Homestand #2

So my second homestand with the Padres is officially over. The list of words to describe it: endless. Exhausting, I am working on about three hours of sleep a night and barely getting any homework done (hence the reason this blog is late), exhilarating, the joy and excitement that comes from being around people who have the same passions I do never ceases to make the sleepless nights worth it, confusing, it is hard to find my place among the broadcasting and Channel 4 team because I am only the intern, but I feel like I'm where I belong so my ultimate expendability is hard to balance, lesson-filled, not a game goes by where I do not learn something new from someone else, whether it be Jen, the sideline and post-game girl, John the post-game show guy, Annie, the UT rep, or Mike, the stats guy, and not last, but last for the sake of this blog, memorable. The memories I have made, the connections I have forged, and the lessons I have learned will stay with me the rest of my life and someday when I have my own intern I will share these experiences with them and can only hope I have half as much knowledge to pass on to them as I have learned in the last month. 140 games to go!

Here I Am

Today was my second official day of working with Dick Enberg and the San Diego Padres. There is no better way to describe my feelings except; it felt like coming home. I walked into the stadium yesterday a nervous wreck, so unsure of what to expect, unconfident in what I had prepared, and acutely aware of how much I hated wearing heels. When I walked into the press box Mud's aka Mark Grant, Dick's color commentator, easy smile and embracing hug put me right at ease. The stage manager, but really the stage mom, Sheila began talking to me as if we were old friends, and Dick, well he looked up from his score sheet with a calm look and assuring smile so contrary to the madness of opening day happening all around us. And once those first 30 seconds were over, I was in my element. I made my way around the press level, being introduced to anyone and everyone I may need or want throughout the season. Most of whom I don't remember their names, but all I remember by their smiles. That's one of my favorite parts about my profession; we are trained to communicate, to understand body language and facial expressions and the affect they have on the people we come in contact with, and so everyone, at least at first, greets you with a welcoming smile like they had known you all their life. Once the game began and I sat in the special chair designated just for me behind the team of Mud and Dick, high above home plate, the best seat in the house, I felt this inexpressible joy bubbling up inside me. With the scent of cracker jacks, the sound of cracking bats, whizzing baseballs, and excited fans filled the air, there was a light in my heart that only God could have put there.