The Calm Before The Storm...?

Ah, Spring Training is Wednesday. Let's let that sink in for a bit.

Wednesday.

That is a mere four days away. That is...well, I dunno. It's an interesting thought. I think it signals a change for me. I've been preparing for this. I've been doing all I can to just go to work and do my best and see what happens. Now, for a five and a half week stretch, it becomes non-stop work for literally 40 days. I have experienced a stretch like that, around my birthday last year, where I worked five days a week at ThreeHouse and then worked weekends at KTVU for four straight weeks, and then worked through the 4th of July until that next Friday. It was a stretch I won't soon forget. 33 days. Absolutely crazy. For me, it was very draining, mainly because my ability to just relax after work during the day got suddenly boxed in by more and more work during the summer, trying to keep me busy while the school year was over with. I guess it was worthwhile (I made a whole lot of money in those five weeks) but in the end, when we went to Santa Cruz for a weekend excursion, I figured out why I did it.

Now, I look down the barrel of a true challenge. 18 home games, all to be taken at their highest level, even though they are considered exhibitions games. It takes a lot of work to make sure things go well for a baseball game, and I got a taste of it last night, when Dunedin Stadium hosted the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. (Or is it Big East/Big Ten Challenge? Either way...) I made sure all our sound was up and running, made sure I had scripts for the game, and once the game started, I settled in and enjoyed the games from the PA Box. While I just watched during the first game, I got a feel for what goes into the game from our end: Music, the scoreboard, including our "video board" (I say it in a very loose term because, well, it's not digital so much as it is a bunch of flickering red lights. It's not what you'd see at say...AT&T Park) and how scoring happens. The guys I'll be sharing the box with are really cool, but while I'm running around for Toronto during Spring Training, I'll be looking into what's necessary to make the FSL games entertaining. It's a good experience.

Lately, I've felt some apprehension, though, as it usually is, it's away from work. It's still the same stuff, as well: I'm in a motel, not a house. My money situation isn't the best. Pressure is on everyone to perform, even though I'm always in a helpful mood. It's a different situation, but what I've realized is that this is very much a business, and I still see my end of it as a media outlet. Is that going to stay the same? Probably not, but I think my main thing is that I really only know a scant bit about how business works. I think it'll be beneficial to me down the line, without a doubt, but right now, I still feel lost in figuring out exactly what goes in to everything with the team. It's a lot, too.

At work, though, I've been doing good work. The team website, www.DunedinBlueJays.com, has been looking good thanks to Mike's guidance and some help from the people at MiLB.com. I'm getting the hang of it, and people really like my writing style. The bios for the programs were all my doing, and they really enjoyed them (even with a couple of mistakes here and there, which is expected) but it was still a really good thing to see work presented somewhere. When people read the programs this year, the bios and stats were all compiled by me. That's so sweet. I'm going to make sure and get one before too long here, so I'll have a good souvenir for my time here.

As I look at the clock, it's about 8 p.m., so I'll be looking for a cheap dinner and then settling in. Might watch a movie on TV, might finish off my "30 Rock" Season 2 DVDs, might watch some professional wrestling...there's a lot I could do. I gotta head in to work tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as we will open up to 7 days a week, but I'm looking forward to it. It'll give me some time to really work on bettering some stuff before Wednesday, as Monday, I'll be in a tough spot. I'll probably get some fishing in today, as well, and I think I'll do some more media related stuff at work tomorrow. Next time, maybe I post a video. Maybe I post another long blog. We'll see...