Friday, July 8, 2011
Florida Pictures
I know Mom asked me to take some pictures while I'm down here so here are some including some days at the beach, the Daytona 500, different stadiums, the Shuttle Launch and a few other things.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Countdown Begins
Well..it's almost here! Minor League Baseball season that is. Sorry I haven't written in a while, I've been extremely busy. Finally I got a minute to write a little bit about what I've been doing and what is to come.
Obviously the broadcast part of my job is dealing with prep work and getting as much practice as I can. I had the high school showcase for my "debut" and then we did a Bethune Cookman game this past week too. I was pretty nervous for the first one and felt a little more at ease during the Cookman game. I recently purchased MLBTV and that is helping me quite a bit. Like I was telling Shannon, I'm able to listen or watch whatever game I want to in the Major Leagues so I listen to radio broadcasters and just get ideas on how they say things and how they call "the action". Everybody is different but you still need to be smooth with your delivery of the actual gameplay and try to paint a picture for the listener since they can't see what is happening. I also like it because I can watch Brewer games...I need my fix!
On the media relations side, it's pretty stressful right now. We put together our program for all of our fans, record commercials, and do other random things like get music and sound clips ready. The program was very difficult because none of us had used Quark so it was a long process. We produce monthly issues so hopefully May, June, July, etc will go much better because we'll just go off of what we have now and swap some things out when need be.
Other than that, everything is pretty good at work. For the most part, everybody in the office gets along and works well together. This past week was a TON of stadium prep. It's amazing the things that need to be done that you'd never think about. The days are long and are about to get even longer with the season starts. I can't wait to travel so I don't have to go to work til 3 pm. Then it will be prep work for the game and the actual broadcast and that will be it. Our season starts April 7 on the road against Brevard County and then the following night we have our home opener. My actual debut will be April 8 for the home opener and you can listen on www.daytonacubs.com. I'm excited but I'll be very nervous.
Outside of work I haven't had much of a life. Weekends are now filled with work for the most part. I have gone golfing a few times in the past week and shot pretty good. Getting better but I'll probably get rusty again once the season starts. The weather has been crazy for the past month. There was about a 2 week stretch where I honestly don't believe I saw a cloud. Before this week we didn't get any rain in a long time but it came down hard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. There were some very bad storms and we got hit with a "micro blast". It was pretty scary actually as we were up in the press box and probably shouldn't have been. The rain was going up, sideways and down all at the same time. Water was starting to come thru the windows so we scrambled to move our computers and everything else. We all kind of looked at each other like, "is this a tornado"? I sure thought it was but I don't think it actually was. The press box was shaking!
I think that will be all for now as I have to get up early again to work all day on Saturday, which sucks! Grandpa, if you are reading this, I hope you are feeling better...you know my number if you ever want to just talk. I miss you all very much. I try to not think about how far away I actually am but there are days where I can't help it. I look forward to seeing you all soon, whether it's in late April/early May or in June when I come home for the All-Star Break.
Thanks for reading! Go Cubs....April fools day! GO BREWERS!!
Obviously the broadcast part of my job is dealing with prep work and getting as much practice as I can. I had the high school showcase for my "debut" and then we did a Bethune Cookman game this past week too. I was pretty nervous for the first one and felt a little more at ease during the Cookman game. I recently purchased MLBTV and that is helping me quite a bit. Like I was telling Shannon, I'm able to listen or watch whatever game I want to in the Major Leagues so I listen to radio broadcasters and just get ideas on how they say things and how they call "the action". Everybody is different but you still need to be smooth with your delivery of the actual gameplay and try to paint a picture for the listener since they can't see what is happening. I also like it because I can watch Brewer games...I need my fix!
On the media relations side, it's pretty stressful right now. We put together our program for all of our fans, record commercials, and do other random things like get music and sound clips ready. The program was very difficult because none of us had used Quark so it was a long process. We produce monthly issues so hopefully May, June, July, etc will go much better because we'll just go off of what we have now and swap some things out when need be.
