This week’s Tuesday Blogversation is with Seth Johnston. I found it a little odd that a person currently living in Minnesota could possibly think writing about the Portland Trailblazers is a good idea. He decided to humor me in my quest to figure this out. Thanks Seth!
Seth Johnston (Deceptively Quick | bustabucket | twitter) is an Oregon native currently living in Minnesota for educational purposes (Masters of Human Resources at the University of Minnesota). He’s been contributing to Bust A Bucket since August of 2009 and on his own creation, Deceptively Quick, since 2007.
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You’re living in Timberwolves country. Why blog about the Blazers?
That comes with being from Oregon. The Trailblazers are the only major professional sports team we have in that state so the franchise is a big deal to the people there and I’m no exception. There are some Oregon-Timberwolves connections; T’Wolves GM David Kahn is from Portland, as is current player Kevin Love.
Have you been to a Timberwolves game?
I’ve made it to a few Timberwolves games this season. I wrote about my adventures there once and it was one of the least nice things I’ve ever written. Somewhere along the line I referred to attending a T’Wolves game at the Target Center as a pseudo-NBA experience, which is a bit harsh. The Timberwolves are just in a bad place right now but hopefully can get things turned around. They have some nice pieces and seem to be moving along with the rebuilding process. At least you have other sports teams to cheer for in the mean time.
Being new to the area, what are some of your favorite places to visit?
I’m enjoying exploring the Twin Cities and am always on the lookout for new things to do. I have a handful of places that I go to eat at over and over again: Black Sheep Pizza, Pho 79, Bun Mi, and Kulan (Yelp). For coffee I like going to Spyhouse or The Beat. There are quite a few cool bars here and I have never been in a city with better happy hours. You can also grab a paper copy of The Onion for free pretty much anywhere here, which blows my non-Minnesota friends away with it’s awesomeness.
I’m also a fan of getting to know the area by just wandering around. It seems like any direction I go I come across a lake or park to hang out at. If you or your readers have suggestions I’d love to hear them, as long as I can get there by public transportation since my current car is invisible.
How did you get started blogging?
I started a Blazers blog called DeceptivelyQuick (which is still sporadically updated, contrary to popular belief) a million internet years ago (2007) when there were significantly less people doing the sports blog thing. I started that site just to have an outlet for my basketball thoughts and general weirdness. I gradually found a style that I think works for me. My formula is to use uneven writing quality, obscure basketball references, and jokes that most people don’t like.
How did you get started writing with Bustabucket?
I was never even close to being one of the best Blazers bloggers out there. I just hung around and kept doing my thing. Eventually DeceptivelyQuick built a decent readership for a blog that’s banner logo features a poorly photo shopped image of Brandon Roy’s head on Johnny 5′s body (See Exhibit A). It isn’t for every Blazers fan, let alone anyone else, but it’s fun for me. The place has been linked to by most of the mainstream sports blogs at one time or another, which is a little ridiculous.
Late last summer, around the same time I moved to Minnesota, Matt Scheelar from Bustabucket asked if I would be interested in writing with them. It was too cool of an invitation to pass up. DeceptivelyQuick was all it was ever going to be at that point so taking on something new felt right. I was a regular Bustabucket reader and was excited to join their team. They appeal to a lot of NBA fans and are a talented and dedicated bunch. The growth of that site is no surprise. I’m happy to be a small part of it.
Exhibit A
What was your favorite interaction through your writing?
The people I’ve met along the way. My favorite example of this is my relationship with basketball in Finland. The Blazers once drafted a Finnish guy, who may or may not play in the NBA some day, and it seemed so random and obscure that I was sucked in immediately. As I wrote about this guy more and more, people from Finland started e-mailing me here and there. One of these guys is a Finnish writer that became probably my best friend that I’ve never met in real life. His name is Mikko Taatila (he goes by “Hippo” in the blog world) and he keeps me updated on Finnish-related basketball things to this day, which I pass along to anyone willing to listen. English is not his native language but he’s both funnier and better at writing with it than I am, which makes me feel pathetic. I blame our educational system.
Mikko introduced me to an American that plays professional basketball in Finland by the name of Akeem Scott. He’s this amazingly entertaining person on and off the court. Now that most of my Blazers stuff goes to Bustabucket, Akeem is pretty much the main focus of DeceptivelyQuick, which makes me happy.
I never would have come across these people and many others without blogging. It can be rewarding like that. I keep following my interests and these fun and unexpected things (like this interview!) pop up from time to time.
What other blogs do you read?
Quite a few, I think every person in Portland has a Blazers blog at this point, and a lot of them are pretty good. I try to keep up with as many of them as I can. Some of the ones in heavy rotation include BlazersEdge, which is the Sun of the Blazers blog Universe. Rip City Project is a standout, as is Beyond the Beat. I want to shout out Knee Jerk NBA, who I think is sort of a spiritual cousin to DeceptivelyQuick. Sorry to all my people that I left out, I know there’s a lot of you.
What tips can you give new bloggers?
Keep writing and reaching out to others. Write enough and you’ll find your own unique groove eventually. Bloggers are usually passionate and enjoy meeting those with similar interests, so don’t hesitate to try and connect with anyone. Also, it’s helpful if you don’t expect to get paid.
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Tuesday Blogversation is a weekly series on iamdez.com featuring bloggers of all kinds from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / Saint Paul) area. If you’d like to be considered for an interview please send mail to dez [at] iamdez [dot] com or get ahold of me on twitter.
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Thanks Dez, it was a lot of fun. I feel more like a real Twin Cities person already.