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"It's nice to know that people think I'm that knowledgeable about the teams I cover that they'd ask me on their shows," Ashmore said. "I'm always willing to make appearances like this and look forward to doing more in the future.

4/23/2007: Mike's been keeping himself quite busy lately, speaking to people ranging from first ballot Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson to Yankees prospects Chase Wright and Kevin Whelan.

Robinson spoke to Ashmore by phone for about ten minutes for an upcoming Atlantic League feature, while Mike's been in Trenton covering the best the Thunder have to offer.

3/9/2007: Look no further than the cover of the Hunterdon County Democrat for Mike's long awaited feature on Jack Cust, Jr.

"It's a tremendous honor to have my work featured on the cover of the actual paper," Ashmore said.

Along with the Cust feature, make sure you check out his March Patriots notebook.

2/17/2007: Mike is proud to announce that he has created a blog where you can find the latest and greatest information on his career on a more frequent basis than you can here.

"I know a lot of people are curious about the things I'm working on in the off-season, so I thought I'd give everyone a little insight into the process that goes into creating these stories," Ashmore said.

You can read Mike's blog here.

1/27/2007: Mike's first article of 2007 and 58th as a writer for the Hunterdon County Democrat are in January 25th's paper right now.  Make sure you go out and snag a copy.

12/31/2006: Fans of Mike's photography can head on over to hockeygoalies.org, where 16 of Mike's photos have been added to the site.

"It's an honor to have my photos included on such a great website," Ashmore said.  "I've visited the site on countless occasions, so to be able to be a part of it is a really nice accomplishment for me."

12/23/2006: Mike wants to wish everyone a happy holidays.  He also wants to pass along this link, where Nashua Telegraph scribe Tom King includes a blurb about Mike's Road Warriors tryout.

10/09/2006: Mike's returned from an incredible experience, covering his first NFL game on Sunday.

He talked to Eli Manning, Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Amani Toomer, LaVar Arrington and Jay Feely.

"Easily the coolest experience of my four year career," recalls Ashmore. "It was bigger and better than I expected, and it serves as motivation to keep working hard so I can cover the NFL or something like it on a full-time basis."

10/07/2006: Mike will be covering his first NFL game tomorrow, taking in the Giants-Redskins Week 5 contest in East Rutherford, NJ.

"I worked really hard to get to this point in my career," Ashmore said. "The NFL is as good as it gets, and it took me four years to earn a chance at getting to cover just one game. Trust me when I tell you this is an opportunity I'm going to make the most of."

09/16/2006: Mike did his first hockey interview in over a year, talking to former New Jersey Devils forward Rob Skrlac during his appearance in Somerset for Youth Hockey Night. Ashmore spent about five minutes with the former enforcer, and you can look for quotes from Skrlac in the notes of the 9/21 Patriots article.

09/10/2006: Mike has posted audio from Hideki Matsui's appearance in Trenton, where Ashmore asks the Japanese sensation about his first experience in the minor leagues. You'll hear Mike ask the question, Matsui's interpreter say it in Japanese to Matsui, Matsui answer it, and then the interpreter telling Mike the answer.

09/06/2006: Mike is one of over 90 members of the media in Trenton to cover the Thunder playoffs. The Japanese media accounts for a large percentage of that number, as Hideki Matsui will be with the team for the entire series.  Mike's already spoken to Matsui through an interpreter, and has also talked to Yankees Miguel Cairo and Kevin Thompson, who are here to work out. As if that weren't enough, Phil Hughes is tonight's scheduled starter.  It's going to be a night for Mike to remember at Waterfront Park.

09/05/2006: Mike got sent down to Single-A last night, but it wasn't as bad as you think. He covered his first Brooklyn Cyclones game, watching the Mets affiliate take on the Lowell Spinners, who are affiliated with the Red Sox. Ashmore interviewed seven prospects, including Red Sox first round pick Kris Johnson, Red Sox second round pick Justin Masterson, Joshua Papelbon - the brother of Red Sox closer Jon Papelbon and Mets prospect Jake Ruckle.

09/03/2005: Mike just completed an interview with the Phillies number two prospect, pitcher Gio Gonzalez.  He also did a end of the season Q&A with the Yankees number one prospect, pitcher Phil Hughes.  Mike's planning on returning to Trenton on Wednesday to cover the the Eastern League Playoffs, but also to talk to Hideki Matsui, who is expected to be making a rehab assignment at that time.