Other than that, everything is pretty good at work. For the most part, everybody in the office gets along and works well together. This past week was a TON of stadium prep. It's amazing the things that need to be done that you'd never think about. The days are long and are about to get even longer with the season starts. I can't wait to travel so I don't have to go to work til 3 pm. Then it will be prep work for the game and the actual broadcast and that will be it. Our season starts April 7 on the road against Brevard County and then the following night we have our home opener. My actual debut will be April 8 for the home opener and you can listen on www.daytonacubs.com. I'm excited but I'll be very nervous.
Outside of work I haven't had much of a life. Weekends are now filled with work for the most part. I have gone golfing a few times in the past week and shot pretty good. Getting better but I'll probably get rusty again once the season starts. The weather has been crazy for the past month. There was about a 2 week stretch where I honestly don't believe I saw a cloud. Before this week we didn't get any rain in a long time but it came down hard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. There were some very bad storms and we got hit with a "micro blast". It was pretty scary actually as we were up in the press box and probably shouldn't have been. The rain was going up, sideways and down all at the same time. Water was starting to come thru the windows so we scrambled to move our computers and everything else. We all kind of looked at each other like, "is this a tornado"? I sure thought it was but I don't think it actually was. The press box was shaking!
I think that will be all for now as I have to get up early again to work all day on Saturday, which sucks! Grandpa, if you are reading this, I hope you are feeling better...you know my number if you ever want to just talk. I miss you all very much. I try to not think about how far away I actually am but there are days where I can't help it. I look forward to seeing you all soon, whether it's in late April/early May or in June when I come home for the All-Star Break.
Thanks for reading! Go Cubs....April fools day! GO BREWERS!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Live from the Press Box
Hey everybody! It's been a few weeks since I last wrote a blog so I'll fill you in on some stuff. I moved my office up to the press box at the stadium. It's a pretty cool view. The stadium is kinda surrounded by water. If you look straight out to right and centerfield, the Intercoastal Waterway and all the big bridges are right there. To the left of the stadium is a smaller river that runs along the main concourse of the stadium. Then if you leave the press box, right behind the stadium across the street is a harbor that is full of big sailboats. Something else that is cool is Bethune Cookman University practicing everyday from 2-5...makes the afternoon go fast. BCU is a Division 1 school that can relate to Wisconsin because that's where the Packers Nick Collins went to school. They have a catcher who is ranked #18 among college players in the country. It's cool to see scouts out here watching them practice and whatnot. We've still been going on the field during lunch to shag fly balls and whatnot. Once BCU hits the road we'll probably stay after work and use the whole field.
Other than that at work, everything has relatively been the same. I made my first sponsorship sale which is nice. Actually signing the papers tomorrow so I guess it's not technically official. We'll be working the BCU games and they start in a couple weeks. Not this Sunday, but the next is the Daytona 500. I'm pretty sure I'll get to go to that. Some are going to the Nationwide race on Saturday night but I'm working a BCU game that night so hopefully I'll get to go Sunday to the real deal.
Not much is different at the house or anything like that. Went to the beach last Saturday and golfed after that til it started raining. We just added another course with a partnership so we'll be able to golf at that one for $2. I shot an 83 two weeks ago, my best round yet. Dundon and TJ are coming down Thursday, March 3rd thru the 6th...pretty excited for that. Some others were talking about possibly coming down with them like Wagner and Modl. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can get to the beach or golf.
It's now 2 months til opening day for us. Not sure if I said this in my last post but we open on the road at Brevard County on April 7th and our home opener is April 8th, which I'll be broadcasting. We should have a crowd of over 4,000 for opening day so that'll be awesome. I'm sure I'll be nervous but we'll be practicing long before then to prepare for the real thing.
Til next time...miss you all.
P.S...Go Pack!
Other than that at work, everything has relatively been the same. I made my first sponsorship sale which is nice. Actually signing the papers tomorrow so I guess it's not technically official. We'll be working the BCU games and they start in a couple weeks. Not this Sunday, but the next is the Daytona 500. I'm pretty sure I'll get to go to that. Some are going to the Nationwide race on Saturday night but I'm working a BCU game that night so hopefully I'll get to go Sunday to the real deal.
