Blackout

A time that every employee working in baseball enjoys, a milestone of the season if you will, has occured. The All-Star Break. This is the 35 game mark in a 70 home game season. We didn't clinch a spot in the playoffs, but I got a 3 day weekend and that's just as good to me. I spent it playing house at my GM's while him and his family were out of town/at the All-Star game, attending a bachelorette party with my favorite Asheville girls and taking a road trip to Greenville for some shopping. It was good. I felt rested and relaxed for our four game homestand that started Thursday. Little did I know I couldn't be relaxed enough.

Thirsty Thursday always makes me cringe because lots of drunk people in one place is not something I enjoy. Especially when I am not partaking in the drinking. Thankfully, I spend most of my Thursday, Friday and Saturday home games in the cash room reconciling the nights revenue for concessions. The "cash room" may sound glamorous, but let me tell you, it is like a little dungeon nestled deep in the back of Mr. Moon's Landing. Anyway, Thursday was automatically slightly stressful and sprinkled with rain and day-tarping. Friday was one of our mascot, Ted E.'s birthday and we had creepy mascot friends crawling all over the ballpark including a weird smiling bee and a hilarious dog in overalls. No idea where we found these guys.

Saturday rolls around and we have a 9am start because there's a picnic in the Pepsi Party Pavilion that my lovely co-worker Matt booked for a 50th high school reunion. Now mind you, since the woman booked it, we have gotten countless calls including (no joke here people), "what if it rains?" (typical), "can we do karaoke?" (Sure?), "can we bring games like horse shoes and cornhole?" (Ok), "what if someone brings a gun?" (.....), "where can our Elvis impersonator sing from?" (?!?!) When we saw her name come up on the caller ID, we would pretty much flip a coin to see who answered it.

It was obviously going to be a rough day, so we try to arrive mentally prepared. People from the high school are already setting up balloons when I roll in at 9:05am. We clean Pepsi and help get the food ready. Everyone arrives and we help serve drinks and put everything out. Old people are like vultures and crush everything so we're running around like nutcases refilling beans, hot dogs, condiments and buns. Finally they are done eating and the music starts. Then Elvis is in the building. It's only 3pm! I clearly remember turning to my good friend, partner in crime, co-worker Lindsay and saying "This is going to be a weird day." She agreed. Little did we know..

Game starts, everything is going ok. We have a great crowd and the weather is good. Two Baseball Buddy teams for me to take on the field, a Scout parade and sleepover and a Mr. Moon Bobblehead giveaway! Since concessions is getting slammed, I go into the cash room early to start taking drops. The lines are pretty backed up and there's a knock on the door that literally makes me jump its so loud. The cashier from Galaxy Grill is freaking because her register is stuck. I frantically call Craig on the radio because I don't know how to use the registers and I see the line is totally backed up. Craig comes to see what the issue is and our lovely cashier throws up her hands in exasperation and says, "he keeps changing his mind!" as the customer is still standing at the window patiently waiting for the 2 kids cheeseburgers he ordered that were rang up as a bacon cheeseburger and a chili cheeseburger. Crisis averted and the lines start to calm down.

I'm back in my little dungeon counting away when the lights flicker somewhere near the beginning of the sixth inning. Suddenly everything goes black but my computer screen. I hear everyone in the surrounding concession stands freaking out and Craig over the radio yelling about the power. It's out all over the ballpark. Literally. No scoreboard, no fountain drinks, no box office computers and everything I just entered into the spreadsheet gone because my computer shut down, too. I sit in the dark for a little, contemplating what to do. No one's coming to check on me, so I just go outside the door and take a look around. Chaos everywhere. People leaving, people trying to order food that can't be made/drinks that can't be poured. People announcing to Brian (Pres) and Larry (GM) that where ever they are, box office, press box, etc., they have no power. 

Exact radio convo's:

Concessions Craig: "Hey Brian, we have no power in any stand. Any idea when it's going to go back on??"
President Brian: "Gee Craig, let me get into my time machine and see when they're going to turn it on and get back to you."

5 minutes later.. 

Press Box Rick: "Rick to Brian, we have no power up here. The scoreboard is completely off."
President Brian: "Yes, I know, Rick. No power in the whole ballpark. Does anyone else want to tell me the power is off?"
Business Manager Straney (standing next to Brian, slowly raises radio): "Hey Brian, the power is out.."

Needless to say, this lasted the rest of the game. We finished it (and won) but I did not win in this situation at all. Bags and bags of closed stands were piling up into my dark cash room that I couldn't count it. We were closing out stand managers in the warehouse room. Dippin Dots were melting, meat was going bad. Around 11pm (when we could've been pretty much gone already since our game started at 6:05 had the power NOT gone out), everything slowly started coming back on. Thanks City of Asheville!

Back in the cash room with the concession boys and Lindsay (THANK YOU for your help!) to count all the bags. We got a little slap happy, but thankfully everything balanced out. And I am EXTREMELY thankful I did NOT have to spend the night for the Scout Sleepover (shoutout to Linds, Straney and Seth for doing that). Lucky for us, Sunday's game went pretty well, despite some drizzling at the start. We unrolled the tarp, but never pulled it and I wasn't in the cash room, so I got to just hang out in the crowd and enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful day. And thankfully, no one changed their mind while ordering at the Galaxy Grill, either.


Even though my job stresses me out a lot and is causing me to go grey at age 25 (no lie, Larry & Brian found a few grey hairs & now I never hear the end of it), I must say that every day is definitely an adventure.

The sun sets over McCormick Field.

-D

"Summer Nights, everybody are you with me?"

