What else is a laid-off sports reporter to do?
Mark Zuckerman, who covered the Washington Nationals baseball team for The Washington Times and got canned with the rest of the paper’s sports section, said he hopes to cover spring training after all, and he’s asking for donations.
“It occurred to me that the only way to cover a team and really serve the readers and give them the quality coverage they are looking for is to be there,” the staff writer-turned-freelancer told Yeas & Nays.
Zuckerman, who started the blog Nats Insider last week, made the case Monday for why he should head to Florida alongside the team.
“You’ve all made it clear you want comprehensive coverage of the Nats, the kind that’s hard to find elsewhere on the web,” he wrote. “So I’ve decided to make the trek down to Viera, Fla., later this month and join pitchers and catchers when they report to Space Coast Stadium for a six-week camp that’s sure to boast all kinds of significant storylines,” he continued.
Because the blog isn’t a full-time gig, Zuckerman said he hopes his readers will foot the $5,000 he thinks it will cost if he drives down to training camp and stays in cheapie hotels. Donors will get perks, too.
For $20 Zuckerman is offering an “exclusive” daily audio file of Nationals manager Jim Riggleman’s morning or postgame session with reporters. For a $60 donation, readers get the audio file, another daily audio file with a Nats player or other big head, and the opportunity to submit a question to Riggleman or a prominent player.
The pledge drive will last until Feb. 17. As of press time on Monday night, Zuckerman had raised $2,365.49.
