With the changes in the Conclave roster, it seemed a good time to let you, our readers, know a little bit more about the guys that you are reading, whether they are coming over from The Redbird Daily or have been a part of the Conclave for a while. So I (Daniel Shoptaw, also known as Cardinal70) thought I’d ask a few questions of these writers. Enjoy!
Blogger: Josh Gilliam
Blog Name: 1892 On Through/Pitchers Hit Eighth
Twitter: aprfool79
Daniel: For those that don’t know, who is Josh Gilliam outside of his blogger life?
Josh: My family means everything to me, so I guess the easiest answer is just that. I am a family man who puts them above my own needs, sometimes to the detriment of my body and sanity (which could describe many of the jobs I have held since the military). I currently am in the people business at a hotel and thankfully still get to chat about the Cardinals more than my boss probably likes.
Daniel: I know that you’ve done all sorts of things in your work career. No matter what you are doing, is it the draw of being around people that makes it something that interests you?
Josh: Over the years I have found that face-to-face interaction is something I do enjoy and customers are always different. I have lived with ADD my entire life and learned to control it by being as busy as possible!
Daniel: What made you get into blogging in the first place?
Josh: I have always been a writer and actually was a full-time sports writer at 18. For those curious about it, I don’t recommend having your dream job when you are that young, but everything truly does happen for a reason. I actually got into blogging after my final deployment to Iraq which actually overlapped the 2006 World Series
and set the stage for what has been a completely satisfying decade plus of what my wife used to call my ‘constructive distraction’ from the real world.
Daniel: Where did you write full-time back those many years ago?
Josh: I grew up right in the middle of Cards/Cubs fandom though the local team was not an affiliate of either at the time of course. The Quad Cities was not the most exciting place to grow up but did have two daily newspapers that I wrote for from the time I was 17 until leaving for the military. The QC Times still has the same trio of writers from my time there which is crazy!
Daniel: Being in Iraq must have given you a different perspective on the ’06 postseason run. Is it easier to take losses in stride when you are in such a dangerous environment?
Josh: Easiest answer for you was to look at the ’04 run while my first deployment was ongoing. That postseason was much more frustrating given it was new but also due to having multiple Boston fans in my unit.
Daniel: What do you think has been the highlight of your blogging career so far?
Josh: By far the best part of our hobby has been the UCB outings when we all get a chance to connect outside of the computer. One in particular stands out. I got to ask Mo a question about Carlos Martinez, who was still in Springfield at the time. I had tickets to take my Dad to see him pitch and was informed by the GM in so many words that I had better hurry. As so often happens, Martinez was called up before I made the trek down the I-44.
Daniel: What do you like most about being a Cardinal fan? What do you like most about the online Cardinal community, which would include Twitter, blogs, podcasts, and the like?
Josh: For me personally I have grown away from the online community except to get updates as well as learn when new articles go up at the Conclave. I have no set work schedule and honestly wouldn’t know what to do if I did so that makes keeping up online difficult to say the least. I also found it to be very negative at times the past five or
so years, with the exception being podcasts which I still enjoy. I read as many of the blogs as I get a chance to but talking about the Cardinals will never get old to me. I have a few regular guests who stop in Joplin and have that passion for the Birds on the Bat. Those interactions are what being a fan is all about. The good, bad, and
more times than not ugly never stop the love that we share for the team under the Arch.
Daniel: You note that your schedule is very fluid at times and it makes it hard to sit down at 7:15 pm and watch a game. Do you think that hurts in really understanding the team or do you think the other avenues of information helps mitigate that?
Josh: Well, I could probably watch more if I really wanted to but prefer to listen to them as it is easier to tune out and turn off…
To be completely honest, the snowball impact of the last few summers has driven me away from caring as much about the St. Louis team. I focus on the minors as it truly still catches my limited attention as I can always check on the scores whenever I do get a chance.
Daniel: What do you like about writing at the Conclave?
Josh: This question would be easier to answer if I had the time to dedicate regularly to the site, but probably dabbling in many different areas. I have called PH8 home as well as the Prospect Preacher label for as
long as I can remember, so the best answer has to be I have the freedom to put up quality posts in many different areas. I typically stick to the Minors these days but have had the itch lately to cover more baseball in general as well which I will do under the 1892 On Through banner from now on!
Josh is one of the few bloggers that has actually visited my very humble abode as we watched Jaime Garcia pitch against the Brewers in the 2011 playoffs. He’s a good friend and I enjoy when he has time to get a thought or two posted!
