Week Ten: Double Digits

Rain drops on the windshield in the foreground with
the welcome to West Virginia sign in the background.

If only California could share the rain that we have gotten in the past six weeks. It seems like we can’t go two days in a row anymore, let alone an entire day, without having a chance of the sky opening up on us. 

The rain held off Saturday night and throughout the day first half of the day Sunday for a nice hot and humid day of baseball. The Fourth of July produced what some thin kids the largest crowd in park history. Out ticket scanner network went down, and so the 6,833 attendance that we reported is believed to be about 1,000 to 1,300 less than the actual attendance. The next day, we only saw a crowd of less than 300. 

We were entering the bottom of the fourth inning with the Delmarva Shorebirds when the rain started coming down. The umpire stalled for a brief minute then decided to wave on the tarp crew and send the players to their dugouts. I was in the press box working the line score when the game was called. The rain came down so fast and so hard that the tarp was too heavy for our tarp crew to get on the field. Our strength and conditioning coach even ran out in the rain to try and assist the crew in pulling the tarp, but the rain was too much. It was the second time this year that it’s happened, but the first time during a game. The tarp sat halfway on the infield as the staff could only just watch. The umpires suspended the game until Monday. 

We took the tarp on and off a few times Monday in preparation for the upcoming games. We were to start where we left off at 6:00, finishing the first game, and playing a shortened seven-inning game that was scheduled for Monday night. We still managed to get a good sized crowd for a Monday night. Most of them rolled in around 7:00 when the regularly scheduled game was slated to start. We actually managed to get both games in without rain. 

I received the unfortunate news about the passing of my great aunt late Tuesday afternoon. I tried to keep quiet and just do my job Tuesday. I made it though the game and the result of the game helped. 

LHP Stephen Tarpley
(Courtesy Charleston Daily Mail)

Last week I was able to have a nice conversation with Stephen Tarpley, a LHP Pittsburgh acquired last year from Baltimore in the Travis Snyder trade. Tarpley has had a great start to the season so far and was pitching against his former team Tuesday. Through four innings, he hadn’t allowed a hit when I dropped my camera off in the press box to head down to the tarp. There was a huge system moving into the area and we were all put on standby for a tarp pull. We didn’t want a repeat of what happened Sunday. 

The clouds darkened quickly and the wind picked up significantly. It was only a matter of time. While at the tarp, we watched Tartly throw two more hitless innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the sky once again opened up. The umpire allowed the pitcher throw a couple pitches until the wind and rain were so bad that he waved us on. 

We were in a full out sprint, unrolling the tarp as fast as possible. When we were rolling it out on the field, our Japanese intern, Kay, was pushing so fast that he actually flipped overtop the tarp and ended up on the other side. After Kay ran out of the way and the tarp was rolled out, we began to run with the tarp to the infield. We managed to cover the field with our all-out hustle just in time. 

We were all drenched at this point when we noticed something went terribly wrong. Even though the tarp got on the field in time, the part that covers the first base line was ripped right down a seam. The first base line was exposed and the rain wasn’t letting up. The umpires decided to call it quits and end the game and the homestead. 

The tarp got caught on a stake that wasn’t hammered down the entire way on the bullpen tarp and, because we were going so fast, didn’t notice it and tore right through it. As of now, the front office doesn’t know if they will try and fix it, leave it go, or purchase a new $10,000 tarp. 

On the bright side, because the game was called after six innings, the team got the win and Tarpley got a rain-shortened no-hitter. It was the second no-no tossed by the Power pitching staff this season, but the first that they won. They threw a combined no-hitter in the first month of the year in a 1-0 loss. Tarpley got a lot of publicity that night and the day after from the Pittsburgh media. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. I’m really rooting for Tarpley. 

Wednesday I came in to produce the Top Ten from the homestead and wrap things up for the week. I went out in the evening to the movie theaters to see Ted 2 and then went back to the apartment and played NBA on PS4 with the grounds crew guys.

The sunset Friday, July 11

My dad was working in Ripley, WV, about 45 minutes from Charleston, and picked me up Thursday morning to head back to Butler. My aunt’s viewing was from 2-4 and 7-9. We made it back around 5:30 in time for the second viewing. Aunt Aysha was always asking about me and keeping tabs on me and my brother, even up until the last week. She was a huge supporter of mine and never missed a chance to tell me how proud of me she was. She was inducted into the Butler Sports Hall of Fame for her work with the Special Olympics and her skills as a softball player. 

