I've learned a lot about myself in the past week. The week ended similarly to how it began and everything in-between was great. I have recapped my week in the past two blogs starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday. This week, I will start on Sunday and end on Sunday.
I had an off day last Sunday because the team was on the road. Alex, the box office intern, picked me up in the early evening and we went to help our new friends Kelsey and Rachel, general interns, move in to their new apartment. After about three hours of moving, they cooked us dinner. I then went back to Alex's apartment and we helped his new roommate, Trip, move in. His name is George III, but he goes by Trip. He's a really cool guy and fits right in.
After the long night, I slept in for the third day in a row and it was magnificent. We met up later Monday night at Kelsey and Rachel's apartment and watched a couple movies. Their apartment is in the downtown area, while Alex and I live closer to the ballpark. It was another nice night hanging out with new friends and getting to know each other. We were becoming our own little family, the five of us. Alex from the University of Louisville, Trip from Indiana University, Kelsey and Rachel from West Virginia University and Josh from Point Park University.
After a pretty easy day at work on Tuesday which included a homestand meeting where the entire staff gets together and discusses the events for the upcoming homestand, we all got back together and went to a mall where one place had laser tag. When we got there, we learned that laser tag was only available on the weekends. Not on a Tuesday evening. Oops. We played in the arcade for a little while and went back to base to regroup. We decided to go see Pitch Perfect Two that evening at the local movie theater. It was a great way to send us all into a weekend homestand.
We went our separate ways Wednesday night, or so we thought. I made some phone calls to my friends and family and then my roommate returned from the teams' road trip, only to tell me that we had to go to the stadium at 8:00 p.m. for a tarp pull ahead of an overnight storm. So we spent yet another evening with each other on what was to be our night off from each other. The tarp pull wasn't bad, especially with all the help from the additional general interns. (Unrelated: I cooked a Red Baron pizza in the oven two nights in a row for my dinner. No injuries or fires reported.)
Then came Thursday.
Thursday began a four-game homestand. We received a good amount of rain overnight and it rained off and on all day Thursday. We took the tarp off in the afternoon for the Power's batting practice. After they were done, we put it right back on for more scattered showers. In the two hours from the time the tarp was put on the field to the time we removed it, the tarp was drenched. We took it off right before the gates opened at 6:00 and boy was I glad I had water shoes. I wish I had my GoPro strapped on for a POV shot of the tarp pull. I'll add that to my summer bucket list.
Once the game started and I was in my usual spot in the dugout, I had to find a way to remove an inch of water from my spot so I could actually stand during the game without having to come up for a breathe every half inning. I didn't want to tread water, I wanted to watch baseball. It rained on and off during the game, as it had all day. There was no tarp pull after the game and our weather for the rest of the weekend was perfect.
Friday was a fairly normal game. The only thing that was different was where I stood for the game. Instead of standing in the dugout, I was behind home plate with my camera for the game and the post-game fireworks.
It's still a great view from up above. Plus, I get a great show from the Toast Man. I stood here for Friday and Saturday's game.
My family and girlfriend came to visit and see a game on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Their seats were in the front row behind the Power dugout. Oh, and it just so happened to be our biggest night of the year...Redneck Night.
Redneck Night was a headache. A fun headache, I guess. It was a long night, for sure. There was a pre and post game concert, free camo hats and a million redneck videos that I prepared. It was organized chaos. It was great to see my family standing on the other side of the gate. I used "filming crowd shots and camo hats" as an excuse to go see them as they walked in the park. Gates opened an hour earlier than usual for the concert, so I got to see them even more than I would on a normal night. They were able to come and stand around me during the game and take candids of me working the camera throughout the game (see below). Jake and Emily also brought me french fries and kettle corn to snack on during the game. The only thing I didn't have was a hoodie. Once the sun went down, it got pretty chilly pretty quickly. After the game, I filmed more concert footage and showed them my office in the press box area. They met Jay, my boss, and saw where I do my work from. I walked them out to their car and went back to work. I put together my highlight reels for WOWK and the video board and went home to sleep.
I woke up early on Sunday to go out to breakfast with Emily. We met at 7:30 and went to a very nice diner downtown for breakfast. Friday was our three-year anniversary and at the beginning of the summer, we didn't think we would have the chance to spend it or the weekend of it together. It was great to catch up and share a few laughs over bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee for the morning. We met back up with my family and I took them around the city to do some sight-seeing. My boss was nice enough to allow me to come in at 12:00, just two hours before game time, so I could spend time with my family. We said our goodbyes and I went back to work.
Sunday's game had me back in my normal spot in the dugout. The heat was as unforgiving as ever today and the game seemed to drag on and on. The team won three out of four games in the series and sent the fans home on a good note. I sent one little guy home on a very good note after I found a ball in the dugout before the game and gave it to him. He was able to get the ball signed by a few of the players as they walked to the dugout. That was a cool moment to watch.
