So what drives her to get up at the crack of dawn to write recaps, stay up late to catch games & travel to Godforsaken places like Lancaster and wherever the River Bandits play? Who is this talented woman?
I thought I would turn the tables on the lady who interviews the young Astros prospects and ask her a few questions of my own!
--DeAnna Williamson
Q: How did your love of baseball begin?
Like most people, I suspect, it was a family thing. I grew up in Athens, Texas (before the Rangers, thank God) so we became Astros fans, listened to them on the radio and made a few pilgrimages down to the Astrodome when time and money allowed. As a little girl, I must admit that the scoreboard made more of an impression on me than the game on the field, but it was a start.
Q: Why did you start blogging and why the minor leagues?
It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been two years since I started up. I had always been a casual minor league fan, checked the boxscores of the MiLB games most days, read the occasional article and that sort of thing, but as the play got worse and worse on the field in Houston, I started digging deeper out of desperation. I wanted to know that help was on the way. Thankfully, I didn't look that hard any sooner because the depth even two years ago was extremely discouraging, even appalling. Certainly, there were some talented players that were rising to the top, but overall the depth was bad. Once I started really digging, though, I thought, "Why not share this with others?" And that was how WTHB got started. It would never have gotten off the ground without twitter, though. Mad props to those who established themselves in the pre-twitter era.
Q: How did “What the Heck, Bobby?” come about? Was Bobby Heck flattered?
I wanted a catchy name and the Bobby Heck (the former Astros scouting director) play on words seemed to fit the bill. Frankly, since my blog is more about the development of the minor league players than scouting, I should have named it The Full Nelson or something like that (after then Director of Player Development Fred Nelson), but all-in-all it was more just finding a catchy name than anything. When I interviewed Bobby Heck, I was nervous as hell. I told him that I half expected him to issue a cease and desist order, but he chuckled and assured me that, "Nah, we're cool." Everyone expected me to change the name after Heck left the organization, but I like the name. And since so many people find my blog by googling the name, I figured it would probably be easier to change my name to Bobby than it would be to rename the blog.
Q: Who have been some of your most memorable interviews?
There are so many. My first interview ever was an email interview with Kyle Hallock. I was extremely nervous about approaching him, but he was terrific about it (and I think I had the answers back from him in about five minutes). If that had been a bad experience, who knows whether or not I would have persisted.
I think I was most surprised by Mike Foltynewicz and Lance McCullers because I think I expected them to be egos on legs with all of their talent, but both were extremely sweet and charming. Nick Tropeano was great because he is so easygoing and easy to talk to; one thing that strikes me about Nick is how comfortable he is in his own skin. Another memorable one was Joe Musgrove. His personality is as big as he is and he is very charismatic. Brett Oberholtzer and I talked for 15 minutes after the interview was over about how Astros fans felt about the big league team and the farm system; he wanted to know how we felt.
And of the recent interviews I've done, Andrew Aplin stands out because of how quickly we hit it off. And David Rollins was just a sweetheart. And Joe Bircher intrigued me; I'd like to talk more with him sometime.
The email interviews that stand out to me are Josh Zeid, Ross Seaton and Alex Sogard. Zeid is a natural born cheerleader and his enthusiasm is infectious. I did not have to change one comma in Seaton's interview. It was beautifully written, and that really stands out for someone who was drafted out of high school. Sogard's was just extremely interesting to me. I really enjoyed hearing about his experience in the World Baseball Classic. Of the non-players, Lancaster Manager Rodney Linares is hands down the most interesting guy to talk to.
Q: You seem to have a good eye for minor league prospects. What do you look for in the younger players?
That's a good question. I definitely look at stats, but I also look at trends and consider other factors ... the intangibles as it were. I don't get as caught up as some in the whole "he's old for the level" or "he's repeating a level" thing. Sometimes that is driven by other factors ... injuries, being blocked at the next level, off the field issues, etc. I really believe that you have to look at the whole player, his whole history, where he's been, where he's headed and his character and make-up. I cannot stress enough how much weight I will put on work ethic and desire. Oberholtzer is a good example of this. I really believe that he will have success because, after talking to him, I know that failure is just not even an option for him. He was only on the periphery of my radar until I talked to him and saw first hand how hard he works to become better. It is impressive.