It was really great to have a chance to see my family and Emily over the weekend, despite the unfortunate circumstances. 

Playing catch with
my cousin, Caleb

My aunt and cousins from California flew in a couple weeks ago and were still in town the past weekend, so I had the chance to see them for the first time in two years. I played catch with one, shared history story with another and entertained the youngest. They were always at our house in the evenings and were never without energy. I also was able to see my grandparents each of the four days I was home. They met me and my dad when we got back and my grandmother took me the rest of the way home while my dad finished up at work, they were at the funeral home Friday, I ran into them at breakfast Saturday, and met up with them before I left Sunday.

At the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t totally planning on coming home. I enjoyed my time at home and it was a much needed mental refresher, even if I wasn’t relaxing mentally much. It was a hard weekend, but a nice one in the end.

There are only two more, seven-game homestands left with nine days in-between. Then, it’s all over. 

Because, why not?

Josh

Hours July 6-12

7-6 Sunday: 11:00-6 (7)
7-7 Monday: 9-12:45 (15.75)
7-8 Tuesday: 10-11:30 (13.5)
7-9 Wednesday: 10-5 (7)
7-10 Thursday: Home
7-11 Friday: Home
7-12 Saturday: Home

Total: 43.25

Week Nine: July

July is here and it's the last full month of my summer in Charleston. This past week was pretty awesome. It was relaxing, refreshing and there was never a dull moment.

Shoe shopping

After finishing a five-game homestand, I came in Tuesday to compile the Top Ten Plays. I finished the project around 12:00 and took my lunch break. Emily and her mom were in town for a couple days and when I finished up everything I needed to do for the day, I left to go to the mall to meet up with the two for the evening. I was given Wednesday off, so now that I was done with everything, we could spend virtually all day Tuesday and Wednesday together. 

After walking around the mall for a while, we all visited the Capitol Building. This time, we actually went inside and explored for a while. We then went to a free museum on campus that I think I will head back to on my own sometime to explore some more. After that, we walked down to the river and at that point, we did just about everything that there was to do in Charleston minus visit Appalachian Power Park: Mall, Capitol, River. 

We went to the Recovery Sports Grill for dinner, the same restaurant that I took my dad to when he visited. Everybody seemed to enjoy the restaurant. I know I did. Their burgers are fantastic.

Sitting riverside

Emily and I then went to see Inside Out, the new Disney movie in theaters. She works at a movie theater, so naturally, on her off day, we go to a movie theater. Inside Out is one of my new favorite movies. What a cute and fun film. Her mom went to another movie while we were at Inside Out and we finished at around the same time. 

I walked across town to meet up with Emily for breakfast. We went to the same restaurant that we did the last time she was in town, First Watch, and had another phenomenal experience. We got caught in a little rain afterwards on our way back to the mall. We did some shopping for a few hours and then met up with her mom at Chili's for lunch. Emily and I then walked along the river and played on the rocks for about an hour and then enjoyed our last few hours walking around the city. 

What a great couple of days those were. It was nice to get away from the park and catch up with Emily and her mom. I can't say enough how much it meant to me that they were willing to make the drive down here to see me. That is going to be what gets me through the rest of this summer. I wasn't feeling to great after the final game or two of the homestand and they provided a great boost to me. It really meant a lot. 

I've been playing with making 3-D graphics on my computer and turning 2-D objects into 3-D rotating images. It sounds terribly boring and simple, but it isn't. That's what I spent Thursday doing. I ended up producing some decent looking graphics for us to use on the video board for the Fourth of July game Saturday. 

A large crowd on hand for
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.

Smoke covers fireworks on July 3

Before that though, Friday night was my first free Friday night since May. I went to Live on the Levee where 

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., a West Virginia native and the America's Got Talent 2011 winner

performed with his big band before a fireworks show. He was spectacular. I can't believe I had never 

heard of him before that night. He was absolutely great. The fireworks show was decent, but the clouds

Basketball

of smoke covered up a majority of the fireworks. 

