Behind the Blog: James Mirtle
Welcome to BtJ’s eighth Behind the Blog featuring James Mirtle. Aside from being one of the most popular hockey bloggers, Mirtle also spends his time as a sportswriter and editor for The Globe and Mail. Whether he’s talking about last night’s games or the NHL’s drug debate, Mirtle puts his own spin on the news making for a great read.
Q.1 – Your first blog entry was back on December 7, 2004. Since then you’ve become a regular read to fellow hockey bloggers and fans alike, what made you want to start blogging?
Ah, the beginning.
A few months before that first silly post, I was sitting in a lecture hall at Ryerson listening to a guest speaker: David Akin, who was then the technology reporter for both CTV (a Canadian television network) and The Globe and Mail. Akin had his own blog on technology issues, and he talked about how he used it as an extension of his writing.
In short, Akin said his blog was a ‘tool’ that was part of his everyday work and that helped improve his ability to do his job. He gained more exposure as a tech reporter (not that he needed it), conversed with people on-line who were in the field, and picked up ideas from sources (other blogs, readers, etc.) that he otherwise wouldn’t have had.
At its most basic level, journalism is about ‘getting the story,’ and blogging helped him do that.
I had to have one.
Akin had said the very best and most successful blogs were those that had writers will a particular area of expertise who would mine that subject matter. In his case, he wrote about the latest technology issues. For me, there was never any question what my blog would be about.
Q.2 – Were you surprised to see your blog become successful in such a short period of time?
Yes. Eric McErlain linked to one of my very first posts, the day after I’d stuck up a hit counter. Seeing 70 or so hits a day coming in right away was a pleasant surprise, although I think I would have probably stuck with it regardless of my readership. The numbers are much bigger now, and the best part about that is establishing a dialogue with people coming to the site, including other bloggers.
But, you know, it’s been a funny year in that everything I’ve tackled has turned out like the blog — very well.
Q.3 – Has it been hard to balance your blogging and journalism obligations without causing any problems in the workplace?
Oooh, you’re not pulling any punches here. Heh, if anything, the blog will be what suffers, as it does when I get strapped for time. I love what I do, and my work at the paper is definitely the No. 1 priority. It’s been years of hard work to get to the point I’m at in what is a very competitive field, and there’s so much hard work ahead of me to take my work to the level I want it to be at.
I think of the blog as something that is connected with what I do and as something that’s constructive to my work, not detrimental. It keeps me writing about the NHL when I wouldn’t otherwise be and, just as important, it’s fun. Getting exposure is never a bad idea for a journalist, either.
Q.4 – What advice would you give to other bloggers, especially to the newcomers?
Pick a topic that is something that you have a passion for — an area in which you feel you’ve got something to offer — and jump in. I wouldn’t worry about who is reading — as long as you’re producing something people are going to enjoy.
After working as an editor now for a while, I think I look at a blog a little bit like I do a piece for the newspaper. You can’t always expect people to read giant blocks of text (which is a little hypocritical considering how this interview is going to read), but if you can break things up with visual pieces or by arranging your ideas in unique ways, it’s going to be a lot less cumbersome for readers to approach. It’s not that different than what I look at doing at The Globe and Mail every night.
Q.5 – How many hours a week would you say that you put into your blog. Is it hard for you find time for work, your blog, and having a life?
Hah, I try not to think about it too much. I would say it varies week to week, depending on what else is happening, but sometimes when I’ve got a day off, I’ll sift through links most of the day and post whatever interests me. I’d like to say I spend probably 4-5 hours a week doing things blog-related, but it certainly could be more. The good thing is that the more I know about hockey, the better equipped I am to eventually cover the game for a living.
The blog is foremost a hobby, so it gets attention when I feel like giving it. I look at it as a pretty constructive hobby to have — after all, it’s something you’re creating that is of value to people and, in my line of work, is of value to yourself.
Q.6 – To be completely honest, I don’t know who your favorite team is. Who do you like to root for and why?
Hey, that’s great — that’s the way I like it. Being objective is a big part of tackling some of the issues journalists write about, and, even though I’m writing about a sport, I try to stick to that as much as possible. I’m foremost a fan of the sport, and I’ll enjoy watching a Minnesota-Columbus game as much as a Toronto-Montreal tilt (if there’s good hockey being played).
