Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm proud to use this blog post to introduce the press box cast, or the three men that are always at my right.
Here we are in the press box every night. We'll go from right to left.
- I can officially call the press box at Dow Diamond 'my press box', whereas the one in Memphis most definitely belonged to my boss Kyle, and he made sure we knew it. But this one, in Midland, is mine. It's up to me to provide the press with information, additional seating, limitations, and food. The press will always sit in the available seating to my left, while the men on the right score the game. I mediate.
Terry - The coolest guy in the press box goes by 'Coach'. He's a former high school baseball coach with more stories than Aesop, a former radio broadcaster with a voice to prove it, a grandfather figure to us kids in the press box, and the Great Lakes Loons Official Scorer (OS). He always asks me what I would do in certain baseball situations that are transpiring on the field, and usually I haven't the slightest idea. Remember, this is only my second year viewing baseball as a relevant sport. Needless to say, I learn a lot about the game from him.
Being an OS seems like a cool job to have, but it's not easy. Several times the coaches and managers give him harsh looks from the dugout for making what they think is a wrong decision (usually hit or error decisions). Then at the end of the night, he delivers the box scores to both clubhouses where the coaches will yell at him to change his ruling. Sometimes he caves, sometimes they cave.
Never have I realized how subjective baseball stats can be until I worked in a press box. The OS has the power to charge a run to pitcher or not, purely based on his take on what transpired below. He does have a manual to go by, but subjectivity still exists.
Eric - Eric, who I sense is an engineer at some capacity, works the scoreboard. After each pitch, he presses the button that shows the players/umps/fans what the pitch count is. Eric is also there to help Coach make the tough rulings.
Larry - Larry is a really friendly guy, just above 30, and operates the Daktronics program which is similar to
what I did in Memphis. I'm not sure where his information goes, maybe the production room, but he also helps Coach with the tough decisions.
The Intangibles - (A) My Walkie-Talkie: This keeps me in touch with what everyone else is running around doing. If a kid is missing, I'll know. If an on-field promotion is running long, I'll know. If I am needed to dress up in a Pizza costume, I'll know.
(B) The TV - Since we work just about every night, it is likely that we'd miss out on many nightly sporting events. With the TV behind us, we can tune in to any of these. Usually, the Detroit Tigers are on, as is the case in the photo.
And here is the view from my seat. This is actually a high school game, you can tell because no one is in the outfield seating areas.
That's right, you're seeing things correctly. It's a three-sided bridge. What?!
This attraction just behind the main drag downtown is the summer hang out, which I finally was able to leisurely visit when mom came into town on Memorial Day weekend. Full of bikers, roller skaters, hobos, and ducks, the Tridge attracts a variety of crowds.
For the full effect, click on this long picture above.
So to those of you who didn't get excited for Midland from my first post about the city—when I highlighted Big Boy and left-turn traffic signals—perhaps the Tridge will wet your appetite for some Michigan lovin'. There's even bronzed statues! See you soon!