Riding to Shoney's

We had a 9 a.m. tarp pull on Saturday, July 4. After the tarp pull, a large group of us went to Shoney's, a breakfast buffet restaurant in downtown. I rode with the Mike and Trip to the restaurant in Mike's California license plated convertible. We didn't have to be back at the stadium until 2:00, so I went, with general interns Trip and Josh, to the basketball courts to play for about an hour and a half. Trip is from Indiana, so he was practically born with a basketball in hand. He says that he actually went to an Indiana Hoosiers game the day after he was born. He will be a senior at IU. That was a fun time. We're going to try and go back with more people hopefully in the coming weeks.

We were prepared for a great crowd on the 4th of July. What we got was even better. 6,833 was the recorded attendance, although we believe it was more because our ticket scanner network went down. It was the 6th largest crowd in park history. There were a lot of first timers and one timers and it was the best overall crowd that I have experienced so far at the park. The field looked great and our grounds crew went above and beyond to make the field look patriotic. And to cap things off, the Power won 5-1.

July is here and, including the current one, I have only three homestands remaining. We're getting there. And I'm loving every minute.

Because, why not?

Josh

 

Hours June 28 - July 4

6-28 Sunday: 11:30-7:30 (8)
6-29 Monday: 10-12 (14)
6-30 Tuesday: 10-1 (3)
7-1 Wednesday: Off
7-2 Thursday: 10-5 (7)
7-3 Friday: 9:30-5 (7.5)
7-4 Saturday: 9-10, 2-12 (12)

Total: 51.5

Week Eight

This past week was All-Star week which meant most of the front office staff went on a road trip to Asheville, NC for the South Atlantic League (SAL) All-Star Game while the rest of us were stuck in Charleston. I was given Tuesday off but still had to come in Monday and Wednesday to prepare for the second half of the season and the upcoming five-game homestand. 

Sunday wrapped up a seven-game homestand and I ran the wireless camera. Before the 2:05 game, we had an 8 a.m. tarp pull. It was Father's Day and we were supposed to have a propane tank cover giveaway for the first 1,000 fans. Well, the covers were sent to an undisclosed location in Europe instead of Charleston, WV. The two are pretty similar, right?

After the tarp pull, I didn't have to be back at the park until 11:30 while my boss went home to have Father's Day breakfast with his daughter. So I went home and watched ESPN for a while and then went to Tudor's for breakfast. I then walked to an overpriced coffee shoppe before heading back to the stadium. I decided that I had worked hard all week during the seven-game homestand and deserved a little treat. It was a great way to start my day and geared me up for a long day in the sun. After the game, I went home and it didn't take long to fall asleep. It's strange getting home before midnight and even stranger falling asleep before midnight. I won't complain though.

Throwing BP to Mike

I came in Monday and spent the day compiling the top ten plays from the first half of the season. The Power fell just short of reaching the playoffs after a losing skid in June. They finished in second place in the SAL Northern Division. Here is a link to the first half top ten. After I finished the top ten, the other production intern, Mike, and I went to the player's batting cage to take a few hacks. I threw a batting practice session and took a session as well. It was my first time actually throwing a full round of BP and my first time hitting baseballs with a wooden bat. I still don't know how some guys don't wear batting gloves. I had blisters galore afterwards and still have a few now.

Tuesday was my off day and therefore, laundry day. In the evening, I went to a pizza restaurant downtown with most of the remaining staff that didn't go to Asheville. The Power manager and hitting coach also went with us. It was fun listening to stories from the coaches about different players, past experiences they've had and many others. It was a nice night out away from the ballpark. 

Thursday began the five-game homestand that we are currently in the middle of. It was promoted as Margaritaville night featuring a Jimmy Buffet tribute band performing after the game. We played a lot of beach themed music and summertime music videos. Most of the Power staff, including me, dressed up in Hawaiian shirts and lei garland (pictured right). It was another night on the wireless camera walking around in a red Hawaiian shirt with the Power logo embroidered on it.

After the game, we had to put the tarp on the field for, yet again, overnight showers. Then I cut part of the highlights and helped take down the stage. The Power won 2-1 and didn't produce many offensive highlights. The fewer highlights there are, the sooner I get home. I would have gotten home around 11:15 or 11:30, but because of the stage and tarp, I didn't leave until 12. The night did produce a gorgeous sunset appropriate for beach night.

Friday was, as every Friday is, Fireworks Friday. We took the tarp off at 9 a.m.and prepared for a day of rain. Surprisingly, the rain held off for most of the day and we were able to play the game without any delays. I had the opportunity to MC once again. I didn't find this out until about a half hour before our production meeting. 