Allegiances to teams are great sometimes, but other times they can ruin someone’s enjoyment of the games. You can really see that here in Toronto, where many people simply don’t enjoy hockey anymore because of how the Leafs fare year to year. It also irks me, when reading a reporter or columnist, to see some personal biases creep into the copy.
People who know me personally know the Canucks are my team, but, as it has been a few years since I’ve lived in British Columbia, my ties to the team have faded over time. Perhaps if there’s ever another run to the finals by Vancouver, you may hear a little cheer from my corner.
I’ve also always been a big fan of the junior game, and as a youngster, my family had season tickets to the Kamloops Blazers’ teams that established a hockey dynasty in the early 90s. Perhaps, in some fashion, they’ll always be my team.
Q.7 – Where do you see the NHL in 10 years? Why?
You know, I’d like to say that the game will be flourishing and as immensely popular as Gary Bettman seems to think it will be, but my feeling is that the NHL will always be somewhat the way it is now. Absolutely adored and followed obsessively in Canada; largely ignored by a lot of the United States.
Economically, the NHL will never be on an even level with the NBA, NFL or MLB, but I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. What is a bad thing is if, in striving to be like those other leagues, the NHL strays too far from its roots on frozen ponds in small Canadian towns. Much of the reason the game is great can be traced back to the humble roots of its participants.
Q.8 – Whether it’s talking about the victims of the NHL or the perils of the salary cap, you always seem to be coming up with original content for your blog. Is there a method you go through to determine a new and unique topic or does it just come to you?
Well, fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) that’s just the way my brain ticks. It’s always a different path that leads me there, but it starts with seeing trends or issues that I think bear a more in-depth look. As a blogger, I don’t just want to be a linking guru — I want to take a story and add something of value to it. I really only get to tackle a very small portion of the ideas I come up with.
Q.9 – We know that you believe Sidney Crosby is undeserving of the Rookie of the Month award for October. If you could decide who wins the Calder Trophy for their performances thus far, who would you pick and why?
Whew, I bet the voters are glad they don’t have to pick now. You know, I think people have started to peg me as a Crosby ‘hater’ from the tone of a few of my posts, but that’s certainly not the case. And, in the weeks since the end of October, he’s certainly climbed the list of top rookies.
So far, I think Dion Phaneuf is the league’s top rookie. It’s probably going to be very tough for him to win the award, being that the intangibles he brings are far greater than his offensive output, but so far, he’s been one of the best defensemen in the league. It’s something I’ve rarely seen a rookie blueliner do.
Q.10 – How would you describe a blog to someone who’s never heard of the concept before and how would you differentiate it from journalism (ie. print or broadcast media)?
Considering I’m rather new to the whole phenomenon, I’m not entirely sure I’d be the best person to do describe a blog. I guess I’d say it’s a continually updated ‘log’ on any given topic — but that hardly does justice to how malleable the medium is.
As for your second question… I think a lot of people, especially in the mainstream media, don’t give enough credit to blogs as a potential form of journalism. At their best, blogs can certainly be journalism. The main difference is that a blog is, in most cases, a medium that doesn’t have a dedicated editing and fact-checking process. (And, even then, there are those that do have an editing process that posts go through.)
Newspapers are starting to take note of blogs, as evidence by sites like the Toronto Star’s The Hockey Page and what The Globe and Mail is trying to do with veteran hockey reporter Eric Duhatschek. By creating somewhat of a community, linking to other similar blogs and allowing discussion, The Star has got the hang of it a bit better than my employer, but both can be vastly improved as the industry gets a better handle on how to make the medium work (and make it profitable).
Q.11 – What are your thoughts on the recent trade of Sergei Federov to the Columbus Blue Jackets?
I actually have the St. Louis-Columbus game on now where Fedorov is playing his first game. The Blue Jackets broadcast team sure loves the move (they said he is among the league’s top one per cent of players, something I doubt at age 35).
At the heart of it, the trade is really a story of two desperate teams, teams that I think made mistakes going into this season. Tying up $8.75-million salary, nearly 25 per cent of the team’s payroll, in the Niedermayer brothers was not a good move by Ducks GM Brian Burke. On the Blue Jackets’ side, I’ve long been critical of GM Doug MacLean’s team-building strategy. Finding things he’s done right with that franchise is difficult.