08/30/2006: Mike's posted one of his Eastern League Extra features, this one with Mets top prospect Philip Humber. Click on the articles link on the left and find the Eastern League Extra section to check it out. To hear a clip of Mike's interview with the third overall pick in the 2004 draft, check out the "Take It From Me" section on the bottom right of the home page.

08/23/2006: Mike's in Trenton again, and he's interviewing Detroit Tigers prospects Eulogio De La Cruz and Jair Jurrjens.  He got in some work for a Jason Brown feature for the 31st, and also posted his long awaited Road Warriors feature, the first of two he's been asked to do.

08/19/2006: Mike was in Trenton tonight, watching Phil Hughes make what's likely to be his last regular season home start.  But perhaps more importantly, he sat down with 2005 Boston Red Sox first round draft pick Jacoby Ellsbury for ten minutes, asking the center fielder about comparisons to Johnny Damon and what he bought with his $1.4 million signing bonus.

08/16/2006: Mike's articles for the week are posted, and you can read all about Reggie Jackson's thoughts on the Thunder's prospects, including J.B. Cox, who has his own feature in the paper this week as well.

08/10/2006: This time, it's an impromptu rehab appearance for Mike in Trenton.  Octavio Dotel showed up, and is expected to make his second outing for the Thunder tonight.  In the meantime, Mike interviewed Mets prospect Matt Lindstrom and Yankees 40-man roster member Matt DeSalvo for future features.

08/09/2006: It was another banner day for Mike in Trenton. Not only did he interview Philip Humber and J.B. Cox, he also spent five minutes one-on-one with Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Humber is the #3 prospect in the Mets organization and Cox is the #11 prospect for the Yankees. But it was "Mr. October" who made the day for Ashmore.

"All throughout Little League, I played with a Reggie Jackson model glove," Ashmore said. "To not only get to interview him for five minutes, but to also share that story with him, that's easily one of the highlights of my career."

For an exclusive audio clip of our conversation, check out the bottom right corner of your screen.

08/05/2006: Mike proved he can hang with the big boys last night, asking Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano three questions prior to the game and three after during press conferences with the All-Star.

"That was the most confident I've felt in one of those situations," Ashmore said. "I should be the guy who's lucky to get one question in, so to feel like I'm carrying the whole thing is nice."

For a clip of Mike's pre-game chat with Cano, check out the "Take It From Me" section.

08/04/2006: Another day, another rehab appearance in Trenton for Mike.  This one's the biggest yet, as it's All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano.  Mike just got done interviewing him after batting practice, and will participate in a post-game press conference after he plays seven innings tonight.

08/01/2006: Mike's in Long Island for the second day of work on his Road Warriors feature.  While there, he's also talked to a few Ducks for the feature and for some atlanticleaguebaseball.com news as well.  Keep an eye out in the paper and on the website for all of Ashmore's latest work.

07/25/2006: A day after his trip to Atlantic City, Mike's spending three more days on the road in Camden to try to bring atlanticleaguebaseball.com readers the best stories from around the Atlantic League.  Only Bridgeport remains in his quest to cover a game in every stadium in the league.

07/22/2006: On the heels of heading to Shea Stadium to watch one of his interview subjects, Mike Pelfrey, Mike has posted a new audio clip featuring the two questions he asked to New York Yankees reliever Octavio Dotel while he was in Trenton.  You might recognize the second question from SNY's "Sports New York" program.

07/19/2006: Mike interviewed Octavio Dotel after his successful rehab appearance in Trenton last night, and woke up to see the answer to one of his questions airing on SNY.  Also, Mike has announced he'll be attending the Mets-Astros game on Sunday afternoon.  Why a Mets game now?  He wants to see Mike Pelfrey pitch; as he interviewed him back in May while he was still with Binghamton.  The opposing starter's no slouch either, it's All-Star Roy Oswalt.

07/18/2006: Mike's in Trenton again, picking up quotes for his August 4th Thunder feature and taking in Octavio Dotel's rehab appearance for his July 27th piece.

07/17/2006: Mike's back in Trenton, picking up quotes for an upcoming Thunder feature.  And he'll be there tomorrow for Octavio Dotel's rehab appearance.  But for now, he's got quotes from Henry Owens, Mike DiFelice, Gerardo Casadiego, Scott Patterson and Justin Christian.

