’d like to say a special thanks to Alyssa Milano for spreading the word to her fans about our coverage last night.

So for those of you that are new to Dodgerfan.net and just discovered us over the past 24 hours, Alex and I encourage you to keep coming back throughout the season as we continue our dialogue, and we invite you to be part of the conversation.  Check back regualrly and contribute – this is your home, as well as ours.  See you at the Ravine!