Yes, I have to do
the chicken dance
for the KFC Chicken
Dance Cam as the MC.

Our mom of the night was the Power's Jordan Luplow's mother. Luplow is currently considered a top 30 prospect in the Pirate system. So that was kind of cool. I also got to participate in my first oversize check presentation. Columbia Pipeline Group presented three checks to different charities Friday night and I got to stand on the dugout with Chuck during the presentations. 

The stadium at night in the dark.

Immediately following the last out of the game, I had to run down to the field to tarp the field. There were storms in the area and it was only a matter of time before it hit us. As soon as we covered the field, we set off the fireworks. Then we hurried to clean up as much as the firework debris as we could. Not long after that, it started to sprinkle. The early forecast predicted that it would rain all day Saturday. There was a large picnic that needed set up on the third base concourse that they decided to set up after that chaos instead of waiting until the next day. Then, finally, I was able to go back to my press box and begin cutting highlights after I changed out of my tarp clothes that didn't get wet from the tarp on the field, but form the rain on the concourse. Saturday's game was much different from Friday's 2-1 win. The Power still won, but this time by an 8-5 final. The more runs, the more highlights. I left the park at around 12:30 - after the lights to the stadium were shut off. That's when you know it's been a long night. 

The players' new warm up shirts. The Power logo in the center
of the WV state with the words "War Machine" on the front.
The DriFit shirts are an upgrade from their 100% cotton shirts.

We were supposed to take the tarp off at 10 am. Saturday. Usually on Saturdays, I don't come in until noon. I got to the park right at 10, only to not take the tarp off until 1:00. An hour later, we put it right back on for a chance of scattered showers. I had the chance to MC once again Saturday night, but this time, I was notified in the morning instead of right before the game.

But that didn't mean it wasn't a night for me to get surprised once again. After our production meeting, I was told that I would still get to do MC, but I would also run the wireless camera. Two jobs at once. Every half-inning, I was doing something. I was running back and forth between running a camera and doing normal MC duties. The ZOOperstars were at the ballpark for a special appearance and we were down several people in the press box. I wasn't even on the original schedule to do either wireless or MC. I was slated to do high-home camera. 

After a long night of running around and doing everything, I think it's safe to say that Saturday night's game was one of the hardest that I've worked at a game. I put more into that game than many before it. The good news is that the rain is gone for a few days and I can sleep in a little bit Sunday before our afternoon start.
I really am loving it here. July is right around the corner and that blows my mind. I can't believe that I'm two months into this summer. This summer has been incredible. I'm loving every minute. Even if I'm doing multiple jobs at once and pushing myself to utter exhaustion at the end of the game, only to stick around for two hours afterwards to do more work. Hey, I signed up for it. I'm fine with it.

Because, why not?

Hours June 21-27

6-21 Sunday: 11:30-7:30 (8)
6-22 Monday: 10-5 (7)
6-23 Tuesday: Off
6-24 Wednesday: 10-5:30 (7.5)
6-25 Thursday: 9:30-12 (14.5)
6-26 Friday: 9-12:30 (15.5)
6-27 Saturday: 10-12 (14)

Total: 66.5

Week Seven?!

Week seven is in the books. I've reached the halfway mark in my time with the Power this summer. I can't begin to wrap my mind around that. I'm halfway done here. I decided it was time to reflect and the first two days this week helped me do that. 

Sunday was a double header to make up from Saturday night's cancelation. Two seven inning games under the mid-june sun. That's baseball, man. That's baseball. 

We have converted my camera that usually is locked down in the pit to a wireless camera. So now, instead of standing in the dugout for the entire game, I begin the game on the field for lineups and transition to the stands where I do everything that I usually did. That included following the batters as they walk up to the plate and getting hero shots when they get on base, along with occasional and hard to get crowd shots. The perspective from the dugout simply isn't the best for crowd shots. Now, on top of everything that I usually did, I get crowd shots and follow our MC around for the between-inning promotions. 

Setting off the fireworks with this little guy Friday night

Technically, during the innings, I don't have to do anything. I can go sit in the press box and relax in the air conditioning and take a breather. My primary responsibility is to get shots in between innings. I occasionally walk back to get a drink of water, but nothing more than that. I'm getting paid to help contribute to the best

possible production that we can put on for the fans. Not to sit in air conditioning. That includes getting unique angles of the game while it's happening. That's what I try and do. Otherwise, our director only has one camera angle to choose from. There's not much diversity on the video board and it gets boring to look at the same angle of the batter walking up again and again. 

