Our SB Nation Baltimore Orioles community Camden Chat recently took the time to interview Jeff Zrebiec, who covers the Orioles for the Baltimore Sun.
Here is a sampling of the interview:
What's a typical day at Spring Training like for a reporter? How much access do you have to players and staff during the day? How much of your access is "organized" (pressers) vs. "beat reporting" (finding players on your own around the complex and around town)? I get to the complex at about 7:45 a.m. because the clubhouse is open from 8 to 9 a.m. Once the clubhouse closes, I do a little work (transcribe interviews, plan interviews, work on stories or notebooks, etc.) for about an hour in the media trailer and then I head out to the fields to watch the workout/batting practice. The media has about a 10-minute pregame meeting with manager Dave Trembley and then after batting practice, we have another 45 minutes to an hour of clubhouse access. After that, we usually grab lunch and go up to the pressbox in time for the first pitch. Once the game is over, we meet again with Trembley and then the clubhouse opens again to the media if you need anybody else. After that, I head back to the media trailer and write my stories for the day. Obviously, this can change depending on the game time and location, but that's generally the typical day once the Grapefruit League season starts. Aside from the group interviews with Trembley, most of the interviews are done on an individual basis.