Despite all that, however, quite a bit of my time has been allocated in the Veterans Memorial Park press box, writing for the Harrisonburg Turks. For those who don't know, I was basically given free reign to write recaps and manage the team's website (www.harrisonburgturks.com). I occassionally took some photos, but mainly I was responsible for shooting video interviews and writing up game stories on a night to night basis.
Along the way, I got to stick my fingers in some other peoples' pies. DJ Brown- a now former JMU baseball player- hung out with us for a while and played the music, but was actually drafted by the Cleveland Indians and left us half way through the season. My hat goes off to DJ, who spent the 2012 season rehabbing an injury, and we all wish him the best out on the farm. But as he was sweating it out in Arizona, I got my hands on the music for each home game.
And yes, I played an obnoxious amount of Matchbox 20.
Of course when our statistician Brhe
I even got to practice my baseball voice once or twice, when public address phenom Curt Dudley was off being awesome some place else in the continental US.
I have all kinds of friends and fans ask me why I enjoy softball/baseball writing so much, as the sport is perceived as being "boring" and generally less entertaining than entertaining than football or basketball. But these are people who watch baseball on television. To truly enjoy America's pasttime, you have to watch it live.
And I did. For who knows how many home games from June 1 through August 4, I got to hang out with awesome people, eat postgame dinners FOR FREE with awesome players, and generally be a part of an awesome atmosphere. The places I am given access to and the spectacles that I witness continue to amaze me.
And did I mention the food was free?
But the most incredible part of this summer wasn't just my proximity to it, but the sheer emotional freedom I was given to be a part of the Turks organization.
As a very intense and dedicated fan of sports, one of the crappiest parts of journalism is the sense of practiced apathy you have to develop toward the topics and teams you write about. Everyone in the state of Virginia knows I love all things related to the city of Morgantown, and I think that's generally accepted as a flavor of my writing. But even still, the air of bias must make itself scarce to be a successful sports writer. Your integrity as a writer must always take precedence over the team you care about.
...except this summer. Because I was a staff writer for the actual team, I was part of the organization. I was still reporting the news, but I was doing it as an institutional informer- not a member of the media. I could allow myself to be elated following a win and dejected after each loss, not denying myself the emotional spectrum to which every other fan is granted access.
And yes, when the Harrisonburg Turks swept Rockbridge, edged Waynesboro, and pitched their way past the #6 nationally ranked Winchester Royals, I was pretty damn happy.
The organization-- the team, the coaches, the owners, and a few others, including myself-- all went out to Buffalo Wild Wings for drinks following that final win last Saturday. And yes, we all celebrated together, as any team does. That's what I got myself into this summer.
I am eternally grateful to the Wease family for allowing me to be a huge part of their summer. They could have easily gone a different direction and selected any other writing intern, but they didn't.
Other people that deserve some thanks--
-Curt, DJ, and Brhe, for putting up with my continued press box antics;
-the players, particularly Brian Yeung, for enduring my horribly laughable interviews;
-Bob Wease again, for not murdering me over my lack of knowledge of Harrisonburg country music stations;
-Sean and Kevin McGough, who always kept me humble by mocking me with spicy milkshakes (within reason)
-Scott Musa, for understandably bumbling through my pitch-hitting, late night stat emails;
-The fans of Harrisonburg, for continually complimenting me on my writing;
-Curt Dudley again, for giving me some solid shoutouts throughout the season;
-My friends, who constantly endured text responses that looked something like "no, can't hang out tonight, I have baseball" and never complained once;
-Bill Frazier and Sarah Baran, who continually worked with me on scheduling issues all the way through the end of the season
-And finally Teresa Wease again, who truly was so easy to work with. I wish for every 20-something college student in America to have a Teresa Wease running their internship, because it could not have been better. Teresa has 100 million things to do every single game, and she does them all, every time, and still manages to bring me water from the concession stand.
Congrats to the 2012 Harrisonburg Turks, Valley League Champions!
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