I love the wireless camera. Not just because I get to get different angles of the action, but because I get to interact with the fans more. The crowd was pretty light Sunday, but Monday featured an above-average and energetic crowd for a Monday night. 

People look at you differently when you have a camera. I've always known this and have experienced it before, but not to the capacity that I do with a live video board. People know to either avoid you or stay close to get the best chance at seeing themselves on the video board. 

I loved having the chance to interact with the fans Monday night. It made me remember why I'm here and why I'm pursuing the career that I am. 

Monday night, I had the chance to talk with a little league team celebrating a great season, an energetic youth softball team on a night out, a family celebrating their sons birthday (he ran away when they brought me over to try and get him on the video board), a youth group, visitors from Charlotte, NC and so many more people. 

I chatted with Pablo Reyes and Tito Polo's biggest fans and told them a couple funny stories about each guy. I met a little girl and her parents celebrating her 9-month birthday. I talked with a single mother and her son who were at their first game together of the season. 

Not only did I have the chance to talk with and get to know some of these fans, but I also made some of their nights. Not just by throwing their faces on the video board. All I did was give out a few baseballs that I found throughout the day. It was a long and rainy day that required multiple tarp pulls. During the day, I managed to collect four baseballs and throw them in my backpack with the intention on giving them out during the game.

After our final tarp pull after gates already opened, I found a fifth ball and tossed it to a young kid with his two friends. They weren't looking when I tossed the kid the ball and laughed and smiled at their well-fortuned buddy after he showed off his souvenir. I then gave two of my other four out before the game started to a couple shy kids who came back and thanked me after their parents persuaded them to. 

As the game went into the 8th inning, I still had two baseballs left. Walking to the press box, I saw a few kids standing beside the box waiting for a foul ball. Only one of them had a glove and he was the one that noticed me and my camera as I walked by him. I asked him if he could catch with his glove and when he nodded, I tossed him the ball. He thanked me multiple times as I walked away and once more when I passed him later in the night. 

During the 9th inning, the crowd was starting to make their way to the gates, freeing up more seats in the stands. I spotted a little girl with pigtails and a purple and pink baseball glove sitting four seats in the row behind the first base dugout. Her parents occupied the two seats beside her, leaving the end seat vacant. I walked down to the front row one section over to shoot the first couple batters of the inning walking up to the plate. I then began heading back up to the concourse to relocate and stopped at their row. I gave the ball to her mother and said it was for the little girl. When she gave the ball to her daughter, she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as her jaw dropped to the floor. The look on her face was priceless. She raised it up in the air and showed it off to the people around her. That was the highlight of my night. 

I loved everything about working the wireless camera. I was more sweaty and exhausted after Monday's game than any other before it. I had a bruise on my right shoulder from where the camera sits. It was worth it. Not just because I made people's nights and not just because I got to interact with fans. But because it reminded me the reason that I'm here and the reason that I'm in this field. 

Minor League Baseball is as much of a sporting industry as it is an entertainment industry. Sure, you want the best product on the field from the players. Sure, some of them may make it to the Big Leagues some day. And that's why some of the fans come to watch the games. But for most of them, it's about the entire experience. It's about the food, the friendships, the family time, the laughs and the memories. Not about balls and strikes, swings and misses and outs and runs. 

The fans are there for the overall show. They don't care if you're running on fumes during game seven of a seven game homestand. That doesn't matter. Just because it's just another game for you, doesn't mean that it is for them. They could be, like many that I have talked to were, at their first game ever. You want to do everything in your power to make it an enjoyable and memorable experience for them so that they come back again. My job is to do my very best every night to make memories for fans who may be at their first game. It's a sports industry, an entertainment industry and a memory making industry. 

When I was thinking about this, I tried to think back to all the baseball games I've been to in my lifetime. I can remember the outcome of a few memorable ones. I can remember a few specific plays from a few of them. But for the most part, even as a huge fan of baseball, a good majority of my memories from baseball aren't from the field. They're from the people that I was with, the laughs that I had and the overall experience at the game. I have a hard time remembering games I went to last season off the top of my head, but I can tell you specific stories from separate games about the people that I was with, where I sat or what we did. 