Not much is different at the house or anything like that. Went to the beach last Saturday and golfed after that til it started raining. We just added another course with a partnership so we'll be able to golf at that one for $2. I shot an 83 two weeks ago, my best round yet. Dundon and TJ are coming down Thursday, March 3rd thru the 6th...pretty excited for that. Some others were talking about possibly coming down with them like Wagner and Modl. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can get to the beach or golf.
It's now 2 months til opening day for us. Not sure if I said this in my last post but we open on the road at Brevard County on April 7th and our home opener is April 8th, which I'll be broadcasting. We should have a crowd of over 4,000 for opening day so that'll be awesome. I'm sure I'll be nervous but we'll be practicing long before then to prepare for the real thing.
Til next time...miss you all.
P.S...Go Pack!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
New Beginnings
Hey all! I've decided to take Shannon and Moms advice and start a blog about my time living in Florida. I liked when Shannon wrote when her and Tate were in Minnesota so I'll do the same. The only difference will be the weather! As I write this at 10:30 at night, its about 62 degrees...not too shabby. Anyway...
The first two weeks are in the books, well I guess after tomorrow it will be in the books. I'll start out with work and everything there is going pretty good. Right now, all of the interns are together in this really small room where we all have like a 4 foot cubicle but oh well. Within the next week I'll be moving up to the press box and making that my office. So that will be pretty sweet, not to mention it overlooks the ocean...I can live with seeing that everyday.
So far at work we are trying to sell, sell, sell. I told Joe the other week I have a newfound respect for sales people because it is not easy. You would think selling baseball tickets would be easy but its not exactly the case down in Florida. You know in Wisconsin when we get excited when that first warm day hits and that means baseball and the Brewers (and Twins) are coming? Well they have warm days year round so they don't look forward to it like we do. Other than just tickets we are trying to sell sponsorships and recently I've started trying to sell features for radio spots. I've had a few meetings in the first two weeks and some follow ups. As of now I actually think I have three places that are going to buy with each being a few thousand dollars so I'll make commission of those...so cross your fingers!
I'm ready for the season to get closer and get the baseball fever. I'll be able to keep Justin updated with Brevard County (The Brewers Single A team) and Tate with Fort Myers (The Twins Single A team) since they are both in our division. We just got our broadcast schedules so I know what games I'll be doing and when I'll be on the road. Something cool when I'm on the road will be the hours. Robbie, who is our Director of broadcasting & Media Relations (and I'm one of the Assistant Directors) was telling me we'll bring our golf clubs. So after a game on a Tuesday night, we'll prepare for Wednesdays and then not get to the park til 3:00 for a 7:00 game on Wednesday night. So we'll be able to golf a lot in the mornings..pretty sweet deal if you ask me! Not to mention we golf for a dollar at some courses we have partnerships with! Well, enough about work for now.
The roommates are good, at the moment it's me, Jason, Dan and Keith. Jason is moving out on Saturday to an apartment with some other guys at the office. He is the group sales manager and it's been in the works for a few months now. He's got a lab named Finley. Cool dog and all but I will not miss the dog hair as he sheds A TON! Like Beau, he'll play catch with you allllll day long and never get tired! Dan and Keith are good guys as well. Dan is from New Hampshire and he's the other media guy. Keith is still in school and he's doing this as an internship for Illinois University in Champaign. However, he is a Packer fan and not a Bears fan. We got a couple Bears guys in the office and I made a friendly bet with one. If the Pack wins, he has to wear my Rodgers jersey in our staff meeting Monday morning and if the Bears win I have to wear his Walter Payton jersey.