First off, I had to comment on KC's beginning of her last entry, because I <3 country music too! And I had to quote one of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs in the title of this entry, which is oh so appropriate because it's the first week of summer. Deep down inside, I feel like everyone has a little bit of a love for country music. It's one thing that picks me up when I feel down and the one thing that will make me cry my eyes out when I'm having a bad day. Country music screams summer to me and being away and just enjoying life!That's the best part about music though---those songs that make you feel that raw emotion you are experiencing right at the moment that you are experiencing them.


With that said, I had my first summer get-away from the office in about two years last week. And no I was not on the white, sandy beaches that Kenny Chesney sings about in his songs, and no I wasn't sipping corona in a beach chair by the crystal blue ocean. I was in the ocean, but it was the rough waters of the North Atlantic. Ironically, I was in the hockey mecca of the world---CANADA! I took a cruise with my family through the beautiful coastline of New England and around the St. Lawrence Seaway visiting Halifiax and Sydney, Nova Scotia and Quebec and Montreal. I couldn't have asked for more beautiful scenery and a more relaxing week. The only downside? The weather was a little chilly (55 degrees) and I had to wear a fleece and a scarf haha. The upside? I felt like it was me against the world on this huge ship. And as much as I wanted to stand on the very tip of the boat like Jack and Rose did in Titanic, I had to refrain haha.


It was a week away from Facebook and cellphones. It was a week spent with family filled with laughing, learning, smiling, not worrying about what's happening at the office. It was a time for me to get back to the things that mean the most in life. It was exciting to wake up each morning and be in a new place I've never been before and to soak up the culture and people around me. It was exciting to be in Quebec and Montreal and see the gorgeous architecture and absorbing a whole new language. Even though I had no clue what anyone was saying, it was half the fun trying to decipher everything.


It's always sad to go home from vacation, but I was so tired at the end of mine it was nice to come back home to Jersey. But now as I sit here and type and I'm not so tired anymore, I'm ready to plan my next adventure. And just to tie the whole thing together, let's end with a lyric from my fave Zac Brown song.

"I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
Life is good today, life is good today."

Jazzzzz*********************************************

Emergency Rooms ,Thunderstorms and Dreams of White Sand

   

Emergency Rooms ,Thunderstorms and Dreams of White Sand   

  Some how over the past two years I have developed an obsession with country music, and I cant seem to shake it, but it has given me something I truly enjoy on a daily basis, my country break. One of my fav office mates and I like to shut the door and jam out to some Zac Brown wishing our only worry was about the tide and our chair, until our director comes in listen for a few seconds hears....

"Wrote a note said be back in a minute
Bought a boat and I sailed off in it
Don't think anybody gonna miss me anyway
Mind on a permanent vacation
The ocean is my only medication
Wishing my condition ain't ever gonna go away"

...and says "That's a stupid song." Well that will bring you straight back to reality.

      So what has been being a girl in minor league sports brought me with this snap back to reality? Nothing but a giant bill. I give taking care of myself a good effort I think, but I am definitely doing something wrong. I put my self straight into the emergency room; did you know that you can have strep with another infection on top of it? Disgusting, but true and when your doctor looks at you and goes "AHH wow what’s going on there", really? You are an ER doctor and this is what makes you shriek??? Well with a nice ER bill and a bundle of drugs later I'm feeling much better, and here is the dysfunctional girl looking at the bright side, at least I lost a couple pounds! As soon as I got back into work we spent the week tarping, I am begging to go back, or so my mother says I'm big on self sabotage, but mother issues could be a whole other blog!

Its my girly box I hide under my desk and look half are vitamins I am obviously trying!

 

      The next weekend brought a trip to the All Star Game! A few office mates and many from different minor league front office staff from the surrounding league filled the Marriott and the local watering holes, especially the local watering holes. We would like to take this time to thank the hosting town and team, as you kept us from ever being thirsty :) But next time can we pick places with out stairs; I can only assume that is where these bruises came from.

Not sure where they came from, but they hurt!

I also learned that boys smell when they are in large groups... sorry but you do, it’s just a fact. There are fascinating people in the Minor League world and to keep this nice and cheery Ill keep it at that! It all ended in a Fireworks conclusion, and I can't complain!
KC******************

Thanks Delmarva!

Run Like A Girl

An office mate forwarded me an article, that I loved it so I wanted to share as well.

‘Run Like a Girl’ shows power of sports in women’s lives

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43186255/ns/today-books/

        I like it for the obvious reasons, I'm a girl, I like sports and well I work in sports. But I love what this women is saying and maybe when I have a minute to breath, come the end of the season I am going to pick this book up and read it. For now I will have to do with reading the abstract, which gets the jist of it across pretty well.

"I work hard. I succeed. I fail. I have finished last more than once in a race, and at other times I’ve had to drop out. I try again. Sports helped me to discover that I was capable of having bigger dreams. I didn’t just get fitter and faster; I changed my life. It wasn’t easy. It was better than easy — it was possible and rewarding." an excerpt from Mina Samuels Run Like a Girl

      There are a lot less girls in the sports industry then their male counterparts, and I'm sure there are reasons for it, but no good ones that I can think of. Working in Sports is like playing one, sometimes harder, and you don't get the benefit of getting in shape while you are doing it, but its something of a learning experience. Working in sports isn't for everyone, and its not for the faint of heart, but I think every girl should give sports a go. I think of my sisters and I what kind of people we would be if we hadn't played every sport imaginable, and then I think of the girls I know who never picked up a ball, a glove, a lacrosse stick anything and I definitely think its something they should of tried. The self discipline you learn in training and always striving to be better follows you for the rest of your life and I couldn't be more thankful for it.

The morale of this story is go outside and play, learn a sport and run like a girl!
If you weren't feeling my girl power post, read about Courtney Love on Jezebel, hilarious.