Week Twelve

Already? Already. Twelve weeks down. I still can't believe how fast this summer is going.

This past week, I couldn't believe how hot it was. I was supposed to MC Sunday, but due to a shortage of people, I ran the high-home camera. The first pitch temperature was 93 degrees and the heat index read 112. It was a very thin crowd, but the team won and I had some good highlights to use.

Chris in the air just  after
getting the bat out of the net.

Monday wrapped up the seven-game homestand, my second to last homestand. I had the chance to MC again Monday, for probably the last time. It was a busy night on the mic, but a cooler one at that. Thankfully. A Lexington broken bat actually got stuck in our net and we had a delay in the game. Our groundskeeper couldn't get the bat out and the umpires decided to play on. After the game, they had to get a machine on the field to hoist him up in the air to get the bat out of the net. That was a sight to see.

I didn't have to go in until noon Tuesday. When I did, I put together the top ten plays and was allowed to go back home. I actually had a really nice and relaxing day, something that I hadn't had in a while. Wednesday I went in at 10 and began wrapping things up for when I leave. I've put together tips for the Power Minute and other highlights that I put together and I've organized a lot of loose files on the computer. It was a mess when I got here and I'm trying to make it as nice as possible.

I did come across footage of Pirate's RF Gregory Polanco and coach Rick Sofield from when they were with the Power a few years ago. Polanco played and Sofield managed during the 2012 season in Charleston. That was cool to see. Hopefully I can say in a few years that I saw some big leaguers play in A-ball.

After work Wednesday, I went on a walk along the Kanawha River and stopped where it runs in front of the Capitol Building and sat for a good half hour and enjoyed the sounds of the river. Then I watched one of the most breathtaking sunsets in my life. On my walk and as I sat beside the river, ideas started popping into my head. I had been searching for inspiration the past few days for new videos and I just couldn't think of anything. I needed to come up with a Back to the Future parody video to play Thursday night and I was struggling. I eventually did come up with a decent idea, but it was frustrating. I'm not used to having creative brain farts. This was a major one.

Wednesday's sunset on the Kanawha River

Then, all of a sudden, I got an idea for a new video. A "send off" if you will. I assigned myself with a "final project" to complete before I left here. It wouldn't be the last project I did, but it would be one that wrapped up everything that I've watched and experienced this season in a short video. I wanted to show off Charleston and the Power, but also tie in Pittsburgh to this video. The creative juices in my brain came alive and fired words and thoughts into my head beside the river and I wrote a lot of them down as I watched the sunset. I would begin this Thursday.

I went in to work still thinking about this video. I couldn't get it off my mind. I did more organizing and filing, then went outside and sat in the top row of the seats behind home plate with my laptop and began writing and crafting a script for this video. The process at the beginning reminded me of the "Always Home" video that I made as a tribute to Butler High School before I graduated. After about an hour of writing, I went back in the press box for a while and left at 4:30. I went straight home, had a quick bite to eat, packed my cameras and went out.


Keep in mind I do not have a car down here so I do walk everywhere. I was feeling adventurous, so I walked through a couple different neighborhoods on my way to the Capitol Building instead of walking on the main streets. I came across some train tracks by the University of Charleston football stadium that I shot and then got some other shots of the mountains behind it. Then I walked around the Capitol for about an hour and got footage of it. The Capitol's campus always is so peaceful and beautiful and this time was no different. The best part was that there was nobody there. It was right after the 9-5 work day let out and the visitors and tourists weren't there yet. It was empty and it was so quiet and peaceful. The Capitol gave me a lot of good content to use.

I walked along the river and got some more shots there as I headed towards downtown. I found stairs that went up to one of the bridges and took them up and got on the bridge to get some shots of downtown and the river from a different angle. I went in the streets of downtown Charleston to get some footage of the different roads, parks and scenery that downtown has to offer. I made a stop at the mall to get an iced coffee at Starbucks and take a bathroom break. Side-note: the coffee purchase officially put me in the Starbucks Gold Club, so that happened.

