ChicagoNow’s Jimmy Greenfield says bloggers have to want to blog

Jimmy Greenfield, senior community manager of Chicagonow says the website was created for people who weren't reading the Chicago Tribune.

“So Chicagonow is coming up about five years old. ... It was created as a way to capitalize on, initially this large group of people who we thought maybe wasn't reading the Tribune,” Greenfield said.

Chicagonow is a website that allows journalists or talented writers to express their opinions on various topics, Greenfield said. Last month ChicagoNow reached 11 million pages views and became the biggest Tribune website, he said.

“We soft launch in May of 2009 and our official launch was in August of that year,” he said.

Greenfield said ChicagoNow started out recruiting and monitoring bloggers, but eventually opened its site to people who wanted to market themselves, he said.

“We started out with about six blogs or so. We grew to 20 and then we realized … it wasn’t something we needed to control,” Greenfield said.

Greenfield says he looks for bloggers who are not only serious but also passionate about their topic.

“I look at the person’s interest and passion and idea far more than the topic,” he said.

Over the years Greenfield said he learned about the types of bloggers.

“There are two kinds of bloggers, there are bloggers who blog and there are bloggers who don’t blog,” he said.

As a sports fan, Greenfield said the best sports blogger are those who are opinionated and dig deep into their team.

“You can’t be afraid of taking on the manager. You can't be afraid of taking on other columnists in the news,” Greenfield said.

“What I look for are people who analyze what’s happening within the team, are writing about events, giving their opinion about it and aren’t afraid to give their opinion,” he said.

One thing Greenfield suggests sports bloggers not do is emulate a sports writer or a beat writer, he said. That’s being done, Greenfield said.

“As far as blogging goes, write a blog that is not doing what everyone else is doing,” Greenfield said. The goal is to gain credibility and become a commodity that people value, he said.

With sports being a 24-hour cycle, Greenfield said there’s always something to post and a sports blogger should never say, ‘There’s nothing to write about.’ Stuff happens all the time and a blogger can publish five times a day, he said.

“There is no limit to what you can write about in any sport, especially baseball during the season,” he said.

Greenfield is knowledgeable about baseball . In 1991 his first job was getting scores for the Chicago Sun-Times and writing small stories, he said. He also covered baseball for the Tribune in 1999 and he has covered the Chicago White Sox for MLB.com in 2002, he said.

His love for baseball eventually led him to write a book, he said.

“I wrote a book a couple of years ago called ‘100 Things Cubs Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’,” Greenfield said.

Greenfield encourages every blogger to build a social media audience, especially on Facebook, he said.

“Twitter is a lot fun and it’s great, but it’s so hard to ... turn into a traffic driver,” Greenfield said.

“As far as putting your blog in front of people: Focus on Facebook, for sure,” he said

The online recruiting form: Q&A with baseball Coach Steve Marchi

Steve Marchi is the head baseball coach at Roosevelt University. Marchi is entering his fourth season and he credited as being the first head baseball in school history. Marchi is a former graduate of Roosevelt and looking forward to build a winning program.  

Q: Can I have your permission to use this interview for possible on-air or Internet use?

A: Yes. 

Q: Can you spell you first and last name for me?

A: Steve Marchi.

Q: Can you identify your title and how you would like to be identified?  

A: Head Baseball Coach, Coach Marchi is fine.

Q: What culture are you trying to bring to Roosevelt’s baseball program and athletics in general?

A: Respect, Honesty, Accountability, and Leadership. 

Q: In your time here have you accomplished that goal?

A: It is a never-ending work in progress. 

Q: Being that recruiting is essential to all college athletics, what are some characteristics traits, or attitudes you look for in recruits?

A: Baseball ability, baseball knowledge, grades, character. 

Q: If a potential recruit lacks in one of the areas you value, will you still recruit him?

A: Sometime, each case is unique. 

Q: Are you familiar with the recruiting form online? If so, explain what it’s used for and how it helps the recruiting process?

A: Yes. Gathering information that allows us to start the vetting process. 

Q: The form requires recruits to give information such as their social media names, parent’s college information and exact ACT scores (Math, Reading, Science and English). Do you feel all of this information is necessary?  

A: Yes.  It gives us an idea of how prepared a student might be and it also helps to show us how interested a recruit might truly be. 

Q: Do you feel some of the information asked on the form is inappropriate or discriminative? 

A: No. 

Q: So if a recruit’s parents didn’t go to college or came from an adverse background would you take a chance on him?

A: Yes. In reality, every recruit is a “chance.”

Q: As the recruiting season continues, what are you looking to accomplish?

A: We have very specific needs from year to year. Next year’s class should be 10-12 new student athletes. Our biggest needs right now are infield and pitching.  We are old in both of those areas.

Failed student turned Olympian gets coaching job

Starting out at a college is a big deal, says Samuel Vazquez, new head track and field coach at Roosevelt University. He said usually starting out at a high school or in some cases volunteering is the typical way in coaching.

“Having the reigns of my own team is a huge accomplishment,” said Vazquez.

Vazquez qualified in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:55 for Puerto Rico in the London 2012 Olympics. Being an Olympian definitely enhanced his chances at getting Roosevelt's head-coaching job, he said.

