Interview requests

[fightonusc]

So, I've decided to bug former RBIers in my spare time, to try to get them to answer some questions about RBI Baseball. Specifically, I'm trying to find out if they were aware of the game at all when they were playing, how much players in the 1980s cared about sports video games, what they think about being cult heros today because of this video game, etc. Any interviews conducted would, of course, be submitting for publishing on the

Yesterday, I sent a message to the PR guy for the Connecticut Defenders, where Bob Stanley is a pitching coach, requesting an interview. When I got to work this morning, the PR guy had already sent me a reply:

Mr. Manfredi:

Thank you for your request.  It certainly is different from most media requests I get and I would be happy to help you but I do not really have access to the players or field staff during the off-season.  If you would like to contact me after our season begins in April and if Mr. Stanley returns as the Norwich pitching coach I will be happy to have him get in touch with you.

Shawn Holliday
Connecticut Defenders

So, there's a chance of an interview once the season starts again. If nothing else, it very cool of the guy to respond to me and not completely blow me off. Dee-Nee to Shawn Holliday and the Connecticut Defenders!

I also sent a request for an interview to Blank Morris, but I haven't heard a response yet.

[ultimate7]

Good work, USC

[BeeJay]

Any interviews conducted would, of course, be submitting for publishing on the

Was the next word supposed to be Interwebs, or something else?

Anyway, interesting idea usc, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

[fightonusc]

The next word(s) were supposed to be Dee-Nee Web site. Hopefully, Gantry would let me collect said interviews somewhere on the site.

[nightwulf]

Mr. Manfredi Man Freddy:

[Nacho]

Hopefully, Gantry would let me collect said interviews somewhere on the site.

This is just funny.  Can anyone actually imagine Gantry saying no?

"Sorry, Man Freddy, but your interviewing credentials are too amateurish for this website."

[JoeDirt]

Job well done, Man Freddy.  I am probably first on record of conducting an interview of this nature...Ellis Burks, in 1989--told me he was aware of the game and has played it, but that he wasn't big into video games.  However, some players took their NES on all road trips...

EDIT to change year after consulting baseball-reference.com! 

[erhajj]

USC, you have raised my level of respect, a little, for SoCal.  Good work!

[TempoGL]

i also have a request...that threads not be locked if someone starts talking about the rusty trombone.  what is this, church chat?

[OctoFranco]

I am probably first on record of conducting an interview of this nature...Ellis Burks

Uhm, I'd just like to point out that there is no such player in RBI Baseball.  Besides, Ellis Burks made his ML debut in 1987, and everybody knows that Boston in RBI is the '86 team.  So not only is Joe Dirt a cheater, but a liar.

[JoeDirt]

So you must believe in Tim Burkes, eh?

[Flood]

So you must believe in Tim Burkes, eh?

How else do all those eggs get hidden on Easter morning?

[VEGAS]

So, I've decided to bug former RBIers in my spare time, to try to get them to answer some questions about RBI Baseball. Specifically, I'm trying to find out if they were aware of the game at all when they were playing, how much players in the 1980s cared about sports video games, what they think about being cult heros today because of this video game, etc. Any interviews conducted would, of course, be submitting for publishing on the

Yesterday, I sent a message to the PR guy for the Connecticut Defenders, where Bob Stanley is a pitching coach, requesting an interview. When I got to work this morning, the PR guy had already sent me a reply:

Mr. Manfredi:

Thank you for your request.  It certainly is different from most media requests I get and I would be happy to help you but I do not really have access to the players or field staff during the off-season.  If you would like to contact me after our season begins in April and if Mr. Stanley returns as the Norwich pitching coach I will be happy to have him get in touch with you.

Shawn Holliday
Connecticut Defenders

So, there's a chance of an interview once the season starts again. If nothing else, it very cool of the guy to respond to me and not completely blow me off. Dee-Nee to Shawn Holliday and the Connecticut Defenders!

