 |
| The goal: Get home to them |
Last night, around 7:15 p.m.: I told Sean my plan for Thursday.
"You're insane," he said. If nothing else, he's seen that I work hard and it's something I'd like to pass on to him. People have noticed my often crazy work schedule and there's actually a deeper reason behind it that involves toxic people and why go there?
See, what you need to know is that I'm normally organized. Very organized. But yesterday I made a mistake. While standing at Brunswick, getting ready to call baseball, I got a text asking me to work a video deposition on Thursday night.
Looking at my calendar quickly, I thought my night was wide open. We were good! I said yes and went on to start calling the game.
Then came reality. I looked at my calendar again. Turned out I completely dropped the ball. Sure, I could do the deposition but it would be at the back end of a day that included going to CSB to teach and calling another Brunswick baseball game. I texted Dan Macom and told him that I'd probably need to come to the office in Greenwich. Keep in mind I hadn't done a depo in the office since Nov 2020.
So, I went to bed and got some sleep.
5:58 a.m.: The alarm is set for 6:30. Of course, my brain (and a black cat) wouldn't cooperate to allow me to get to that time. So I'm up earlier.
The Cat wasn't too bad but he'll sometimes just stand near me and stare until I wake up. It's the very definition of having the feeling of being watched.
So I caved in. I got up. I fed him. The good news was I didn't have to rush to get out the door. I was able to eat some breakfast.
7:49 a.m.: I'm in the car and on the road (clearly, I'm writing this part after the fact). I popped up to the nearby gas station/convenience store for coffee and a wrapped sandwich that I can eat later.
9:26 a.m.: I walked into CSB Media Arts Center in Stratford, CT. My class was already waiting for me. I laughed about traffic and we got underway. For the next 3.5 hours, I wowed them (not really) with my knowledge as we created a sports report for them to deliver to me. I also explained the mastery of Mr. Vin Scully and explained the styles I don't like in the play-by-play world.
In the middle of things, one of the students departed early as his mother had called and told him he had to leave. Admittedly that was a first for me.
1:00 p.m.: I wished the class well and departed. Rain had pelted the area and the ground was wet when I got out of bed. The initial forecast wasn't promising so I thought perhaps baseball at Brunswick would be called off, allowing me to get back to Mahopac for the deposition.
However, I had no text from Wayne MacGillicuddy telling me otherwise so I proceeded towards King St in Greenwich.
1:15 p.m.: My first stop was at the Stratford Wal Mart for a small shopping trip. Next was food. Now, while it's probably not politically appropriate to do so, I wasn't considering politics when I arrived at Chick-fil-A in Norwalk.
1:57 p.m.: Arrive at Chick-fil-A. You might know that I have a guideline that I try to follow in which I don't eat things that I can readily get in New York and Connecticut. Chick-fil-A used to be something that wasn't available up our way. That's no longer the case since there are several locations within an hour of Mahopac.
My spicy chicken and fries with an icy cold Coca-Cola hit the spot.
2:35 p.m.: Arrive on the Brunswick campus. A gaggle of men are talking as I back into my parking spot. Nobody is at the baseball field.
The field looks great as I greet Wayne MacGillicuddy. Both of us expressed surprise at the turn of the weather. He said the weather forecast looks playable while my forecast looks less promising.
(Spoiler: His forecast was better and I'm now questioning my sources)
We went about setting up the Local Live camera before he went to the outfield to throw batting practice to stud prospect Adonys Guzman. That, by the way, explained the gaggle of men, who turned out to be scouts. We'll come back to them.
3:10 p.m.: Concerned about the weather, I return to the car to get my large Pelican case that will hold my computer, mixer, and a few other things. It allows me to close the lid if it beings to rain. If I had more time I would have utilized my trusty SportPod but I want to make a quick exit today to get to the office for the deposition.
3:55 p.m.: So I have a Brunswick lineup. I've written it down. I've set their defense. We have umpires.
