Playoff Push

This has been an exciting series here in Dayton for a couple of reasons. On Friday, there were a total of 36 hits and 26 runs scored. Even though we came on out the losing end of it, the game was a fun one to call. The bad thing is that it knocked us out of the final playoff spot for now. I'm currently writing this from the press box at Fifth Third Field in Dayton as the guys start to prepare for the first half finale. We need a Great Lakes Loons loss and a victory here to make it in. Then we'd win by percentage points, which is kind of lame, but hey, were talking PLAYOFFS here!

The other reason that this series has been so exciting for me is because I'm home. I've literally played a half dozen games on this same field (lifetime batting numbers here: .500 BA, 5 RBIs, 2 2B), it's a stone's throw from my college and hometown, and there have been a bunch of people coming out to "watch" me broadcast! It's been awesome. On Friday night my fiance and her family were here and they visited the booth, which was VERY cool. Then on both Friday and Saturday my father was here to check things out. On Saturday my uncle and sister plus her boyfriend all visited me as well. It was very nice to see all of them and for me to finally show them what I'm doing with my life. They have listened in the past but have never actually SEEN me in action. My family is coming down again today to spend Father's Day here, which should be fun. And my mom will get to come up to the booth for the first time ever, so it's bound to be an eventful day.

So the podcast idea hasn't really left the ground yet. I'm thinking that starting fresh in the second half of the season would be a great idea, but I'm not sure yet. We're going to have a few days off, which means that the last thing on my mind is going to be the podcast. I'm going to be working at the golf course and actually making money! Exciting right??

Rain Delay/Podcast

As I sit and write this new blog, the Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly" plays on the Cooley Law School Stadium scoreboard. It reminds me of my days of playing Rock Band with my friends back home in our fictional band "Da Flyers." Now we've moved on to bigger and better things and have turned in the fake guitars and drums for the real thing. We've got a new name (Amateur Hour) and have more fun than any four people who are mediocre musicians ever have before.

ANYWHO! My addition to the media department here in Lansing isn't really felt unless you get time to actually listen to a game. I'm trying to fix that. For my birthday I got a Blue Yeti USB microphone, and it is seriously like handing a sniper rifle to a 12-year-old going to shoot on the range for the first time. I am totally flabbergasted by the capabilities that this thing has. I'm planning on starting a podcast to be shared on the Lugnuts website for everyone to enjoy. I was just tinkering around today and ended up chatting with myself for twenty minutes! Imagine the fun Jesse and I will be able to have! I'm hoping to get some of the Lugnuts players involved too, which would make it really fun.

For the next few days I'm going to be working on one major thing while I broadcast... SMILING! I know, it sounds weird right? But think about this for a minute... I have perhaps the greatest job any sports fan could want, what's not to be happy about? I love baseball, I love my job, and I want the people listening, whether stranger, family, or friend, to know that I love what I'm doing. So there's my goal. Let's see how it works out!

First Try

OKAY so this is my first time doing an actual blog. I have a couple of goals in writing this, and that is 1) to become a better writer 2) spend my time more productively 3) keep a on-going, never-ending progression from a college graduate to a professional broadcaster.

I am reminded every day how blessed I am. I have been a "professional" broadcaster for just a little over a month now, and every day I learn more. My boss (the wonderful Jesse Goldberg-Strassler) has been extremely patient with me, and I can feel my broadcasting and press-release writing getting better daily. Lansing has been a great place to go out for my first "real world" experience. I'm still trying to get a better idea of how to spend my time when I'm not at the stadium. Jesse has made it clear that the key to longevity as a broadcaster is not getting burnt out, so I want to make sure I'm keeping that in mind. The tough thing is adjusting from college to "real-life" because as a student I would just burn the candle at both ends, and that wouldn't be a good thing in this case.

I am just finishing up a trip home. I've gotten to work 4 days (for actual money!), hung out with my amazing friends, family and fiance, and had a great birthday. 

This wraps up my first blog post ever. I'm looking forward to more posts!