I don't know how many of the people that I gave a baseball to Monday night will remember the outcome of the game (a 5-2 loss). But there's a better chance that some of them will remember me giving them or their kid a used scuffed-up baseball. There's a better chance that some of them will remember getting on the video board as they did the chicken dance. There's a better chance that some of them will remember participating in a between-inning promotion. 

At the end of the day, it's not about balls and strikes, runs and outs. It's about the laughs shared and the memories made. 

Life is a lot like baseball in the same way. At the end of the day, when you're gone, people aren't going to necessarily remember the little successes and failures, or your balls and strikes. They'll remember your smile, the laughs they shared with you and the memories you created. 

I loved interacting with the fans at the park. I got to know them used it as a chance to practice my interviewing skills. I love interviewing people, even if it isn't for a story. In my mind, I want to hear what the other person has to say. If they say something interesting, I want to follow up on that. It makes me want to work on my feature writing even more. I love talking to people and hearing their stories and having the chance to share those stories with others. 

I had the chance to talk with a scout with the Atlanta Braves before a game last week. In his mind, I was a kid interested in the game of baseball and trying to learn how scouts do things. In my mind, I was interviewing him. Picking his brain to figure out how it works, asking him questions to learn more about scouting and what he's looking for in a player. Comparing today's baseball with the one that he began working in 35 years ago. It was a good ten minute conversation. If I was writing a story on scouts, I would have at least a dozen good quotes from him to use in a story. 

Those one-on-one conversations, or interviews, is what I love doing. I love getting an answer out of people and I love hearing what they have to say about things. I've done a lot of "interviewing" in Charleston with die-hard local fans, visitors and every-day people. If I could summarize the people of Charleston in two words, it would be passionate and hospitable.  

I read that Charleston is called, "The North's most southern city and the South's most Northern city."

I get that now. The city has a mix of the northern personality and character that I grew up around and the southern charm that the south is known for. 

1 have experienced genuine southern hospitality down here. I have seen strangers go out of their way to help other strangers. I have yet to go on a walk around town where I don't get a hello, a smile or a head nod from a

A park in downtown Charleston

single person. I was given a discount at lunch the other day simply because the cashier thought I looked like a guy she graduated with in 1980. 

Their not just hospitable, they're passionate. Passionate about their state, their lifestyle and their schools. 

People that are born here usually stay here. There's something about West Virginia that won't let one leave. We have a lot of that in Western, PA, but I think that West Virginia has that to a greater extent. 

They are very proud of the way they live and their reputation. Most of them embrace the redneck culture that they are stereotyped with. We even poke fun at it by celebrating redneck night at the ballpark. It's a West Virginia think. A West by God Virginia thing, I suppose. 

They love their sports, particularly high school and especially college sports. Marshall and WVU are everything down here. Marshall is just down the street, so a lot of people love Marshall. But everyone else is all in for everything WVU. It seems like everyone went to, goes to, or has a connection to WVU. A large majority of our interns and part-time game day staff went to or go to WVU. I'm not going to lie, growing up in Pittsburgh during the backyard brawl era, I was taught that everyone from WVU was overly obnoxious, dumb and rude, and only knew how to set couches on fire. Now, they will admit to setting a lot of couches on fire. But they are not all obnoxious, dumb or rude. Quite the opposite. The people from WVU have been so nice to me and have developed into good friends of mine. So much so, that I actually may find myself rooting for WVU in the future.

I'm loving it here, without a doubt. I'm halfway done with my time here and that still blows me away. In about seven more weeks, I will leave here for good. Unlike leaving Point Park in Pittsburgh, there is no "see you next school year." Although this is only a temporary position here, I can definitely see myself coming back to visit or potentially work again in the future. 

Moving on from reflection time, this is how the rest of the week played out.

After the seven-game homestand, the team went on the road for three days before returning for the weekend. 
Tuesday was supposed to be a half-day for me along with Thursday. Wednesday was supposed to be an off day. I went in to the office Tuesday to cut my top ten from the last homestand. After I finished around noon, I went to the hospital for lunch and returned to the press box. There weren't a lot of people at the park and I was alone in the box all day. Instead of going home, I decided to stay in the press box all day and watch Netflix, SportsCenter and enjoy the air conditioning. Before I knew it, it was 5:00 and I finished Parks and Rec on Netflix. Jay came in at 5:00 surprised that I was even here and asked if I realized that I had a half-day. Technically, I only worked for  half the day. I just like hanging out in here. I waited until a storm that popped up passed and went home at 6:30. I later went over to Trip and Alex's house to watch game six of the NBA Finals with another intern, Scott. I was the only one rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was still a fun night.