07/07/2006: Mike went to Trenton last night, interviewing Prentice Redman and Tim Raines, Jr. for Eastern League Extra features.  He also picked up quotes from Gabe Lopez and top prospect Phil Hughes about their plans for the midsummer classic.

07/06/2006: Mike's on his way to Trenton to cover his ninth Trenton Thunder game of the season. But, before he arrives, he'll be sure to pick up a few copies of this week's Hunterdon County Democrat. After all, Scott Stanchak's got a Juan Gonzalez feature and Mike's got his Somerset Patriots report card piece in there this week.

07/01/2006: Not a bad day for Mike; he interviewed baseball legend and Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson and two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez.  That's the second Hall of Famer that Ashmore's interviewed in as many months, as he talked to Jim Palmer a few weeks ago.  Check out his new audio clip with Gibson, where Mike asks the Hall of Fame baseball player about his thoughts on a career in basketball.

06/28/2006: Mike has posted his new articles for the week, make sure you pick up this week's paper to check them out in print.  Mike buys at least four copies every week, and you should too.

06/22/2006: Make sure you pick up a copy of today's Hunterdon County Democrat so you can check out Mike's Atlantic League and Eastern League coverage. Mike was in Trenton last night to work on a feature on Thunder reliever Charlie Manning, which you can expect to see in the June 29th issue of the paper.

06/18/2006: Mike has posted an audio clip from his talk with Atlantic City Surf pitcher Lincoln Mikkelsen after he pitched the third no-hitter in Atlantic League history.  Make sure you check it out.

06/17/2006: Mike covered his first game in Lancaster last night, and it's one he'll never forget.  38-year-old Surf pitcher Lincoln Mikkelsen fired the third no-hitter in the nine year history of the Atlantic League.  It was the second no-hitter Mike's covered in his career.  Ashmore was there to interview Mikkelsen, his manager Jeff Ball and the catcher John MacLeod.  Head on over to atlanticleaguebaseball.com for all the exclusive stuff only Mike can give you. 

06/15/2006: Mike was in Trenton last night to talk to 2003 Yankees first round draft pick Eric Duncan.  Duncan will be the subject of a feature in the June 22nd edition of the Hunterdon County Democrat.  As for the Patriots article, Mike was in Newark on Tuesday and talked to a few of the guys, but he has no idea what next week's piece will be about just yet.  Stay tuned. 

06/14/2006: Mike's posted his Somerset Patriots article this week, one that's sure to stir up a good amount of controversy.  Be sure to check that out and also be sure to read Scott Stanchak's article on the Trenton Thunder in this week's paper or at ScottStanchak.com

06/09/2006: Ashmore's gone worldwide, kids!  In huge news, parts of his interview with NASCAR's Brian Vickers can now be found on Jayski.com - the #1 source for NASCAR information on the web.  The site attracts over 150,000 visitors a day and is also affiliated with ESPN.com, getting Mike one step closer to working for the big boys.

It's been a crazy day here at MikeAshmore.com, be sure to check out the press release regarding the article being on Jayski by clicking here.

06/08/2006: Mike accomplished a few firsts today, interviewing his first NASCAR driver and his first Milwaukee Braves and Washington Senators players.  His feature with Bobby Malkmus, now an Indians scout, will run later - but check out the audio clip from his chat with Hendrick Motorsports driver Brian Vickers.  Vickers was the subject of some rumors, and Mike cut right to the chase with the young driver.  READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE.

06/07/2006: Mike has posted his articles for the week, make sure you pick up a copy of The Democrat to read them there, too!

05/31/2006: Mike has posted an audio clip with former Boston Red Sox and New York Mets infielder John Valentin.  Mike talked to Valentin before Monday's game in Trenton, where pitcher Tyler Clippard was six outs away from a perfect game before losing it in the eighth.  You can also check out Mike's interview with tonight's Red Sox starter, David Pauley.  Pauley, who Mike talked to just two weeks ago when he was with Portland, got called up to replace David Wells.

05/28/2006: Audio from Mike's interview with Mets top prospect Mike Pelfrey is now posted.  Click on the link on the bottom right of the page to find out who the 9th overall pick from the 2005 draft talked to during Spring Training.

05/27/2006: Mike's in lovely Trenton, checking out the Double-A version of the Subway Series.  A few weeks after interviewing Philip Hughes for a feature, Mike interviewed another first rounder, Mets pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey, for another.

05/26/2006: You can check out Mike's feature on Adam Loewen over at Orioleshangout.com, a popular Orioles website that attracts nearly 100,000 people a day.  Also, keep checking back for the promised big news regarding a recent feature.

05/25/2006: Make sure you pick up a copy of the paper this week to read Mike's new article on the Atlantic League salary cap.  While you've got the sports section open, be sure to check out Scott Stanchak's piece on the unfortunate turn of events for Carl Pavano.

05/21/2006: Mike's back from covering his first Long Island Ducks game, making Citibank Park the third Atlantic League stadium he's been to.  He talked to Bud Harrelson, Erick Almonte and Pat Mahomes while he was up there.  Stay tuned for what could be some pretty big news regarding one of the upcoming features on these players.

05/18/2006: Mike posted a new 90 second audio clip with Phil Seibel, one of "The Idiots" who helped the Red Sox end their 86-year World series curse.

05/17/2006: Mike made his return to Trenton to talk to David Pauley, who's on the Red Sox 40-man roster and Phil Seibel, who was a pitcher on the 2004 World Championship Boston team.  What he got was a Carl Pavano story.  After talking to both Portland players, Pavano made his second rehab start, but lasted just seven pitches due to what Yankees coach Rich Monteleone described as forearm soreness.

05/15/2006: Mike's in Trenton, about an hour removed from interviewing Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer.  Not only did he get to talk to Palmer, he interviewed three players on the Boston Red Sox 40-man roster; Brandon Moss, Edgar Martinez and David Murphy.

05/12/2006: Mike just returned from Trenton, where he covered the first of two rehab starts to be made by Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano.  But before he fired off a question to Pavano in the post-game press conference, he also interviewed 2002 4th overall draft pick Adam Loewen and 2005 Orioles big leaguer Jeff Fiorentino.

05/09/2006: Check out Mike's new article on Thunder pitcher Philip Hughes, just posted right here on MikeAshmore.com

05/08/2006: The first of Mike's new Ten Questions are posted, this one being with 2003 Boston Red Sox pitcher Hector Almonte.  This motivated him to work on the interview of another one of the "Cowboy Up" Red Sox pitchers, this one with Bruce Chen.  Click on each player's name to check them out.  As for the current Sox, it looks like the pitching matchup for the 10th may have changed to Curt Schilling vs. Mike Mussina.  Each team's ace...either matchup works for me.

05/07/2006: Mike's back into the swing of things, having done five of his famous Ten Questions interviews with some of the Atlantic League's finest.  Make sure you check out his new audio clip with 2004 Yankees First Round Draft Pick, pitcher Philip Hughes.

05/05/2006: Mike's getting to work on posting some Eastern League Extra features, so make sure you check out his interview with former big league pitcher Tom Filer and his conversation with another former big league fireballer, Ray Searage.  But if you're a Yankees fan, you're going to want to check out my extensive chat with Brandon Knight, who goes in-depth about the Yankee experience.  Speaking of the Yankees, Mike has learned that the pitching matchup for the May 10th Red Sox @ Yankees game he's attending will be Matt Clement vs. Randy Johnson.  Can't beat that.

05/04/2006: Make sure you get your copy of the Hunterdon County Democrat today, so you can check out Mike's features on former Thunder catcher Steve Lomasney and Somerset Patriots opening day.  Yesterday in Trenton, Mike got his interview with Philip Hughes - look for that feature to run next week alongside a Scott Stanchak Patriots feature.  Also, be on the lookout for Eastern League Extra features with 2002 Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jim Rushford and six year big league veteran pitcher Tom Filer.

05/02/2006: Mike's looking forward to his trip to Trenton tomorrow, where he's going to try to do a feature on 2004 Yankees #1 Draft Pick Philip Hughes.  Be on the lookout for the newest copy of the paper on Thursday, where his Patriots and Thunder features will debut.

04/29/2006: It was an exhausting day for Mike, as he covered the Trenton Thunder game at 1:30 and the Somerset Patriots game at 7:00.  However, Mike did get to interview one of his favorite players, former Boston Red Sox catcher Steve Lomasney up in Trenton, and you can check out a two minute audio clip down below.  The Jeff Ball clip can now be found at atlanticleaguebaseball.com

04/28/2006: Mike's just returned from Somerset Patriots Opening Day, where he got to cover his second ring ceremony.  Check out his new, lengthy audio clip with Atlantic City Surf manager Jeff Ball.

04/26/2006: Mike's posted his new Patriots and Thunder articles for the week, make sure you check them out.  Mike will also be doing the doubleheader on May 10th, covering the Patriots game at 11:05 AM and then checking out the Red Sox and Yankees at 7:05 PM.  The early projected Red Sox starter is Matt Clement.  

04/23/2006: Mike's posting his Eastern League Extra features like it's his job.  Wait, it is his job.  Anyway, check out his latest piece with 2004 Blue Jays outfielder Simon Pond.

04/22/2006: The latest of Mike's Eastern League Extra features are now posted, check out his conversation with 2003 Mets pitcher Jason Roach.

04/21/2006: Mike's got three articles in this week's Hunterdon County Democrat, you're going to want to pick up a copy.  Also, the first of Mike's online exclusive Eastern League Extra pieces are now posted.  Make sure you check out his interview with 2004 Royals outfielder Rich Thompson and his much better interview with 2004 and 2005 Giants catcher Justin Knoedler.

04/20/2006: You can now check out Mike's articles on OurSportsCentral.  The popular minor league sports site now links to Mike's articles, and you can check them out by clicking this link and heading to the pages of the appropriate teams.

04/19/2006: Mike is updating live from Trenton as he takes in some Eastern League action.  he picked up some quotes from Thunder manager Bill Masse and infielder J.T. Stotts, as well as interviews with Altoona Curve pitching coach Ray Searage, pitchers Jason Roach and Brandon Knight and outfielders Rich Thompson and Simon Pond.  Check out the new audio clip of Mike asking Thunder manager Bill Masse about his championship guarantee.

04/18/2006: After a day of waiting outside Madison Square Garden for Rangers playoff tickets, Mike's returned to post his brand new articles for this week's paper.  Make sure you check out his long awaited Jorge DePaula feature.

04/15/2006: Mike's trying out a new feature on the site, his picture of the week.  This week's shot is from the Thunder's home opener and features Giants prospect Nate Schierholtz and Thunder pitcher Danny Borrell.

04/14/2006: Mike came to Trenton's home opener armed with the newest copy of the paper, which of course had his two newest articles in it.  He left with enough quotes for next week's articles.  Be sure to check out his new audio clip with Giants catcher Justin Knoedler.

04/12/2006: Mike's articles for this week's Hunterdon County Democrat are now posted.  This week, Mike breaks down the Somerset Patriots new signings and talks to Thunder manager Bill Masse and first baseman Shelley Duncan about this year's team.

04/09/2006: In the only part of the trip Mike ever wants to talk about again, Mike had a chance encounter with Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers prior to a hockey game.  Simply looking for a soda in the hotel across from the arena, he spotted the man, the myth, the mustache and got him to pose for...the picture.

04/07/2006: Thanks to the Yankees calling up Jorge DePaula to Triple-A, my article is now entirely useless.  Thanks, George!  Anyway, I've decided to make the piece a MikeAshmore.com exclusive and I'll go with something else.  I really, really liked that article too.

04/06/2006: Mike's first piece for the Hunterdon County Democrat is on your local store shelves now.  Make sure you pick up a copy and check out his piece on Patriots open tryouts.

04/05/2006: Mike returned from Trenton Thunder media day with a recorder full of quotes from New York Yankees pitcher Jorge DePaula, Thunder prospect Shelley Duncan and manager Bill Masse.  Mike's first article, which will focus on DePaula, will run on April 13th.

04/04/2006: Mike will be attending the Trenton Thunder's media day, his first official duty covering the Thunder for the Hunterdon County Democrat.  Trenton appears to have a pretty impressive roster this year, and Mike's really looking forward to their 2006 season.

04/02/2006: Mike submitted his first article to the paper today and expects it to run in Thursday's edition.  Mike chronicles his experience at the Patriots open tryouts, even talking about how he tried out for the team.

03/30/2006: Mike is officially hired by the Hunterdon County Democrat as their new minor league baseball sportswriter.  Ashmore will contribute one or two columns a week on the Somerset Patriots and Trenton Thunder.

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