BTB Interview: Trenni Kusnierek

It's the All-Star break until the Crew starts beating up on the Giants in San Fran tomorrow evening, so let's kick off the second half of the season with an interview conducted with everyone's favorite FSN North employee, Trenni Kusnierek.



BTB-What's your favorite aspect of Miller Park?
TK-The roof! After living/working in Pittsburgh (ie: Seattle East) for five years, I've really learned to appreciate the value of a dome. Plus, it is the best of both worlds since it is retractable.

BTB-What's your favorite stadium on the road?
TK-My favorite stadium on the road is Coors Field in Denver. It is a gorgeous new stadium right in the heart of downtown. The atmosphere in and around the park make going to games a ton of fun.

BTB-Least fave?
TK-The worst is the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The outfield looks like an advertiser threw up all over--way too many billboards and junk. It is a difficult stadium to find your way around and the food is the worst in the league.

BTB-What's your approach with a difficult interviewee?
TK- To be honest, I haven't really had a lot of "difficult" interviews. After the Brewers lost to the Cubs in late April (the score resembled a Bears v Packers game) I had to try and find a player to talk after spending four hours on the field. Ryan Theriot agreed to talk, but I could tell he didn't want to. His answers were short, but in those instances, you make sure to stick with who, what, where, why, and how--pretty hard to say yes or no when forced to explain. If I can tell a guy is uncomfortable, I just try to keep the questions simple and short and make sure to thank him a number of times right after and again the next day so he knows I truly appreciated sticking around when he didn't have to.

BTB-Seems like everyone wants to be in sports media these days. Any advice for them?
TK- For a young, budding journalist--work hard. Work very, very hard. Obviously sports journalism isn't neurosurgery, but it is difficult, time consuming, and life altering. You work holidays, weekends, week nights, etc... and can go weeks without getting a day off. Most people in my business (print or television) start in small cities making very little money and only move up based on what they're willing to give to the job. If you want to be respected in this field, you have to prove you're willing to do the grunt work and really know your stuff. Just because you have a job, doesn't mean anyone trusts what you are saying or writing.

BTB-Who's the biggest jokester in the Crew's clubhouse?
TK- Hmmm...I'm going to say Prince is the biggest jokester. He's always goofing around and keeping everyone around him loose--even in the dugout and on the field.

BTB-What are your keys for the Crew in the second half for the team to play into October?
TK- In order for the Brewers to make a real run at the post season, the starting pitching needs to stay as consistent as they've been in the last month. It is no coincidence the offense has woken up around the same time. Both are undoubtedly tied together in the long run. Will there be some days when the score is 10-8 or 2-1? Of course. But over the long haul, if your pitching is good everything else falls into place.