posted by Douglass C. Perry
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Carolyn Hastings, known by many BallHype users as the personality behind “And One,” has a charming way about her. The sports stories she writes espouse a writing style that’s casual and fluid, but succinct and infused with personality. One feels that by reading her musings one can see clear through to a genuine love for the game.
As part of our new Blogger Profile series, we’ve interviewed Hastings, who began And One in December 2007, to see what makes her tick. She slyly sent us this picture of her dog, Fairfax, the Beagle who "grew up with basketball" and is mentioned many times in And One. Why a picture of her dog? According to Hastings, "I do treasure my anonymity."
Why does she love the Cavaliers so? Why does she use modern and classic art with some of her stories (instead, of you know, LBJ dunks)? And who are her favorite athletes?
BallHype: What was your original goal in starting your blog? Have you achieved it?
BallHype: Your blog focuses on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Were they always your favorite? (If not who else was a fav?) When did you first get hooked?
Carolyn Hastings: The Cleveland Cavaliers were my first love. I fell for them at a difficult time in my life. During a lengthy and painful recovery from a nasty jaw surgery, I turned to the NBA playoffs as a distraction. Not being a basketball fan at the time, I figured the games would either distract me from the pain or put me to sleep; either state would have been welcome. Instead, I found myself unable to avert my eyes, unable to sleep and trying to shout “Shoot, Boobie, Shoot” without disturbing my stitches.
BallHype: What kind of relationship do you have with the city of Cleveland, the Cavs, and the sport of basketball?
Carolyn Hastings: I am first and foremost a fan. Not a native of Cleveland, but a happy émigré.
BallHype: It’s interesting to see you use a lot of modern art on your site. Nice pictures, but what’s that all about?
Carolyn Hastings: So many aspects of life overlap. Watching a beautifully choreographed play perfectly executed; listening to Leon Fleischer play Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; feeling your heart stop the first time you see a Kandinsky – I find it hard to separate one art form from the next.
BallHype: How long have you been writing your blog? What are some sites that inspired you?
Carolyn Hastings: And One and I began our journey in December of 2007. More than Web sites or blogs, my inspiration came from the people I met in the blogosphere. Kellex asking me why I had set out to destroy BallHype; Mizzo’s uncountable kindnesses; Ethan Jaynes, Tariq Ali, Cherie Lampley, Dee Brown and Apryl DeLancey allowing me to write for them; AEM’s passion for his Tar Heels; Jeff Sack’s unflagging support when I was too sad/tired/busy/angry to write; Mookie offering a glimpse into the faraway world of Aussie bball; and countless others.
BallHype: What are the general reactions from your friends, family and coworkers?
Carolyn Hastings: Reactions have been overwhelmingly supportive, once they get over the shock of learning I write about sports.
BallHype: I recently read your mid-season assessment of the Cavaliers on bleacherreport. After having posted that story, do you have any additions or changes you would like to make public?
Carolyn Hastings: No.
BallHype: Do you have any "super" fans? Tell us a little about what makes them “super.”
Carolyn Hastings: All of my fans are super. And I am their biggest fan.
BallHype: What is the best experience that has come out of your blog or Website?
Carolyn Hastings: Meeting people all over the world who share my passion for the sport and who enrich my life with their own unique talents.
BallHype: How do you promote your blog? And what type of publicity have you received?
Carolyn Hastings: I have yet to meet a networking site I didn’t join on the spot. As with most blogs, I interact with a network of other online writers. We support each other, link to each other and recruit new readers for each other.
BallHype: Have you been published elsewhere? Do you write for other blogs?
Carolyn Hastings: I have been a writer for most of my life. In the past, I have published poetry, short fiction, essays and corporate newsletters. I have written for Cavs News, Women Like Sports, Sports Diva Magazine, Cavs Court, NESW Sports.
I’ve even been paid occasionally. But never have I experienced as much personal satisfaction as I have from writing And One.
The freedom of blogging is exhilarating. Writing whatever you want, whenever you want; the immediacy of posting a piece, which can be instantly read all over the world. I highly recommend it.
BallHype: In your opinion, which sport has the funniest bloggers?
Carolyn Hastings: I’m not qualified to assess the relative humor of non-basketball bloggers—all I know is that I am constantly amused by blogger friends new and old of all sport persuasions.
BallHype: If you had to pick your single favorite athlete, who would it be and why?
Carolyn Hastings: If I had to pick my single favorite athlete, I would have to abstain on principle. I can narrow it down to three—LBJ in basketball, Roger Federer in tennis and my childhood hero, Bobby Murcer.
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mookie A great interview with a fantastic and talented person. If you can't appreciate And One, you simply don't have taste -- there, I said it!
I'm flattered at the mention, Carolyn.
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newsboy1956 Mookie you stated it succinctly and far better than I could have, I also am flattered at the mention Carolyn. It's very easy to be supportive of not only a quality writer, but more importantly a quality human being!
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sports2debate Doug, great feature. I will be reading every single one of your interviews...
Carolyn, great interview...our Sports2Debate interview with Doug will not be able to compete with yours...very nice responses :) And we need to catch up soon!
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AEM Great interview of a great person. In other words, great idea by a great site.
I am honored to have been mentioned by a blogger/blog to is light years ahead of mine.
AEM
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Patrick Carolyn is a distinct and welcomed voice in the NBA blogging community. Glad to finally find out why she started And One. -
TheProgram That was the best part.....the why.
Great interivew of a great blogger!!
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oubobcat6 Good people, always! -
WithMalice Excellent stuff!
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airdisch My hero.
BallHype Wants to Know
Sports Network: cleveland.com —
BallHype Wants to Know Posted by Carolyn February 06, 2009 20:12PM [image] BallHype tried to trick me into revealing And One's secrets. Results are here. Print This Page Print | Send To A Friend Send To A Friend | Permalink (Learn More) Share: Reddit | Digg | del.icio.us | Google | Yahoo | What is this? COMMENTS (0) Post a comment Username (Don't Have a Username? Sign up here ): Password: Remember Me Welcome back, ! Comments: (you may use HTML ...
The Glory Lines 2/7/2009
No Guts, No Glory —
It's time for the daily linkage. You know the drill, here's some stories from around the 'net that we like and you SHOULD too! Richard Zednik Goal Of The Year Against Islanders (Total Pro Sports) Baseball Tonight: The Finer Things Club (Sharapova's Thigh) Lewis Open To Change (My Sports Rumors) BallHype Spotlight on “And One” (BallHype) Celtics Lakers: These Are The Good Old Days (Josh Q. Public) Video - Lane Kiffin Comments on Urban Meyer, Florida Cheating | Kiffin Apology (Midwest ...
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