We don't have opponents. The New Canaan Rams haven't turned up yet.
3:59 p.m.: OK, New Canaan has arrived. They've gone to the outfield to stretch but they don't intend to take I/O (infield/outfield practice).
They've made it clear the game is a scrimmage. But now that opens a question in my mind: is it a scrimmage for Brunswick?
4:05 p.m.: Answer: yes, it's a scrimmage for everyone. That changes the tone of the event entirely.
4:14 p.m.: I have a New Canaan roster, found on the CIAC website. What I don't have is a lineup for them and the game is about to start. I grabbed an assistant coach.
Me: Do you have a lineup?
Him: (Gestures as the head coach shows it to the umpires and Wick head coach Johnny Montanez).
Me: Is the roster on the CIAC website official?
Him: It should be. We've brought a few players up for the day (from junior varsity)
4:17 p.m.: The game has started.
OK, we're late and I'm really supposed to be logging into the deposition at 6:00 but I can be a little late for that.
Bottom of the first: scouts crowd around me (standing off to first base side of home plate) to watch Adonys Guzman hit). They, frankly, don't care about being in my way, and overall, they're not. They have a job to do and I give them as much space as possible. A couple of them are really friendly and pleasant to chat with. In fact, they all seem pretty nice. I specifically talked with one from the Brewers for a bit.
This scene would repeat itself several times, including times that they wanted to watch Guzman in his catching position.
Eventually, I glanced to my left. I spied a cord, basically like a headphone cable, sitting on the ground. It wasn't connected to anything.
That was bad.
There was nothing I could do about it at the moment but that meant my audio, intended to go through said cable to Local Live, had become disconnected.
Short (and clean) answer: drat.
Between innings: I reconnected.
But anytime I so much as drifted away from my position, someone jumped in, including a few parents from New Canaan and a photographer.
We might need a defined broadcaster space. It will happen. All in due time.
The game is dragging along. Brunswick scored four times in the second, three in the third, and three more in the fourth. They lead 10-2 after four innings.
Oh, and in the third inning, New Canaan puts in a new pitcher. I can tell you his number was 7. I can't tell you his name, any more than I can tell you pronunciations of the Rams player's names.
Nope. Not the finest hour.
Other realization? If I want to finish the game, I won't make the deposition on time. That's not ideal. So it's decision time.
5:40 p.m.: I throw in the towel on the broadcast. The scouts were overwhelming and, let's face it, I was calling a scrimmage that was rapidly getting out of control.
In almost any other circumstances, I finish the job. In this case, I had another job to get to.
I packed up.
5:59 p.m.: I texted Dan that I was on my way.
6:15 p.m.: I walked into the office. Honestly, I could have made it home but it would have been stressful. I would have had to fly in the door, get online, and set up my paperwork. It was too stressful to consider, so I just came to the office. Dan and Craig Jones were both there.
7:11 p.m.: We are on the record. It feels weird to do a deposition from the office but it's fine. I quickly adjusted. While it will be a late night I'm not worried about the drive home. I can stroll into Dan's office and chat with him as I listen to the testimony. Dan and Craig are both great friends and huge tech guys, and, like The Joker, I'm always marveling at their wonderful toys.
8:00 p.m.: Dan and Craig go home to their families. I'm now on my own.
*Again, I'm typing AFTER I turned the car off.
10:29 p.m.: I'm thankfully home after that adventure. The Cat greets me as I yell at him for not taking the recycling out.
Sean waves.
The day could have been much worse. I assumed I wouldn't be home for a few more hours. But it's done.
10:57 p.m.: I'm sitting in bed finishing the post. Rascal/Squeaky/Walter/The Beast/The Cat is walking around, doing his thing, Sean is talking to one of "his boys."
It's good to be home.
 |
| My outdoor setup (if needed): the Pelican case |
No comments:
Post a Comment