Other than that, life is pretty normal. Went golfing last weekend which was sweet. We had 8 guys from the office and had a group out there. I actually played decent, I think I ended up with a 92. Not bad for not playing in 3 months. I've been working out almost everyday after work. Hopefully my wrist holds up, at times it gets sore but nothing like what I've had in the past. Our house is old, but it's a half block from the beach so can I really complain about it? Once we get all the dog hair outta here this weekend maybe I'll like it better. Plus I'm changing rooms and taking Jason's...he actually has 2 closets compared to my zero. Anyway...that's about all for now since I'm falling asleep. Hope all is well with everybody, love and miss you all! Please feel free to visit me whenever you want. Obviously I know you can't just hop a plane and come down but you are all more than welcome here. Yes Mom, that includes you and Dad. So stop thinking that I don't like you guys around! We have plenty of space in our house and we'll pretty much have an extra room when Jason moves out. Just let me know if you're thinking about it and we'll make it work!
Til next time!
-Chad
The first two weeks are in the books, well I guess after tomorrow it will be in the books. I'll start out with work and everything there is going pretty good. Right now, all of the interns are together in this really small room where we all have like a 4 foot cubicle but oh well. Within the next week I'll be moving up to the press box and making that my office. So that will be pretty sweet, not to mention it overlooks the ocean...I can live with seeing that everyday.
So far at work we are trying to sell, sell, sell. I told Joe the other week I have a newfound respect for sales people because it is not easy. You would think selling baseball tickets would be easy but its not exactly the case down in Florida. You know in Wisconsin when we get excited when that first warm day hits and that means baseball and the Brewers (and Twins) are coming? Well they have warm days year round so they don't look forward to it like we do. Other than just tickets we are trying to sell sponsorships and recently I've started trying to sell features for radio spots. I've had a few meetings in the first two weeks and some follow ups. As of now I actually think I have three places that are going to buy with each being a few thousand dollars so I'll make commission of those...so cross your fingers!
I'm ready for the season to get closer and get the baseball fever. I'll be able to keep Justin updated with Brevard County (The Brewers Single A team) and Tate with Fort Myers (The Twins Single A team) since they are both in our division. We just got our broadcast schedules so I know what games I'll be doing and when I'll be on the road. Something cool when I'm on the road will be the hours. Robbie, who is our Director of broadcasting & Media Relations (and I'm one of the Assistant Directors) was telling me we'll bring our golf clubs. So after a game on a Tuesday night, we'll prepare for Wednesdays and then not get to the park til 3:00 for a 7:00 game on Wednesday night. So we'll be able to golf a lot in the mornings..pretty sweet deal if you ask me! Not to mention we golf for a dollar at some courses we have partnerships with! Well, enough about work for now.
The roommates are good, at the moment it's me, Jason, Dan and Keith. Jason is moving out on Saturday to an apartment with some other guys at the office. He is the group sales manager and it's been in the works for a few months now. He's got a lab named Finley. Cool dog and all but I will not miss the dog hair as he sheds A TON! Like Beau, he'll play catch with you allllll day long and never get tired! Dan and Keith are good guys as well. Dan is from New Hampshire and he's the other media guy. Keith is still in school and he's doing this as an internship for Illinois University in Champaign. However, he is a Packer fan and not a Bears fan. We got a couple Bears guys in the office and I made a friendly bet with one. If the Pack wins, he has to wear my Rodgers jersey in our staff meeting Monday morning and if the Bears win I have to wear his Walter Payton jersey.
Other than that, life is pretty normal. Went golfing last weekend which was sweet. We had 8 guys from the office and had a group out there. I actually played decent, I think I ended up with a 92. Not bad for not playing in 3 months. I've been working out almost everyday after work. Hopefully my wrist holds up, at times it gets sore but nothing like what I've had in the past. Our house is old, but it's a half block from the beach so can I really complain about it? Once we get all the dog hair outta here this weekend maybe I'll like it better. Plus I'm changing rooms and taking Jason's...he actually has 2 closets compared to my zero. Anyway...that's about all for now since I'm falling asleep. Hope all is well with everybody, love and miss you all! Please feel free to visit me whenever you want. Obviously I know you can't just hop a plane and come down but you are all more than welcome here. Yes Mom, that includes you and Dad. So stop thinking that I don't like you guys around! We have plenty of space in our house and we'll pretty much have an extra room when Jason moves out. Just let me know if you're thinking about it and we'll make it work!
Til next time!
-Chad
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