I stayed at the ballpark for a couple hours more than I normally would to do some extra work. I had nothing else going on at the apartment, so why not? I made an additional video and organized extra highlights from Redneck Night.
I said at the top that I learned a lot about myself this week. I am finding that I am most productive at night when most of the people are already gone from the stadium and in the mornings when people are just arriving. I learned that I am smarter than an inflatable mascot. I figured out this week how to put Chuck up without him blowing over every fifteen minutes. I put him up and packed him up this weekend by myself and felt overly accomplished afterwards. I learned that my friends here and the people I work with really are
becoming a second family to me. I was told before I started working in baseball that it would happen. It's happening slowly and it's a great feeling to know you have a support system far away from home. I learned that I really miss being home for the summer. I didn't miss home too much up until this weekend. I'm looking forward to August. I also realized that while I'm almost a month into summer, my brother still has a few weeks left in school. That blows my mind.
I'm getting by just fine in West Virginia. This internship is definitely the hardest thing that I've had to do. I had someone at WTAE who worked with the Altoona Curve for a season tell me that if you can survive a season in the minors, you can make it anywhere. I can see where he was coming from and I hope he's right.
The Power have consistently posted my videos and also shared them on their social media accounts. A GIF that I sent them received a lot of attention on Twitter this weekend and my highlight videos seem to be well received.
One of my friends asked if I had been recognized yet for my videos. When he asked me, I answered with no and that I didn't expect to. Today, standing in the dugout, I heard from over my right shoulder, "hey, that's the guy that does the highlights."
It's a humbling experience and one that I am enjoying a lot more than I anticipated.
Because, why not?
Josh
Hours May 17-23
5-17 Sunday: Off
5-18 Monday: Off
5-19 Tuesday: 10-5 (7)
5-20 Wednesday: 10-5 (7)
5-21 Thursday: 10-12 (14)
5-22 Friday: 11-12:15 (13.25)
5-23 Saturday: 11-12 (13)
Total: 54.25
I had an off day last Sunday because the team was on the road. Alex, the box office intern, picked me up in the early evening and we went to help our new friends Kelsey and Rachel, general interns, move in to their new apartment. After about three hours of moving, they cooked us dinner. I then went back to Alex's apartment and we helped his new roommate, Trip, move in. His name is George III, but he goes by Trip. He's a really cool guy and fits right in.
After the long night, I slept in for the third day in a row and it was magnificent. We met up later Monday night at Kelsey and Rachel's apartment and watched a couple movies. Their apartment is in the downtown area, while Alex and I live closer to the ballpark. It was another nice night hanging out with new friends and getting to know each other. We were becoming our own little family, the five of us. Alex from the University of Louisville, Trip from Indiana University, Kelsey and Rachel from West Virginia University and Josh from Point Park University.
After a pretty easy day at work on Tuesday which included a homestand meeting where the entire staff gets together and discusses the events for the upcoming homestand, we all got back together and went to a mall where one place had laser tag. When we got there, we learned that laser tag was only available on the weekends. Not on a Tuesday evening. Oops. We played in the arcade for a little while and went back to base to regroup. We decided to go see Pitch Perfect Two that evening at the local movie theater. It was a great way to send us all into a weekend homestand.
We went our separate ways Wednesday night, or so we thought. I made some phone calls to my friends and family and then my roommate returned from the teams' road trip, only to tell me that we had to go to the stadium at 8:00 p.m. for a tarp pull ahead of an overnight storm. So we spent yet another evening with each other on what was to be our night off from each other. The tarp pull wasn't bad, especially with all the help from the additional general interns. (Unrelated: I cooked a Red Baron pizza in the oven two nights in a row for my dinner. No injuries or fires reported.)
Then came Thursday.
 |
| The tarp-covered field as I arrived Thursday underneath a gloomy Charleston sky. |
Once the game started and I was in my usual spot in the dugout, I had to find a way to remove an inch of water from my spot so I could actually stand during the game without having to come up for a breathe every half inning. I didn't want to tread water, I wanted to watch baseball. It rained on and off during the game, as it had all day. There was no tarp pull after the game and our weather for the rest of the weekend was perfect.
Friday was a fairly normal game. The only thing that was different was where I stood for the game. Instead of standing in the dugout, I was behind home plate with my camera for the game and the post-game fireworks.
It's still a great view from up above. Plus, I get a great show from the Toast Man. I stood here for Friday and Saturday's game.
My family and girlfriend came to visit and see a game on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Their seats were in the front row behind the Power dugout. Oh, and it just so happened to be our biggest night of the year...Redneck Night.
