5 minutes with : With Malice

Next up in our series of "Blogger interviews" is Don from "With Malice". Don resides in Japan so it comes as no surprise that he also adds the Asian/Japanese sports mix to his coverage, something that I find very interesting.

So, if you ever what it must be like to be a sports blogger in Japan...well, here ya go.

The facts...

Name: Don
Age: 40
Occupation: Language Consultant
Location: Japan
Favorite teams: Chunichi Dragons, Seattle Mariners, Miami Dolphins, LA Lakers, ACT Brumbies, Wallabies, Hawthorn Hawks… and the ‘Wings I guess.


How much time do you spend on an average day working on your blog and checking up on stories from other blogs?

Hell… at least a few hours every day. Maybe 2-3? Sometimes more…


How long have you been "blogging" and how did it all start?

I started only 7 weeks ago or so… June 1 was my starting date. That day, I saw Pyle of List’s ‘Kill Buss' and just thought ‘wow…’ - at the bottom of the page was a wordpress link – and that’s how it all started.


You live in Japan obviously. Are you the only sports blogger there that you know of..or are there others that also blog about sports and about American sports??

I am sure that there other sports bloggers here, lots of expats from all over the world… but as yet, I’m the only ‘mainstream’ blog that I’ve found. Kind of bizarre I guess – I’m not even American (I’m Australian).


The Japanese sports recaps bring a very interesting aspect to your site. Tell us some interesting fact about the Japanese sports world that we probably don't know.

Sumo. Not just big fat guys. They are REALLY strong. The weight issue is because the bigger they are, the lower their center of gravity is, and that makes them harder to tip over. Believe it or not, it’s quite interesting to go to a "basho" (tournament). My mother’s visiting at the moment (my wife & I recently had a baby boy – so this is grandma’s first meeting with him), so I’m going to take her to a sumo basho on Friday.


Which writers out there inspire you in the way you write?

JP & Lunchbox at Pyle of List… S2N at Signal To Noise… Ryan McNeill at Hoops Addict… Dave at Dave’s football Blog… Chimpanzee Rage at Deuce of Davenport… and a non-sports blogger, Raincoaster (blog of the same name).


Give me three of your posts that you are the most proud of.

Ouch… ummm… that’s difficult…I really liked the interview I did with Australian Beach Volleyballer Angela Crew – she’s a great girl, the comparison between 70s TV & the NBA was fun… and I kinda like the A-Rod bit I recently did. I think I’ve got a way to go as far as establishing a ‘style’ that I consistently like…


Funniest/Best/Most memorable post on some one else's blog...

Without a doubt, the afore-mentioned Kill Buss on Pyle of List. A watershed moment for me… a revelation.


Which are some of your favorite blogs out there to read?

Pyle of List, Signal to Noise, Hoops Addict & Milk was a bad choice… were the first blogs I started reading. Then Deuce of Davenport, Winning the Turnover Battle, Ladies…, Dave’s Football Blog, Sons of Sam Malone, & just recently I’ve started reading Kissing Suzy Kolber – I cannot believe that I’ve taken so long to get to that (KSK). Non-sports blogs, Raincoaster & EdithYeung.com are two blogs I frequent.


Best thing about living in Japan.

The culture’s pretty awesome… and I think that if I moved back to Australia tomorrow, the thing I’d miss the most is the internet speeds (sounds crazy, I know). But I’m on fibre-optic here, and Australia’s only just hitting ADSL. Hell, my brother who lives in the country is still on dial-up!


Not so nice thing about living in Japan (if that even exists)

It does… it’s rare, but every now & then you meet with folks treating you with a lil’ bit of … trepidation. Many people here have never even spoken to a foreigner, and when they do, sometimes they can be a bit nervous. Sometimes what we don’t understand can be treated negatively. Like everywhere else, that happens here too.


You can spend a day with 1 athlete. Who do you choose?

That… is tough – working on the assumption that it’s a current Athlete, and I cannot choose Magic Johnson. Probably Shaq. I think that’d be a lot of fun.


Best sports memory (all time favorite moment in sports)

As a fan, without a doubt going to the 1989 AFL Grand Final (between Hawthorn & Geelong). Still regarded today as the best AFL (or as it was formerly known, the VFL) Grand Final ever. As a player, winning the division 2 State League Volleyball Men’s championship (in about 1992).


Worst sports memory...

I think at some point I realized that athletes cheat. The 1988 Olympics, when Ben Johnson got busted. Call me naïve, but until that point, it hadn’t really clicked that it was happening.


Suggestions for a future interview?

Seeing as you’ve already done JP & Lunchbox… Sports-bloggers… any of the girls at Ladies…, Dustyn at Sons of Sam Malone, S2N at Signal To Noise, UtesFan89 at Win or Go Home. Non-sports blog – Raincoaster at Raincoaster.


In the end, what do you want With Malice to be known for?

Egads… hopefully a good read, with maybe a touch of caustic wit, and a dash of Asian spice. Ok, ok… I’m working on ‘em!