MLB FanCave Contestant Interview with Mark Fabrick

This is my final post focused on the 2013 MLB FanCave.  As many of you already know, the MLB FanCave is back for a second season.  Currently, there are 52 Baseball fan contestants remaining, and out of that number there are 3 verified Dodger fans vying for a chance to immerse themselves into the game.  They will eventually whittle it down to a final 9 with the help of fans like you.  Go here to see them all.  Voting ends next week.

Since I am fanatically pro-Dodger, I thought it would be interesting to hear directly from those folks who want to represent us.  The other day, I shared an interview with FanCave contestant Thomas Aaron Roberts.  Check out that interview here.  Yesterday, I featured Jeremy Dorn.  See his interview here.  Today, I have up Mark Fabrick.  See his FanCave voting here.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mark.fabrick

Twitter: @MarkFabrick

Instagram: markfabrick

Contributing writer for dodgersnation.com

Above are his particulars, and below is my informal email interview provided in full.  I asked the same question to all three contestants; with exception of the last one.  So, on to the questions.

Why should this Dodger fan trust you to represent the Dodger faithful at MLB's FanCave?  What would you say are your Dodger fan bona fides?

I am a true blue Dodger fan, I know the roster in and out, I'm a L.A. native and have seen all of their great and not so great moments.  I know all of the teams key players through the years from Ramon Martinez to Raul Mondesi to Shawn Green to Kevin Brown to Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw.  I generally attend a dozen or so games a year, less this year having started grad school.  If there's a game, it is on, and if I'm at work or at class, you better believe I'm checking my phone for score updates.  I also write for DodgersNation.com so I'm always digging for stats to back up my articles.  My love of baseball coincides with my love of movies and TV so I bring kind of the perfect representation of Los Angeles to the Fan Cave.  Much like my video I've alway wanted to do a Wayne's World style talk show from my garage, the Fan Cave allows me to do that and more.  I'll will bring my passion and enthusiasm for Dodgers baseball to the Cave, as well as my affection for comedy and satire, and overall appreciation for all things pop culture.

Please relay your greatest Dodger memory.

I think when Steve Finley hit the walk-off grand slam that clinched the division in 2004.  I started running around in circles hooting and hollering in my room while watching that game.  Also, probably my first game in person as a kid, and just marveling at the field, how bright the lights were, and how green the grass was, soaking in all the greatness that is Dodger Stadium.

Give me a rundown on the good, the bad and the ugly with the Dodger lineup/roster.

The Good-The Dodgers are stacked this year.  With a full off-season and spring training under their belts and a healthy Matt Kemp, the Dodgers should be able to fulfill all the hype they generated with their big money moves last year. They have the most potent offense in the National League, maybe all of baseball.  Kemp will be eager to regain his spot as the premiere player in baseball.  Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez are fully assimilated.  If Carl Crawford regains his form, the rest of MLB is in trouble.  But, beyond that, they have a truly dominant pitching staff.  Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke form a tremendous 1-2 punch.  In a playoff series, the rotation would be Kershaw, Greinke, Billingsley, and Beckett/Ryu.  There will be no easy nights for any opposing offense, and if they get bitten by the injury bug like they did in 2012, they have arms to spare.  On top of that, they have three power-arms at the back end of the bullpen to close out games.  Brandon League was lights-out during the last month of the season.  Kenley Jansen is a beast, and Ronald Belisario was one of the best setup men in baseball.
The Bad-There's not a lot of bad with this team.  The only glaring defiency is a lack of any type of power bat to pinch-hit off the bench.  They mostly have utility guys coming off the bench such as Skip Schumaker, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Elian Herrera.  With Scott Elbert undergoing another elbow surgery, the Dodgers don't have a lot of left-handed pitching coming out of the bullpen.  However, J.P. Howell is a solid lefty, and Paco Rodriguez showed lots of promise.
The Ugly-Juan Uribe is still owed $7 million

Here is an extra question for you.  With a Giants-Fan Brother-in-Law, how have you coped with the Giants recent string of good fortune?

I try to take an objective approach to sports, so I would just focus on the fact that they have some really great players like Buster Posey and Matt Cain, and they have a dominant pitching staff. I've also gone out with girls who were fans of different teams, as long as everyone stays objective there won't be any hard feelings.  As well, I would focus on the fact that the Dodgers need to do better to get to that level, but that's precisely what they've started doing under the new ownership group.  The Dodgers went from having 4 all-stars to 9 all-stars and they look poised to make a World Series run this year.

Mark, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.  Good luck on your quest to being in the FanCave.  Go to his FanCave voting here to put him in.  Also, his FanCave video is below.

Video Link:

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *