I first saw Marcus Hayes' byline when I started reading the combined Web site of the two major Philadelphia papers, the Inquirer and the Daliy News. Philadelphia is one of the most sports-crazy towns in America and Philly.com holds a treasure trove of good articles for the dedicated sports fan.

Marcus Hayes is the Daily News' beat writer covering the Phillies. His in-depth reporting and frank articles on the hapless Phillies helps Phillie fanatics keep up with the ups and down of a team striving for mediocrity. An acquitance at the Daily News clued me in on Marcus. She said he was intelligent, nice and a heck of a softball player, clueing me in that the brother was an authentic farmboy from upstate New York.

My curiosity piqued, I also learned he is a Syracuse graduate and a dyed-in-the-wool Orangeman. Check our interview with Marcus Hayes and check back every Monday for the latest Black Sports Report -- the best black writers discussing the biggest sports issues.

What has happen to the African-American baseball player?

The media and computer games combined to make baseball "boring," and therefore unattractive compared with football, the made-for-TV sport.

Why have African-Americans abandoned thegame of baseball?

Because it became cooler to be Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson or Randall Cunningham -- all endorsement-friendly football players -- than it was to be Barry Bonds (arrogant), Ozzie Smith (small-market) or Ken Griffey, Jr. (aloof).

How far are the Phillies from a World Series and what will it take to get them back to prominence?

The Phillies haven't been prominent since 1980. They need at least one big-gun starter, more plate discipline, more team speed and better production from the catcher and third base slots. They are at least five years from being complete enough to win a World Series.

Describe what it's like to cover sports in Philadelphia?

It's a little like covering international politics in Israel: It impacts all areas of life.

Are the long suffering Philly fans as crazy as they seem?

They are less crazy than possessed.

Terry Francona didn't last as manager of the Phillies, but he was the first manager to bring a World Series title to Boston. Why didn't things work out for him in Philadelphia?

Francona had about 10 percent of the talent playing for him in Philadelphia that he had playing for him in Boston -- talent and chemistry he inherited, largely.

In your opinion, what is the deal with Terrell Owens?

Like every NFL player, Terrell Owens wants guaranteed money. Unlike every NFL player, he believes he has leverage to force that issue.

Will he be in Philly next year?

Yes. If he wants to play he has no choice, and the Eagles have nothing to gain by trading or cutting him.

Who's your most quotable athlete?

Troy Aikman was the best interview: Honest, fearless, intelligent.

To me, Philadelphia seems to have a gigantic chip on its shoulder, a virtual inferiority complex stemming from being in the shadow of Washington D.C and New York. How would you rate Philadelphia as a sports town?

It feels inferior, perhaps, to New York, but certainly it is unaffected by D.C, Baltimore or Boston. In gauging interest and support, Philly is an excellent Big Four pro sports town, a decent college hoops town and a non-college football town.

In your opinion, what makes a good sportswriter and who is/was your greatest influence on your career as a sports journalist?

The same things make a good sportswriter that make a good writer, period: Honed, thorough reporting skills, honest evaluation, clear, sometimes clever, presentation.

I cannot say I have an influence as a sports journalist, though my father, Clarence, and two of my bosses, Pat McLoone and Ceasar Alsop, have greatly influenced me as a man.

How long have you been covering sports? How did you start?

I've been covering sports since 1990, when I graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. I got a great, paid internship my senior year at the local evening paper, the Herald-Journal, and that turned into a full-time gig upon graduation. I covered high schools for three years, small colleges and non-revenue sports for a year and minor-league baseball and hockey for about 8 months before the Daily News called with a feature writer vacancy. That turned into the Eagles beat from 1996-2002, then turned into the Phillies.

What are the greatest advantages and greatest obstacles of African-Americans in this field? Anything specific?

Like women in sportswriting, and like Hispanics, Asian-Americans or any other minority group, black sportswriters sometimes have to overcome a prejudice mainly among the still remarkably white, male, conservative power base in all four sports.