Catching up with 'Div', the man who covers the Mariners

Life is pretty busy for Ryan Divish, and whether it's writing, tweeting or making television appearances, his world revolves mostly around baseball.

As a beat writer, covering the Seattle Mariners for the Seattle Times, it's easy to see why baseball is such a big part of his life. He covers the team on a daily basis and not just during the regular season.

But as far as the former Havre Daily News sports editor is concerned, he couldn't do the job any other way.

"When you do the baseball beat, you have to be committed to it," Divish said during an interview at last week's Shaina's Challenge softball tournament. "It has to be a full commitment and so that's kind of what I have been doing."

Yet, as busy as Divish is, baseball and fastpitch softball have always been part of his DNA, and so even though it can be difficult with his schedule, he has always made time to come home for the Shaina's Challenge Men's Fastpitch Softball Tournament.

"I have come to every one (Shaina's Challenge) but one," Divish said. "I didn't come to the first one. I wasn't around. I think I was on the road. And then I heard about how much fun it was and what a great environment it is, I figured I had to get back. Also, Gary Evans also taught me how to pitch. I played with him and against him and I can remember his daughter when she was a little kid, so now I try to set up my schedule now so I can come back. It's fun to see all my friends and we can play a little bit."

While Divish used to play softball more, injuries and the time commitment of his career have made that more difficult, which is another reason he looks forward to the tournament each year.

"I was playing quite a bit out in Seattle," Divish said. "There is some pretty high-level stuff there and then I blew my shoulder out about 4-5 years ago. Technically, I am not supposed to pitch ever again."

Divish, like many athletes, ignored his doctor's advice and pitched in the Shaina's Challenge. The results, however, weren't great and after he quipped: "That's why I should never pitch again."

Pitching might not be his strong suit anymore - once upon a time, Divish was one of the top fastpitch pitchers in Montana - but being a sports writer certainly is, which is why Divish has become a mainstay at the Seattle Times, where he has covered the Mariners for years, as well as other sports, including Super Bowl XLIX.

"When I was in journalism school, the Seattle Times was a paper that I would want to go to," Divish said. "I look at it as a job that's pretty cool. I guess I always thought when I got to a job that was more stable, where I didn't feel like I was trying to move up, I thought I might settle down and have a family and be content with that but with the way the newspaper business is, you never really feel safe and it's something that is all-consuming in my life."

Of course, journalism has undergone drastic changes in recent years with a shift toward more digital content. Social media has only added to the workload of beat writers like Divish, who aren't just expected to report the news but also to analyze it, while also interacting with readers and fans. On that same note, Divish has become more than just a writer. He's now a podcaster, a television analyst and has also spent a fair amount of time on talk radio.

Yet, the veteran reporter said he still likes what he's doing.

"I actually got pretty good at sports talk radio and had an offer to host a radio show," Divish said. "But I still like to write."

Since moving to the Seattle Times from the Tacoma News Tribune, covering the Mariners has been his main gig. Yet, he has also gotten a chance to cover the Seahawks and during the lead up to Super Bowl XLIX, his assignment was Marshawn Lynch, who at the time, was refusing to speak to the media.

"For the Super Bowl, we had like seven writers," Divish said. "My entire beat was Marshawn Lynch. I followed him wherever he went and covered whatever he did because it was all about how he wasn't going to talk to the media."

Lynch famously wasn't given the ball at the two-yard line in that game and the Seahawks lost after quarterback Russell Wilson threw an interception near the end zone, giving the win to the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, speaking to Lynch afterward, was one interview Divish didn't get.

"He kind of ran out," Divish said. "A couple of people tried to grab him but he left pretty quick. The interesting thing about that, is we had interviewed Marshawn a couple times before that and he was a good interview, he just got in trouble and his lawyer told him not to speak to the media and he just kind of started to like that."

In terms of big events, few get bigger than the Super Bowl. However, for Divish, a baseball guy, it didn't get much better than covering a no-hitter thrown by the Mariners' James Paxton against the Toronto Blue Jays back on May 8 in Canada.

"That is one of the top things I have ever written about," Divish said. "You aren't a fan of the team. So you are cheering for cool stories or cool moments in the game. You want a no-hitter to happen but at the same time there is this anxiety. Am I going to write about it and do it justice? Your adrenaline starts going."

Over the years, Divish has covered plenty of exciting games and moments, including the final MLB All-Star Game Derek Jeter played in. But still, he said he has only violated the no cheering in the press box rule once and it had nothing to do with him being a fan.

"Only once," Divish said. "And that was because a really long game finally ended. You have so much to do and so much going on, it's easy not to be a fan. And you really can't be a fan, not if you want to do the job right. You can't be emotionally invested in what happens."

For now, Divish is happy where he's at. He's found a job that he likes, covering the sport that he loves. But that doesn't mean the one-time small-town sports writer, fastpitch player, Havre Blue Pony and Northstar doesn't have big dreams. In fact, he still hasn't given up being on ESPN one day.

"That was always what every writer wanted," Divish said. "ESPN used to be the safe spot but now MLB Network is probably better. I don't know if that is an aspiration, but you would listen. It's also harder than people think, but I think I would do it if it felt right. At some point, I am going to get sick of being on the road as much as I am. But right now, I still like traveling and I still like writing."