Q: Who are some of your current favorites that you think we’ll see moving up in the leagues?
I'm always most intrigued by the guys at the lower levels of the organization because I'm always looking for the next wave. I try to identify guys who are flying under the radar a bit. There are so many guys to like in the system, but I'll just single out two of the lesser known names that I have my eye on. Teoscar Hernandez is an outfielder up in Quad Cities who I've been watching since he was in the DSL two seasons ago. His stats back then screamed five-tool player. He had modest success in his first season in the states last year and earned a spot with the full season QC team this year. He is a very exciting player to watch ... speed, a tremendous arm, a good approach at the plate, a good all around athlete. On the pitching side, I've seen LHP Luis Cruz pitch twice now ... once in Lexington last year and once in Lancaster this year. On both occasions, he simply dominated. During the most recent occasion, he pitched the second half of a no-hitter. He's a small lefty without dominating stuff, but he is the ultimate competitor. He's the Jose Altuve of pitchers. He doesn't know what he can't do.
Q: What has been your favorite memory as an Astros fan so far?
There are many, but I've got to go with the Mike Scott no-hitter to clinch the division in 1986. It still gives me chills.
Q: What has been your biggest influence in life? (Baseball or non-baseball related)
I've been thinking about this for a while. Of course, my mom and dad were a huge influence. They always encouraged us to think for ourselves and stand up for ourselves. We were never ever told that our thoughts or opinions were wrong when we were growing up no matter how bone-headed they were at the time (thinking back in retrospect). My mom was an incredibly strong woman and because of her, it never occurred to me that there was anything I couldn't accomplish if I wanted it badly enough. But, frankly, I was also influenced by a number of fictional characters, whether from books or movies. I was always drawn toward strong female characters and one of my very favorites is the lead character in Auntie Mame. A quote from the play, "Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death" has become a daily reminder to me to live my life to the fullest.
Q: How much do you hate Bud Selig?
I hate Bud Selig with the white hot heat of a thousand suns.
Q: In your opinion, how has social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) changed the fan experience?
I'm not a Facebook person, but twitter has enhanced the experience for me to no end. It's much easier watching a bad team when you're watching it with a few dozen of your closest friends, most of whom are really, really funny.
Q: Who is your favorite person on Twitter?
I love funny people. James Yasko of Astros County routinely makes me howl. And I adore Andy (@HouCounterplot) for being one of the funniest, most outrageous and outspoken Astros fans ever. And there are many, many others. But there is this one chick named DeAnna [@itsallaboutde] who is not only very, very funny, she manages to keep me informed about all of the important things in life, like what silly thing Jose Canseco has said recently, when there is a car chase on Houston freeways and just how weird a place a public library can be. {interviewer note: Good answer, Jayne. Good answer!}
Q: Speaking of libraries...as a librarian, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you to list your top 5 favorite books!
Oh yeah. Ask me who my favorite player is too, why don't you? :)
The first four are easy for me. My favorite novel of all time is Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. I've read every work by Dickens, but that's my very favorite, probably because of the strong female protagonist. Next in line is The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut which is an incredibly wonderful, funny and irreverent work. Only Vonnegut could make the meaningless of life so entertaining. Next would be The Stand by Stephen King. Good vs. Evil supersized. The Great American Novel by Phillip Roth combines two of my favorite things, a love of baseball and a love of words into a satiric masterpiece. The fifth on the list is problematic. I perused my shelves through Twain, Hemingway, Steinbeck, John Irving, Tom Robbins, Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, the Brontes, Jane Austen, all the Russians ... how to pick just one! Today I will pick A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, but that can change at a moment's notice depending upon my whim.
I was expecting a simple bulleted list but Jayne gave me reasons behind each book.
This unwavering attention to detail is why she is the one to read for all Astros farm system information and also why she’s super cool!
[Posted by DeAnna Williamson]
Q: You seem to have a good eye for minor league prospects. What do you look for in the younger players?
