Good Thing I'm Not Mathophobic...

The Whitecaps' doubleheader today was postponed, meaning it gave me a lot more time to prepare for tomorrow's game. I wanted to improve my stats organization, so I reordered what I had into a more logical layout.

Simple is good, especially in terms of layout. I'm a visual learner (which explains this). I figured the easier I can access more facts and stats, the more relevant material I can bring into the broadcast. After about five minutes, I hated what I was doing. Whether or not I enjoyed it though, I wanted to ultimately make things easier during the broadcast, since that's the time when there's the most going on (duh).

I can't believe that broadcasting taught me what way I absorb information best, mostly because I couldn't learn that in a classroom. I guess broadcasting is better for my overall development than I thought. Now if only it could teach me how to combine Word and Excel into one program to really get my system going...


I don't know what the ellipsis was for. I probably won't figure that out. But if someone does, I'll be the first one to buy the mega-program.

A Trip to Fenway

The Cape League All Star Game was Thursday night, and for the first time in two decades, the game wasn't on the Cape. It was at Fenway Park, since the Boston Red Sox had an off day. It was the perfect opportunity for the players to live a dream, and the media to get a serious upgrade from the wooden press boxes they inhabit all summer.

Thanks to my pretty good digital camera, I was able to get some still shots and video of the goings-on before the game. I got to go on the field for the Home Run Hitting Contest (which former Whitecaps Connor Powers won) and snapped quite a few photos of the Whitecaps players signing autographs and walking around the field too.

I was glad to use a medium I don't use all that often (still photography) to show what the All Star Game was like. It reminded me that reporters should be able to do everything when it comes to publishing platforms.

Up and Over the Hump...

Repetition is an important part of becoming any kind of professional. In order to do your best, practice is necessary. As talented as people can be, the best athletes, journalists, doctors and even video game players have to put their hours in doing the smallest things over and over.

Doing the same thing a million times can sometimes bring your quality of work down, so be careful. It's great for procedural jobs, where everything needs to be the precise. For something like broadcasting a sporting event, saying the same words means you're not entertaining the listeners or viewers.

There's a difference between doing things the same way and doing them consistently. Consistency is what I aim for in my work. By having the same reliable format with plenty of new features, it makes things easier to listen to. I still relay the information in a clear way, but the listeners don't hear the Charlie Brown teacher out of their speakers.

I have a pretty informal method of getting rid of phrases or words I use too much. It may not work for everyone, but I suggest trying it if you feel like you're falling into a repetitive rut. Whenever I hear myself say something a lot, I write it down on my scorecard and cross it out. At the end of every game, I look at the words I axed and make note of it in my head. At this point, I don't think I've ever needed to scratch a word out twice.

I could keep going about how to stop repetition, but I don't feel like using the word anymore. Hopefully the points I've made are enough.

A Long Day

As much as I love making money, sometimes getting sleep is more worthwhile. However, being a sports broadcaster often means having another job or finding another earning outlet is necessary. For me, that means working at a grocery store three mornings a week.

Thanks to the incessant rain earlier this summer, the Whitecaps have three doubleheaders this season. One of them was today, and that meant I had to reschedule my shift at work. Instead of filling my normal 10 am to 2 pm time slot, I worked from 8 am to noon. That meant I needed to get up before 8 and lose out on the sleep I might need to have an exceptional broadcast.

Sacrifices are something I've learned to make frequently, since the sports broadcasting world is no more forgiving than the Sahara is humid. I need the money, so I ended up with a nonstop workday, starting at 8 and ending at 9 pm when I got home after the doubleheader.

I'm not about to complain about a long day like that, because it's not the first time something like it has happened, and it is not even close to the last time either. When I went to the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas this past December, there were a few presentations by Minor League employees who all described the hours of dedication you need to be successful (or at least stay afloat) in the sports industry. I'm prepared for it, but today was the first instance for me that a non-sports related event was part of that.

If there's one thing I can take away from today, it's that you should try to put as much effort into networking as you do into the quality of your broadcast. Like most other fields, connections are what put you over the top after a great interview or a spiffy resume.

Lesson 1b for today is that connections can come from anywhere. I spoke on end with a coworker of mine at the store and found out how she could pretty easily help me out. All I did to (unknowingly) start the conversation was get a little small talk going.

I never would have thought that bagging groceries and pushing carts could get me closer to anything media, and now I'm finding out that there could be another potential connection for me there too.

Remember to work hard not just at sounding and looking great on air. In the meantime, I need some sleep.

Another Loss to Learn From

One of the most boring overused cliches talks about the upside of learning from losses. As annoying as it may be, it's true. If you don't take something away from them, they've only been a waste of your time. Today, it wasn't the Whitecaps' loss that taught me anything. It was my inability to get the broadcast on air.

A weak wireless connection put us in an awkward situation. The equipment was useless, because the computers couldn't get a quality signal from the router. It was a place where I knew there were some issues, but I thought the ones in the past were because of the bad weather there last time.

It was incredibly frustrating to deal with the situation tonight, especially given the weather (which was almost an issue for the second time at that field and the third time this season against that team [the Hyannis Mets] alone).

Now, it's a matter of finding a solution by Saturday, when we're back at the same field. It's amazing how simple it makes things when you have plenty of time and the right resources. Hopefully by the next post, I'll have good results to share.

Broadcaster, Reporter, Rock Star?

It's great being a sports broadcaster and reporter. There are plenty of perks, even if it's much harder than people think. The competition alone is enough to scare many people away and ruin the chances of others that still try. I've found the best way to stay sane (and on top of things) is to take a break every once in a while.

No, I don't take days off, skip games, or take it easy, but I do make sure I have at least a little time each day to relax. Like any other job, I need to focus when I'm at work, and unwinding is a great way to ensure that tiredness, frustration, or a generally bad mood don't cloud my mind.

I happen to be an avid Guitar Hero player, although I'm no pro by any means. I suggest that anyone out there in the sports journalism world find themselves their "Guitar Hero" to provide a good outlet.

Now that I've conquered "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen, it's time to prepare more for tonight's game. Catch you later, hobbyists of the sports world.