I still had some daylight left, so I walked back over to the ballpark. I went in and got some nice shots of the empty stadium as the sun set behind it. I wanted to capture the sunset from the river and there wasn't a lot of it left. I ran from the park to the river and made it just in time to get shoot the sunset. Then I finally called it a night at 9:30 after almost five hours of shooting and went back home. I sorted through the 90 minutes worth of footage that I had and the additional 30 minutes of footage from the season that I wanted to include in the video. At 1:30 a.m., I called it quits and went to bed.

The other production intern, Mike, won free lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube courtesy of a local radio station for him and his co-workers. So on the off day, we and three others went to the restaurant and enjoyed a free lunch on Electric 102.7. Then I went home and edited for the next few hours non-stop until I finished. I was on a roll.

The video is done and I will share a link to it next week. I am really excited with how it turned out and can't wait to share it with people.

Another great sunset Friday night

After I finished, I walked down to the Live on the Levee concert but only stayed for a few minutes before walking around the mall and then heading back down the river as I watched another amazing sunset. I sure will miss Charleston's sunsets.

The view from the top of the Capitol steps

I walked to the Capitol Building from the mall and sat on the top step for a while. I got there at 9:30 and the only noise was the occasional car passing by and the fountains at the base of the steps. I had some time to just reflect on this whole summer and everything that I've had the chance to do. I'm really fortunate to be in the position that I am today. I'm lucky. I'm so grateful for everything that this summer has given me so far. I wouldn't have it any other way.

What will I do next summer and the summer after that? After spending this past summer as a 19 year old in another state 260 miles away from home working in Minor League Baseball, there's nothing that I can't do. Stealing a line from my video: "dreaming big, but focusing on today." Theres still work to be done in Charleston. I want to finish strong. This video that I'm calling "for now" is a good start to finishing strong. I'm enjoying the 9 days without games before my final seven-game homestand starts next Thursday.

To end the week, I explored the museum at the Capitol building for a couple hours. Afterwards, my roommate and his girlfriend let me tag along with them to Morgantown to catch a WV Black Bears game. The Black Bears are the short season affiliate of the Pirates and one level below the Power playing in their inaugural season in Minor League Baseball.

We had a WV Power black bear giveaway on the night of their home opener. I decided to bring along the little guy to Morgantown and got some laughs. We met up with a few other Power staffers who we didn't know were going to the game. They had great seats behind home plate, an upgrade from our standing room only tickets.

RHP John Holdzkom
pitches a 1-2-3 Seventh

I also had the chance to watch Pirate's RHP John Holdzkom throw a 1-2-3 7th inning in a rehab assignment. Holdzkom made headlines late last season as guy signed out of independent ball by the Pirates and proved himself when everyone else had given up on him.

The Black Bears tossed a 3-0, one-hit shutout in their victory over the Staten Island Yankees. It was also Star Wars night at the ballpark as the team auctioned special jerseys after the game. We even stopped at Sheetz on the way back home. It was a good night.

Another off day Sunday before my last full week with the Power. Let's do this.

Because, why not?
Josh

Hours July 19 - 25

7-19 Sunday: 11:30-7:30 (8)
7-20 Monday: 10-12 (14)
7-21 Tuesday: 12-2:30 (2.5)
7-22 Wednesday: 10-4:30 (6.5)
7-23 Thursday: 11-4:30 (5.5)
7-24 Off
7-25 Off

Total: 36.5

Week Eleven

This past week began the my second-to-last homestand with the West Virginia Power. A homestand where I did just about everything.

I got back to Charleston Sunday night after spending the weekend at home. I went in for a normal 10-5 day Monday and was supposed to Tuesday. Around 4:00 a wicked storm rolled through the area after we put our ripped tarp on the field. After the rain stopped, I went over to Trip and Alex's apartment to watch the MLB Home Run Derby. 

Wednesday was supposed to be the start of the homestand. A similar storm with a little more strength (left) hit us at around 5:45 so we postponed the game until Thursday where we would play a double header to start the homestand. I went home for a while but later went back to the stadium to watch the MLB All-Star Game from the press box. 

New River Gorge Bridge
cut into the outfield grass

We played two Thursday. 14 innings of wireless camera work later, it was time for Christmas in July. The new tarp had arrived. After the game, we took over an hour to fold up the old tarp and get our new tarp prepped for use. The new tarp cost roughly $5,000 and feels a lot lighter compared to the old tarp, which isn't necessarily a good thing. We'll see how long it can hold up. 

Our groundskeeper, Chris, who I have came to know pretty well, has done a great job with the field along with his grounds crew. He had a story written about him in the Charleston Daily Mail detailing his work.

 Two tarps, one field. RIP old tarp.

Friday was interesting.

I went down to the clubhouse at 10:45 to change into the mascot costume for the first time. I jumped in the Street Team car with our promo team girls and four of our players to head to the mall for an appearance (left) . The costume got really hot really fast. There weren't a lot of people at the mall, and those that were there seemed disinterested in the yellow furry creature waving at them. Drenched in sweat, I changed out of the costume and had lunch with the players before heading back to the stadium. 

When I got back to the stadium, I put the Chuck costume back on for a music video shoot. Three hours later, it was 3:45 and I was on my way home to shower before the game. I was exhausted and still had a game in the evening. After running the camera behind home plate for the game, we were told to get ready for a tarp pull. On my way back to the press box from clocking out, I ran into our EVP who said they needed help cleaning out the bowl (our regular seating area). One of the cleaning crew guys told me that a lot of their guys don't show up the few days after pay day. 

After sweating some more as I picked up trash in the stadium, I helped get the tarp on the field ahead of a possible overnight shower. It did not rain that night, so the 9 a.m. tarp pull was an easy one. I edited my highlights and was home just before 1:00.

After tarp the next morning, I put the Chuck costume on one more time to get a couple more shots for the video. I went home and got breakfast and was back at the park at 1:00 for the start of another hectic day. It was a major sponsor night at the park and we were short-staffed in the press box. I started the game on wireless camera when a few innings in, we were told to bring our cameras in to head down to the tarp. It rained everywhere but over Appalachian Power Park Saturday night. Two innings later, I jumped behind the home plate camera. I swapped back to the wireless camera after the seventh-inning stretch. 

A motion graphic I made
for when the Lexington
Ledgends strike out.

Before I could begin cutting highlights, I had to go to the field to assist in fireworks cleanup, picking up thousands of tiny pieces of cardboard and other debris on the field by hand. It took me back to the days where I used to pick up leaves by hand at home. Then we put the tarp on the field for another possible overnight shower. It did not rain that night, so the 8 a.m. tarp pull was an easy one. Besides the whole waking up thing. 

Before I could begin cutting highlights, there was a picnic that needed help tearing down on the third base concourse. Dozens of tables and hundreds of chairs needed put back in storage. When we finally finished that, I went back to the clubhouse to change out of my sweaty clothes to begin cutting highlights. 

But wait, there's more. 

Campers in their tents watching
"Big Hero 6" on the video board.

It was Scout Night as well. Between 150 and 200 people, mostly scouts, came back to APP after the game for a campout on the outfield grass. We had popcorn and drinks for them on the Party Deck and played a movie on the video board for them. I left just before the end of the movie around 1:45. 

So, I did my normal camera and highlights duties this week. I also dressed up as a mascot in 90+ degrees weather, picked up trash, took down tables and chairs, and crawled in the outfield picking up fireworks debris. I did my best at everything that I did and gave everything my all. I've been raised to do what I'm told and do it right. "Shut up and do your job." Hard work pays off. 

I sweated more this week than I have in a long time, but I'm doing what I love. 

It's baseball, man.

Because, why not?

Josh

Hours July 12-18

7-12 Sunday: Home
7-13 Monday: 10-5 (7)
7-14 Tuesday: 10-4 (6)
7-15 Wednesday: 9-6 (9)
7-16 Thursday: 9-12:30 (15.5)
7-17 Friday: 10-12:45 (14.75)
7-18 Saturday: 9-10:30, 1-1:45 (14.25)

 Total: 66.5

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