When I open the door to Alex McRee’s apartment, I am greeted by his roommate, David Fallis, playing Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA on the acoustic guitar. McRee, who is a pitcher for the Diamond Dogs, is clad in Georgia attire — standard for University of Georgia athletes. He pauses the baseball game they’re watching on TV, clears his throat and announces that he’s reading for his “big debut.”
You’re a giant! How tall are you? Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m 6’7 and I love it.
Why do you love it? It helps with my looks because the women dig it. And it helps with sports.
What sports do you play? I’m a pitcher on the baseball team here [at UGA]. I also ride motocross in my free time.
Who would you rather face on the mound: Babe Ruth or Alex Rodriguez? Hm…probably Babe Ruth because he probably wasn’t as good as A-Rod.
You think you could strike him out? Ha, if you gave me 100 bats, maybe.
Who would you rather get in a fight with: Ron Artest or Pete Rose? Pete Rose because Ron Artest is a big man.
Speaking of big men, who is your favorite big man: Fat Joe or Rick Ross? Definitely Rick Ross because he’s got a manly beard. And Fat Joe’s just sloppy. Rick Ross looks like Kimbo Slice.
Who would you rather play a game of one-on-one basketball with: Kobe Bryant or Lebron James? Who would I rather pay against or who would be more fun?
Who would you rather play against? Probably Lebron because he’d talk more trash.
Do you have a man crush? Oh yeah, it’s David Fallis.
Who’s that? My roommate [roommate laughs in background]. He’s hot.
Would you rather bathe in Scarlett Johansson or Angelina Jolie’s sweat? I would have to say Scarlett Johansson because Angelina Jolie might have some diseases.
— Edited by John-Michael Sullivan
OK, what are we trying to accomplish with this story? Is it a sports profile? A regular person profile who happens to be an athlete? Is there some news value, or is this simply a slice-of-life feature? What are we trying to find out about the subject -- what do we want the questions to reveal? It looks like the primary thing we're trying to get at is sense of humor, because we don't actually learn anything real about him. The intro tells us he's a UGA baseball player, so he doesn't need to answer a question about that. It might be nice to know where he's from, his year and major, how many games he's pitched and his ERA, if he has big-league or other career aspirations, etc. Banter is nice, but it should be accompanied by information and insight.
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