Who Are You, Who, Who, Who, Who,—–An Interview with C70 At The Bat’s Daniel Shoptaw

I had the privilege of interviewing Daniel Shoptaw of C70 At The Bat as part of UCB’s Interview Project.  Daniel is the President of UCB and it was a privilege and an honor to share with Daniel, especially since I am a newbie to UCB.  Stay tuned at C70 At The Bat for Daniel’s interview with me.  Here are Daniel’s responses to the questions I asked him.

1.  What do you like the most about blogging about the Cardinals?

I think the thing I like most about blogging specifically about the Cardinals is the passion of the fan base and the fact that there’s usually something that people  care about to write on.  It also helps that the team is usually in contention and always seems to be an active team both on and off the field.

2.  What is your assessment of the 2011 Cardinals?

They aren’t as good as we thought they were.  I still think there’s a lot of talent in the individual pieces, even with the loss of Wainwright, but for some reason this year (and to some degree last year as well) it’s not all meshing together.  If the team could have clicked on all cylinders for a month, this might have been a different race.

3.  Do you think Tony LaRussa is still effective as a manager?  Why or why not?

I’ve been a TLR fan since he was in Oakland and he knows much more than I could ever know about baseball and managing.  That said, I think it’s a legitimate question.  Whether it’s because of the makeup of the team or the message just isn’t working anymore, he doesn’t seem to be able to get over the hump like he could with his teams of the early 2000’s.  16 years is a long time for any culture–it could be that it’s time for a new approach.

4.  If you could spend a day with a current Cardinal player, who would it be and why?

I love Albert Pujols and think it could be entertaining to spend some time with him.  That said, though, if I could pick only one I think it’d be Adam Wainwright.  He’s got a sense of humor, he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he’s a Christian like I am–I just think he and I could have a great day together.

5.  How do you feel about Cardinal fans booing players?

I’m not a booer.  I know that people have the right to do that and if they want to, I guess they should just go ahead.  I just wish they’s limit it to obvious mental errors or lack of hustle.  Sometimes good pitches get hit a long way.  Sometimes mistakes get made.  I hate to get on a guy who probably is already feeling terrible about what happened.

6.  High socks or no?

You mean you can go against the high socks?  I didn’t think that was even an option.  Gotta go with those for a classic ballplayer look.

This was a fun project and thank you Daniel for taking the time to answer my questions.