Redneck Night was a headache. A fun headache, I guess. It was a long night, for sure. There was a pre and post game concert, free camo hats and a million redneck videos that I prepared. It was organized chaos. It was great to see my family standing on the other side of the gate. I used "filming crowd shots and camo hats" as an excuse to go see them as they walked in the park. Gates opened an hour earlier than usual for the concert, so I got to see them even more than I would on a normal night. They were able to come and stand around me during the game and take candids of me working the camera throughout the game (see below). Jake and Emily also brought me french fries and kettle corn to snack on during the game. The only thing I didn't have was a hoodie. Once the sun went down, it got pretty chilly pretty quickly. After the game, I filmed more concert footage and showed them my office in the press box area. They met Jay, my boss, and saw where I do my work from. I walked them out to their car and went back to work. I put together my highlight reels for WOWK and the video board and went home to sleep. 
 |
| Little did they know... |
 |
| Shooting B-Roll of the Delmarva Shorebirds' (Baltimore Orioles Class-A affiliate) during batting practice. |
 |
| The free camo hat and a game-used ball from Redneck Night |
I woke up early on Sunday to go out to breakfast with Emily. We met at 7:30 and went to a very nice diner downtown for breakfast. Friday was our three-year anniversary and at the beginning of the summer, we didn't think we would have the chance to spend it or the weekend of it together. It was great to catch up and share a few laughs over bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee for the morning. We met back up with my family and I took them around the city to do some sight-seeing. My boss was nice enough to allow me to come in at 12:00, just two hours before game time, so I could spend time with my family. We said our goodbyes and I went back to work.
Sunday's game had me back in my normal spot in the dugout. The heat was as unforgiving as ever today and the game seemed to drag on and on. The team won three out of four games in the series and sent the fans home on a good note. I sent one little guy home on a very good note after I found a ball in the dugout before the game and gave it to him. He was able to get the ball signed by a few of the players as they walked to the dugout. That was a cool moment to watch.
I stayed at the ballpark for a couple hours more than I normally would to do some extra work. I had nothing else going on at the apartment, so why not? I made an additional video and organized extra highlights from Redneck Night. 
I said at the top that I learned a lot about myself this week. I am finding that I am most productive at night when most of the people are already gone from the stadium and in the mornings when people are just arriving. I learned that I am smarter than an inflatable mascot. I figured out this week how to put Chuck up without him blowing over every fifteen minutes. I put him up and packed him up this weekend by myself and felt overly accomplished afterwards. I learned that my friends here and the people I work with really are becoming a second family to me. I was told before I started working in baseball that it would happen. It's happening slowly and it's a great feeling to know you have a support system far away from home. I learned that I really miss being home for the summer. I didn't miss home too much up until this weekend. I'm looking forward to August. I also realized that while I'm almost a month into summer, my brother still has a few weeks left in school. That blows my mind.
I'm getting by just fine in West Virginia. This internship is definitely the hardest thing that I've had to do. I had someone at WTAE who worked with the Altoona Curve for a season tell me that if you can survive a season in the minors, you can make it anywhere. I can see where he was coming from and I hope he's right.
The Power have consistently posted my videos and also shared them on their social media accounts. A GIF that I sent them received a lot of attention on Twitter this weekend and my highlight videos seem to be well received.
That time when @cotuck was all "Nah, I'm getting a base hit." pic.twitter.com/Da3Ai4gWXk
— West Virginia Power (@wv_power) May 23, 2015
It is kind of cool seeing the players' parents like, favorite and retweet my videos with their sons in them. It's only a small part of my job, but definitely one of the most rewarding.
It literately gave me chills. I didn't turn around to see who it was right away, but eventually did turn around and see who said it. Besides seeing my family, that was the highlight of my week. Not so much because somebody recognized me, but because people are actually watching my work. People are willingly watching videos that I'm in and that I stayed late after the game to make. And I'm getting paid to do it. I love it.
Here are the videos from the past week posted on the WVP YouTube page:
May 21 Power Minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO--IrACqHQ
May 22 Power Minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERcoCLhtfYc
May 23 Power Minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-rW3r3Bl2U
May 24 Power Minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa8w5cDAOmk
Adecco Den commercial that I directed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOc48zL-WiY
I don't know what this internship will lead to in the future. I do know that it has had its challenges and its great rewards up until this point. This week should be an easy one that includes a road trip and a couple days off. The past one began with my new WVP family and ended with my real family that has given up so much to allow me to do this.
It's a humbling experience and one that I am enjoying a lot more than I anticipated.
Because, why not?
Josh
Hours May 17-23
5-17 Sunday: Off
5-18 Monday: Off
5-19 Tuesday: 10-5 (7)
5-20 Wednesday: 10-5 (7)
5-21 Thursday: 10-12 (14)
5-22 Friday: 11-12:15 (13.25)
5-23 Saturday: 11-12 (13)
Total: 54.25
Great job with these posts. Keep up the good work
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