I also sent a request for an interview to Blank Morris, but I haven't heard a response yet.

I might be able to get a hold of Marty Barrett (RED SOX) as he lives here in town (Las Vegas) and is quite public friendly

[Shooty]

I might be able to get a hold of Marty Barrett (RED SOX) as he lives here in town (Las Vegas) and is quite public friendly happy when someone knows who the fuck he is.

[fightonusc]

Vegas,

Let me know if this would be possible. Like I said, I have a list of a few questions, that I can either send him via e-mail to answer, or over the phone.

[fightonusc]

Bumpst.

So, I was sending e-mail back and forth with Dave Smith (not THAT Dave Smith), who is the PR guy (and third-base coach) with the Worcester Tornadoes. He also runs Rich Gedman's baseball camps, and invited me to submit some questions via e-mail, and he would have Rich Gedman answer them.

Here are the questions I submitted with Rich Gedman's answers, as told to Dave Smith:

Q: Today, many athletes are obsessed with sports video games, especially those that feature digital versions of themselves. When Rich was playing, did athletes play sports video games at all? Or were video games considered to be "kids' stuff"?
A: They did and as the games came out with new graphics, it peaked the interest of the players who were involved

Q: When RBI Baseball was released in 1988, it was considered revolutionary because it was the first video game to feature real baseball players names and stats. Did Rich have any awareness of the game when it came out? 
A: His awareness was purely accidental in nature. A teammate had purchased the game and told him he was a player in it.

Q: Did Rich ever receive money from the MLBPA for the use his name and likeness in the game? 
A: He's sure he did receive something from the MLBPA licensing committee but not sure of an amount

Q: The Rich Gedman in the game bats righty, even though in real life he hit left (but threw right). Was Rich a natural lefty who learned to throw right-handed, or vice-versa? Did he ever consider switch-hitting? 
A: Always a natural left handed hitter and right handed thrower. Being a switch hitter, when he was little!

Q: Even though the RBI Baseball game is 17 years old, it has reach cult status. Thousands of adults still play the game, and there are yearly tournaments involving prize pools of thousands of dollars. How does Rich feel about having his legacy live on through his video game version? Honestly, does knowing that grown men play and obsess about the qualities of his video game version from almost 20 years ago make him feel proud, or a little sad for us?
A: :laughing....his legacy??...it's kind of neat that people still find an interest regardless of their age...laughing some more....it's just a game that we/you enjoy...)

Q: Rich is one of the slowest players on the Boston team in RBI Baseball, with the only player with less speed being Tony Armas (full player stats and a review of the Boston team can be found at http://dee-nee.com/rbi/boston.shtml). Who would have won in a 100 yard dash – him or Armas? 
A: funny thing here is that Tony was a centerfielder in real life.....in a race, Tony would have won for sure!

Q: There are only two players from the RBI Baseball game who are still active – Roger Clemens and Julio Franco. In Rich's opinion, which one of the two will be the last RBI player still playing?
A: good question he says....Roger Clemens!....he is truly a competitor!

So, there you have it. For some reason, I didn't realize until now that Bob Ojeda is also the pitching coach with the Tornadoes, so I've asked Dave Smith to forward the appropriate questions to him to see if I can get a response.

As I get more responses, I think this would make good material for the main Dee-Nee site. Gantry, would you be interested in putting a collection of these "interviews" up there?

[Gantry]

This is awesome stuff and I will deifnitely have to get them on the site!  Fighton, do you have any html and/or linux experience? 

Tony Armas was fast in real life, that certainly sucks to have the "slowest player ever" legacy in RBI...

[ultimate7]

Great work, USC

[Nacho]

I vote Richard Man-freddy as "Man-freddy of the Year."

EDIT:  If there are more interviews coming in, this thread should be sticky.  At least until the interviews are up on the main site.

[TβG]

nice work.  i hope we can get a few more of those.