We are still in the middle of an eight-game home-stand, so today I will post about my Cardinals weekend and then come Thursday/Friday, I'll tell you about the first home-stand.
So the weekend before the official Opening Day Weekend, the St. Louis Cardinals came to play their Triple-A farm team, the Memphis Redbirds.
Finally all the preparations leading up to the season would have relevance. Our Media Guides would be in the hands of the broadcasters, writers and scouts in attendance. Our Team Yearbooks would finally hit the merch tables for $8. And it was finally time to score a baseball game on that computer program and write a post-game story with player quotes.
Here the Redbirds warm-up in left-field before Saturday's game. The Cardinals arrived on Friday before the game and I was the scorer, while Ben was the writer. We will alternate every game or whatever system we decide.The scoring went fine on Friday, I felt ready to go for the season, when the scoring will actually be broadcast live on the Pacific Coast League website. These exhibition games were still just practice.
On Saturday the real fun began. I brought my camera and took all of these photos. Kyle, my supervisor/boss, said I could go anywhere to take photos. I had press access. So naturally I went down on the field for bp (batting practice).
The best hitter in baseball and reigning NL MVP, Albert Pujols was throwing a baseball near the dugouts and I got close to take a photo.
Then he stared me down, so I decided to turn my lens to the guy with which he was throwing, a less intimidating figure.
Here is a pic of STL manager Tony La Russa talking with Redbirds manager Chris Maloney with Pujols fielding in the background.
When you are scheduled as the writer, as opposed to the 'datacaster' (computer scorer), your job during the game is to sit back with some peanuts and coke and watch the game from the vantage of the Press Box (as seen in the top photo). Exactly what I signed up for when I chose my Journalism career path. Of course I was a little nervous at the end of the game, when I had to go down to the clubhouse and interview the big leaguers. What would I say?
Luckily Ben was the guinea pig on Friday, so I kind of knew what to expect. He interviewed La Russa. When I got down there, all of the Cards were eating. I felt a little out of place, but I hung in there. I first talked to former Redbird, now Cardinal Jason Motte (who I had met at the Cardinals Caravan event in February), because I knew he was an approachable and friendly guy. A quick interview with him and then I was in Tony La Russa's office. Probably the most important person I will interview for awhile. I was with some other interviewers, so they did most of the work. I did ask one question to him about how the players enjoyed Memphis. Probably silly, but I had to get one in there. To cap it off I interviewed shortstop Khalil Greene, who was less receptive to the whole interview idea. I walked out of the clubhouse just as Pujols was handing out $100 bills to the clubbies.
I went back upstairs and wrote my story, which can be found here.
Another bp picture, see Pujols trying to field a grounder. He misses that one.The Cardinals won both games, as expected, but the weekend was very fun and will be one to remember.
The End of this Week: Tales from Opening Weekend and the eight-game home-stand, as well as a future strategy of what I will do during future home-stands on the blog.