That's a good question. I definitely look at stats, but I also look at trends and consider other factors ... the intangibles as it were. I don't get as caught up as some in the whole "he's old for the level" or "he's repeating a level" thing. Sometimes that is driven by other factors ... injuries, being blocked at the next level, off the field issues, etc. I really believe that you have to look at the whole player, his whole history, where he's been, where he's headed and his character and make-up. I cannot stress enough how much weight I will put on work ethic and desire. Oberholtzer is a good example of this. I really believe that he will have success because, after talking to him, I know that failure is just not even an option for him. He was only on the periphery of my radar until I talked to him and saw first hand how hard he works to become better. It is impressive.
Q: Who are some of your current favorites that you think we’ll see moving up in the leagues?
I'm always most intrigued by the guys at the lower levels of the organization because I'm always looking for the next wave. I try to identify guys who are flying under the radar a bit. There are so many guys to like in the system, but I'll just single out two of the lesser known names that I have my eye on. Teoscar Hernandez is an outfielder up in Quad Cities who I've been watching since he was in the DSL two seasons ago. His stats back then screamed five-tool player. He had modest success in his first season in the states last year and earned a spot with the full season QC team this year. He is a very exciting player to watch ... speed, a tremendous arm, a good approach at the plate, a good all around athlete. On the pitching side, I've seen LHP Luis Cruz pitch twice now ... once in Lexington last year and once in Lancaster this year. On both occasions, he simply dominated. During the most recent occasion, he pitched the second half of a no-hitter. He's a small lefty without dominating stuff, but he is the ultimate competitor. He's the Jose Altuve of pitchers. He doesn't know what he can't do.
Q: What has been your favorite memory as an Astros fan so far?
There are many, but I've got to go with the Mike Scott no-hitter to clinch the division in 1986. It still gives me chills.
Q: What has been your biggest influence in life? (Baseball or non-baseball related)
I've been thinking about this for a while. Of course, my mom and dad were a huge influence. They always encouraged us to think for ourselves and stand up for ourselves. We were never ever told that our thoughts or opinions were wrong when we were growing up no matter how bone-headed they were at the time (thinking back in retrospect). My mom was an incredibly strong woman and because of her, it never occurred to me that there was anything I couldn't accomplish if I wanted it badly enough. But, frankly, I was also influenced by a number of fictional characters, whether from books or movies. I was always drawn toward strong female characters and one of my very favorites is the lead character in Auntie Mame. A quote from the play, "Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death" has become a daily reminder to me to live my life to the fullest.
Q: How much do you hate Bud Selig?
I hate Bud Selig with the white hot heat of a thousand suns.
Q: In your opinion, how has social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc) changed the fan experience?
I'm not a Facebook person, but twitter has enhanced the experience for me to no end. It's much easier watching a bad team when you're watching it with a few dozen of your closest friends, most of whom are really, really funny.
Q: Who is your favorite person on Twitter?
I love funny people. James Yasko of Astros County routinely makes me howl. And I adore Andy (@HouCounterplot) for being one of the funniest, most outrageous and outspoken Astros fans ever. And there are many, many others. But there is this one chick named DeAnna [@itsallaboutde] who is not only very, very funny, she manages to keep me informed about all of the important things in life, like what silly thing Jose Canseco has said recently, when there is a car chase on Houston freeways and just how weird a place a public library can be. {interviewer note: Good answer, Jayne. Good answer!}
Q: Speaking of libraries...as a librarian, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you to list your top 5 favorite books!
Oh yeah. Ask me who my favorite player is too, why don't you? :)
The first four are easy for me. My favorite novel of all time is Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. I've read every work by Dickens, but that's my very favorite, probably because of the strong female protagonist. Next in line is The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut which is an incredibly wonderful, funny and irreverent work. Only Vonnegut could make the meaningless of life so entertaining. Next would be The Stand by Stephen King. Good vs. Evil supersized. The Great American Novel by Phillip Roth combines two of my favorite things, a love of baseball and a love of words into a satiric masterpiece. The fifth on the list is problematic. I perused my shelves through Twain, Hemingway, Steinbeck, John Irving, Tom Robbins, Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, the Brontes, Jane Austen, all the Russians ... how to pick just one! Today I will pick A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, but that can change at a moment's notice depending upon my whim.
>>>>>>><<<<<<<
I was expecting a simple bulleted list but Jayne gave me reasons behind each book.
This unwavering attention to detail is why she is the one to read for all Astros farm system information and also why she’s super cool!
[Posted by DeAnna Williamson]
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