The one thing I wonder is: Is Columbus with Fedorov and minus Todd Marchant and Tyler Wright that much better than the team that’s currently 5-13-0? As I understand it, Fedorov has two more years at $6-million per on his contract, meaning he’ll be 38 years old by the deal’s end. It’s a tad optimistic to think he’ll be a big contributor at that point.
Q.12 – When did you attend your first hockey game and who was playing?
I went to Blazers games in the old Memorial Arena as a kid, watching guys like hometown hero Mark Recchi and pint-sized defenceman Greg Hawgood tear up the WHL. The first NHL game I saw was at the Canucks’ old Pacific Coliseum when I was 13 or 14. It was a 6-3 loss to the LA Kings and was made all the more disappointing by the absence of the then-injured Wayne Gretzky.
Q.13 – What team do you find to be the most exciting to watch this year?
I’ll pick a team that probably not a lot of people have seen this year in the LA Kings. Their top line of Alex Frolov-Craig Conroy-Pavol Demitra has been every bit as potent the past month as the three fellows on an unnamed Canadian club. Jason LaBarbera and Mathieu Garon are an underrated pairing in net, and I love the play from hardnosed guys on defence like Mattias Norstrom and Aaron Miller. There are even a trio of fantastic youngsters on the club in Dustin Brown, Tim Gleason and Mike Cammalleri. This is going to be a good team this year and in the future.
Q.14 – If you could change one thing about the NHL, what would it be?
I know it’s an old argument, but the league really should have fewer teams and fewer games played.
Bring the NHL back to 24 to 26 teams, including two more Canadian clubs (Winnipeg and a second Toronto franchise), and take the number of games down close to 70.
I love seeing pockets of fans in places like Minnesota that have the same passion for the game that I grew up with. That’s a great example of a place hockey never should have left, and it should serve as a lesson for the league. Going back to Winnipeg would right a similar wrong.
Q.15 – Is there a hockey blog or site that you look up to for inspiration?
I’ll have to be honest — prior to December, 2004, I’d never read a hockey blog. It was only once I started one myself and wanted to improve what I was doing that I ventured into the eccentric circle of hockey blogdom of which I’m now proudly a part of.
The first two hockey blogs I began reading regularly are still my two favourites — Eric McErlain’s Off Wing Opinion and Tom Benjamin at Canucks Corner.
The real keys for those two are that they’re both very intelligent, both love the game and are both fiercely dedicated to their blogs. I know that probably sounds terribly, horribly geeky to anyone from outside ‘the circle,’ but I wouldn’t be speaking amiss if I said those guys love what they’re doing. Like anyone who creates anything — a musician, an artist, a filmmaker — it’s the labours of love that produce the best work. I can’t begin to imagine how much time either guy dedicates to their site. But, hey, it shows.
This response is getting rather long, but I’m really, really intrigued (and pleased) to see a hockey blog like the one the Toronto Star has put together. I think the general public has the idea that journalism and those that produce it are creating a sort of staid, serious product — the stuff that fills the bundle of paper on your stoop every morning. The thing that The Hockey Page does is that it shows a) that journalists can and will adapt to use their talents in new forms and b) that the mainstream media is starting to learn the ‘power of the blog.’
Tom Benjamin said he was surprised a newspaper could produce a good blog — so perhaps the best thing about The Hockey Page is that it’s changing that notion for people. The industry has still got a long way to go before we see the full breadth of what can be done with the medium, but at least we’re getting off the starting blocks.
I hope the endeavour is a huge success for the Star, and that other papers will ‘seek out’ the commodity that is a good blogger. And there I’ll be, sitting on the sports desk.
Any additional comments?
Some silly souls have nominated me for three different Canadian Blog Awards, so I’ll just mention that and ask that some of my readers send a few votes my way as to prevent an embarrassing turnout at the polls.
This is a good thing that you do Christy. My thoughts may require the services of a good editor, but thanks for having me along nonetheless.
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One Response to “Behind the Blog: James Mirtle”
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November 28th, 2005 at 5:54 pm
As a regular reader of James Mirtle, I really enjoyed this interview. You did a fine job, Christy.