Saturday Driver

 

Posypanko Park, Oxford, CT

It was an up-and-out early start.

As I mentioned yesterday, I was going to look at the two fields where I will broadcast baseball in July.

The first stop was in Oxford, CT. Roughly an hour away, I know that drive won't be delightful in a few weeks.

The park is slightly off the beaten path in that it's not served by a major highway. But there are plenty of nice roads that get you to Posypanko Park. There's nothing flashy about the entrance. It just serves the purpose.

But they're gearing up to make things look great there next month. In fact, they were prepping the field when I showed up this morning. Once I explained who I was, I got a good tour of everything.

The reason to do this is to check cell service and see what the press box looks like. It's meant to check the space and circumstances I'm working with. It's also to check out the view of the field and any other things my eye picks up.

In this case, it quickly became apparent that the press box was, as usual, a press box in name only. Fitting three people in there will be a challenge. You have to have an announcer/music person, an official scorer, and a person to monitor pitch counts.

There is no need to force me in there so it looks like I'll be posted just outside of the box on the landing at the top of the stairs. I'm hopeful there will be room for one of my pods to keep the equipment out of the elements. I'll also have my hard-sided cases and those will come in handy.

I could relocate beyond the outfield fence but I don't think that will be necessary. 

That's where the first day is always an extra grind. It's necessary to get there as early as possible, to allow time for setting up and making sure it all works. Cell service seems to be sufficient but that's also part of getting accustomed to the setup.

There are other things, like having a concession stand since going offsite to grab food doesn't seem likely. Nor, in this case, does it seem necessary. There doesn't appear to be too many places to grab food in the immediate area and, if you don't know, there isn't often much time between games in a tournament. After stretching out, it's time to start writing lineups and preparing scorecards for the next game.

As I've said repeatedly, it's a grind. 

Water and restroom access are also huge for the discerning broadcaster.

This is all part of a drill I'm very used to. Thankfully, there are also people who are used to me doing that. I heard my name was mentioned among people involved with the tournament and they were happy that I'd be there. That helps a lot.

Again, that first day tends to feature a bit of "who are you and why are you here?" They don't quite get it.

They do. Eventually.

Honestly, my visit to Oxford was quick. I got a sense for everything and was back on the road, with my sites set on Trumbull. Word is that the tournament will be played on a new field, so I went to check it out.

Turf is set in place and it looks great. Arrangements for a broadcast will likely need to include the pod or a tent.

If we wind up at another location, that would be fine too because I'd likely be familiar with it.

The longest part of this journey was the simply delightful slow traffic on the Merritt Parkway from Fairfield to Norwalk.

In total, it was probably a three-hour tour.

Oh, and I detoured to drive by the new apartment. I admit I was hoping to see a moving truck or some sign of the current tenants heading out. 

But it was quiet. Nothing wrong with that.

Eventually, I packed some more.

And maybe I'll pack some more tomorrow.

Speaking of which, Sunday will start with "Meet the Beatles." Some weeks don't require much preparation, depending on what I feel like playing or what the theme is.

I did a little extra work to set up for this one.

Hope you join me tomorrow at 9 a.m.