Jazz trio playing in the mall's center court

I woke up Wednesday and checked out the weather for the day. There was a fairly strong storm that was moving in, but it looked like it would fizzle out eventually. I walked to the mall and just beat the storm. While I was there, I went to the foot court and got Taco Bell for lunch, then I went down to the first level and got an iced coffee from Starbucks and enjoyed a live jazz trio. It was a relaxing and well-deserved treat myself afternoon. While I was walking home, I ran into Trip, who was out on the road going to lunch, and offered me a ride home. We met up later and played basketball at the court near his apartment. 

Thursday, my second half-day, turned into a full day after our homestand meeting. We got a long list of things to do ahead of just a three-game homestand that featured a theme and giveaway every night. The Pirate Parrot was visiting Friday, so I made a Pirate Parrot video. There was also a plush black bear giveaway, so I made a video about West Virginia's state animal. Saturday was West Virginia day and we had a New River Gorge replica bridge giveaway, so I made videos detailing the history of the bridge. It was one of my more productive days of work, especially considering I wasn't even supposed to be there past noon.

Friday began a three-game homestand. It was raining on and off all day Thursday and Friday and when there's rain, there's tarp. We arrived Friday at 9 a.m. to remove the tarp so the field could begin its prep for the night's game. I was supposed to be on the camera behind home plate, but ended up getting a chance at being the MC for the night. The last time I was supposed to do something other than camera, PA, we got rained out. We put the tarp on after the gates opened ahead of what looked like a large storm. We had a light drizzle for about an hour with periods of harder rain, but nothing more than that. So at 8:00, we took the tarp off the field in the rain and started to get ready to play. We actually played baseball Friday night and I did something other than camera. 

Click here to watch us get the game started

The MC gig was a fun one. My MC name that the PA announcer gave me was "2 Live Croup," after the band 2 Live Crew. I had to do the chicken dance with the mascot on the dugout, I had to throw newspapers and T-Shirts to the crowd and I had to run the on-field contests and promotions. My first one was a bucket toss where a kid threw tennis balls into a barrel. I forgot to turn my microphone on at first and was a little embarrassed, but powered through it. The rest of the night went smoothly and ended with a 6-5 victory for the Power in a seesaw type of game. I had to stall on the field for about 5-10 minutes after the game while the post-game fireworks were getting set up in center field. That was interesting, but it was still fun. Overall, it was a fun experience and I'm glad that I got the chance to do it. 

I didn't leave until 1:00 a.m. after I cut my highlights and got back at 9:00 a.m. for another tarp pull. 

During the afternoon, we hosted the annual season ticket holder picnic. At the picnic, the season ticket holders had the opportunity to take batting practice on the field. I just happened to have my glove in the press box and they just happened to need people to field BP. So the interns all went to the outfield and infield and shagged fly balls and fielded grounders in the infield. I shifted from left to center to short. I'm glad that the rain held off for it because that was something that I've been looking for. Tropical depression Bill swept through West Virginia and gave us a night off. We canceled the Power game and instead watched the Pirates get no-hit against the Nationals on the video board. I went home and enjoyed the night off by going to bed before 11:00. It was glorious. 

I guess this past week was all about the new experiences, breaking routine and discovering why I'm here. I made a lot of people happy and did my best in every capacity to put on good shows and give people a night that they will remember. It's more than balls and strikes, wins and losses. I learned that this week more than anything. 

Next week is the All-Star break. We're halfway there. The midpoint of the season and the midpoint of my summer. 

Because, why not?
Josh

Hours June 14-20

6-14 Sunday: 11:30-7:30 (8)
6-15 Monday: 10-12:30 (14.5)
6-16 Tuesday: 10-12 (2)
6-17 Wednesday: Off
6-18 Thursday: 9:30-5 (7.5)
6-19 Friday: 9-1 (16)
6-20 Saturday: 9-6:30 (9.5)

Total: 57.5

Chicken dancing with Chuck on the dugout