The Dean

The Dean of Yankee beat bloggers is having a birthday. I may be the only one who calls Peter Abraham that, but everyone is celebrating the birthday.

He started pounding out a blog for The Journal News last February. Over the past year he has completely changed the way many follow the team. You can no longer rely on just newspaper, radio and television coverage. The LoHud Yankees Blog is essential reading for anyone who wants the freshest angle.

Readers always come first with breaking stories, injury updates and lineup changes. He mixes knowledgeable inside-the-clubhouse-type commentary with sharp wit to produce a product that stands out in a sea of baseball blogs.

I used to feel guilty about getting my coverage from a suburban beat writer, but you can’t hide talent, even in Westchester. Besides, I think The Dean is a city guy at heart. You don’t find his kind of edgy-humor in a shopping mall.

Maybe his greatest accomplishment is the community of Yankee fans he’s pulled together. They range from diehard supporters to frightened pessimists to stat geeks to hair-trigger reactionaries. They are an interesting and entertaining bunch, but I’m not sure how they would get along at the Yankee Tavern after a disappointing loss.

The Dean is always working to improve coverage and now features audio so you can hear entire interviews. Then you can pick up the paper and see how he crafts them into stories.

It’s harder than it looks.

But The Dean always makes it look easy.

Even on his birthday.