Meet the Bloggers: Frozen Royalty
By Joe K
I am running a segment here at SoCal Sports Hub where I will be interviewing some of the best and brightest bloggers in all of Southern California. So, what’s the point of this little feature? Well, these guys spend countless hours writing and promoting their blogs so a little recognition is well-deserved. So without further ado, the third edition goes to one of our very own syndicated websites, Frozen Royalty.
1. The Breakdown
Name: Gann Matsuda
Age: 34
Location: Southern California
Education: UCLA alum
Occupation: IT/Networks
Favorite Teams: Bruins, covering the Kings
2. Where did the idea for Frozen Royalty come from?
I’ve been a fan of the Los Angeles Kings since the early 70’s. Grew up playing roller hockey as a kid and started following them way back when and have been doing so ever since…going on 35 years now. I began writing about the Kings back in 1986, first on the GEnie and National Videotex Network online services and then Apple’s ill-fated eWorld service. in the late 80’s, I also wrote game stories and news articles for various incarnations of the “LA Kings E-Mail List” and then in 1994, I became the news editor for the Online Kingdom, the first fan-based web site devoted to the Los Angeles Kings. Since 1997, I’ve also been doing freelance writing covering the Kings, and I have been privileged enough to be granted media access to the team. Since then, I’ve continued and expanded my work on the Online Kingdom, I’ve covered professional hockey players of Japanese descent for the English section of the Rafu Shimpo (Los Angeles Japanese DailyNews) and I am the lead writer covering the Kings for HockeyTalk.
So all that is where the idea for Frozen Royalty really came from. Blogs are yet another way people get their news, and fans of hockey, the National Hockey League and the Kings are no exception. Also, you have more “freedom” to mix different kinds of media together easily on blogs. On Frozen Royalty, one can find audio interviews and photos (more of those will be coming next season) that I can’t do a lot of on the Online Kingdom and HockeyTalk, where I do not have complete control over the content.
3. For a person who has never visited Frozen Royalty, why should they make it a daily stop?
What makes my work unique is that unlike those covering the Kings for the local daily newspapers, I do not have space constraints, so I can offer more in-depth coverage in the stories I write. Also, the bottom line for my coverage is not the almighty dollar. I will generally have the latest news from the Kings up on the blog within minutes after they release it.
4. Do you simply blog for fun or are you trying to make a career out of it? What does the future entail for FR?
There is little money in sports journalism unless you are writing for a big publication (and even then, there is little money), so I have a day job. I write about the Kings because I enjoy doing it and it’s a different way to be a fan.
5. Many young blogs struggle to get good readership. How did you promote Frozen Royalty? Message Boards? E-mails? Link Exchanges?
I can’t stand shameless plugs, but I have “stooped” to that level on a very limited basis. Frozen Royalty is still really new (just started in late January and have been in development mode since then, really).
6. What are the most rewarding and frustrating things about blogging?
Sorry, haven’t been doing it long enough to be able to answer this one.
7. One of the things that impresses us about Frozen Royalty is its narrow focus, blogging solely about Kings hockey. How difficult is it, during the dreadfully long off-season, to come up with enough material to keep readers entertained?
It is difficult, especially with the Kings not part of the playoff picture once again. But it does give me time to take a break from writing about the team multiple times each day. But things will pick up again as soon as the Stanley Cup Finals are over as talk about the
upcoming NHL Entry Draft will go into full swing–the 2008 draft is the deepest in many years and since the Kings have the second overall pick, what they do will be closely scrutinized.
8. Was raising ticket praises after a horrible season, the dumbest thing that AEG has ever done?
AEG has done several stupid things, as have the Kings throughout their history. In fact, I re-published a story I wrote a couple of years ago that outlines all those blunders. You can find my answer here.
9. Lets face it the Kings have been unable to avoid the cellar in the Western Conference the past two seasons. What do they need to do to get back into playoff contention?
They need to stick to their rebuilding plan as they appear to be doing. This franchise cannot succumb to the pressure to win now at all costs just to stop the bleeding (money-wise). That has never produced a consistent winner, especially for this franchise. The Kings need to become a consistent winner and Cup contender. The only way to do that
is to stick to their rebuilding plan…something this franchise has NEVER done in their 40-year history (they’ve talked about it, but never actually did it).
10. The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full force so before we let you off the hook, do you have any bold predictions for the remaining games?
With Detroit and Pittsburgh totally dominating their respective conference finals series’ as I write this, not really. I think the Wings and Pens will meet in the Finals and the Wings will win the Stanley Cup once again, probably in five or six games. Maybe four the
way they’re playing.