But it wasn’t always perfect for Vazquez. He said growing up was a struggle and he always wanted a better life. He found that through athletics, he said.

Vazquez said he received a Division I scholarship to the University of Arkansas where he was an All-American and national champion. His lack of focus caused him to fail his first year. It took some time for him to realize school was important, Vazquez said. 

“Went there just for athletics, didn’t really care about academics and I’ve paid the price,” he said.

Eventually, Vazquez earned his business degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he said.

He shares his experiences and tells students like him that getting back in school can open up opportunities.

“You got to get back to school. That’s the most important thing,” Vazquez said.

Now that he’s in a leadership role, he said, he can mold kids like him. He says all they need is guidance.

“Not only am I a coach, I’m also a teacher. I’m a mentor, I’m a big brother … and I’m here to make sure they do good in school,” Vasquez said.

When it comes to recruiting, Vazquez said he’s looking for students like himself and feels kids who come from a harder background are a little tougher mentally.

“I’m kind of looking for athletes quite similar to myself,” he said.

“Somebody who is a fighter, somebody a go-getter, ... somebody that’s going to be in a race and give everything they have to achieve their goal.”

Vazquez is looking forward to making history in track and field during his first season at Roosevelt. He's also representing his country in Rio 2016 Olympics, he said.

“Puerto Rico knows I’m still training and I’m a coach here. … I think they’re really proud of me.”

Roosevelt U. athletic director Michael Cassidy on recruiting form: 'Just to start a conversation'

The online recruiting form is just a way to start a conversation with students, according to athletic director at Roosevelt University, Michael Cassidy.

“For us sometimes that can often lead to some great student athletes finding their way to Roosevelt, simply because they found that form and we’re able to get some basic information in our coach’s hands to start a conversation,” Cassidy said.

According to Cassidy the athletic department uses two Web-based programs called Scout Force and Sidhelp. The difference is Scout Force allows recruits to be put in a database while Sidhelp just sends email to coaches, he said.

“There are two different … platforms under that recruiting area,” he said.

“Some of our coaches use a service called Scout Force which is a separate kind of form.”

Cassidy also said some of the coaches tailor their information to what they deem is important. But he says he doesn’t feel any of the questions are inappropriate. The form requires students’ social media names, such as Twitter handles. He said it’s just another way to stay connected.

“Today, students … they will not pick up the phone if you call,” Cassidy said. “So we’re really trying to find as many vehicles … to connect with you.”

The form also asks for individual ACT scores in the four basic areas. English, math, reading and science scores are requested along with the total composite score. Cassidy said it is a way to evaluate where a student is academically and if he or she meets the admission requirement.

“We do not have any influence over the admission policy,” he said.

“The university has a minimum of a 18 composite ACT, minimum … 2.0 GPA requirement.”

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has strict rules about eligibility, according to Cassidy. The minimum is 12 credit hours and that doesn’t include remedial or developmental courses, he said.

“As a freshman … those courses do not count toward eligibility,” Cassidy said.

Those scores reveal the type of support or academic plan students may need to get off to a strong start, he said.

But none of these factors on the form eliminate a student from being recruited, Cassidy said. It’s just a method to start a conversation and the recruiting process, he said.

“Really … that is just an introductory template for our coaches. … nine out of 10 times they are out actually watching a kid,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy said this form is a path to directing student athletes to the best resources for success.

“I give everything we got. That’s including our time, our resources,” Cassidy said. 

Because of student athletes’ commitment and diligence, he said he wants to invest back in the students and provide them with the tools to reach graduation.

Banner drops, expectations rise for Lakers

Roosevelt University’s head women’s basketball Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells welcomes the pressure of expectations and wants to take the next step and mark as a team, she said last Saturday as her team dropped the first banner in school history.

While the focus was on celebrating the team making it to nationals last season, Coach Scherr-Wells focus was on the season opener that followed the ceremony.

“Well it's kind of a mixed bag because it’s exciting to celebrate what we did last season. But at the same time we really moved passed last season,” Scherr-Wells said.

“We’re really proud of what we've accomplished. And I hope that our Roosevelt community is very proud of us.”

Scherr-Wells said it’s fun to look back on their magical season, but the team has big goals this year and hopes to come back and repeat. Her excitement for the season has rubbed off on senior guard Casey Davis said the team has been preparing for this moment since the summer.

“Ah, man, we’re very anxious. We’re excited to be here for our first game. … We have been preparing for this since August,” Davis said.

According to rooseveltlakers.com, Davis has been apart of the basketball program since it debuted three years ago. She was recruited by Scherr-Wells and has been through the down years when the team posted only 13 wins.

Davis said it is rewarding to see progress over the years and it feels good for others to honor the team’s success.

“It’s just a great feeling considering where we came from and what we went through to get here,” she said.

Although women’s basketball isn’t as popular as the men’s game, Davis said the Lakers' success is changing that impression.

“I think its does a lot for women’s basketball. … I think it really puts us out there. … I think it will help a lot in general,” she said.

Even though Davis is honored to represent women’s basketball, she said it means more having Roosevelt’s name across her chest.