A few months ago I was presented with the incredible opportunity to work on the World Baseball Classic, the premier international baseball event which showcases the top baseball talent in the world playing for their home country. Having been recently laid off by the most scrutinized professional team in all of sport, The Oakland Raiders, and getting ready to finish up my Sport Management studies at University of San Francisco (thoughts of using those degrees to keep me warm at night, along with some unemployment checks), it was a no-brainer to hop on a plane three-weeks later to begin this new adventure.
To bring you up to speed, the following is a quick recap of what has taken place so far:
-I found a random roommate on Craigslist with whom I share a studio apartment in Sunnyside.
-On any Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, you may find me in the Upper West Side at a bar called Bourbon St. where they serve 50 cent Coors Light and Bud Light from 9-11PM.
-Museums I have visited: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the City of New York
-Found a band, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, in the Subway station at 14th St./Union Square. I bought their CD and went to Jamaica, NY to watch a free performance--LEGIT!
-Arrived at work one day to have a co-worker tell me he couldn't understand what I was saying. I had just walked 16 blocks in the coldest weather in my life (15F, windchill bringing it to -1F) and I couldn't move my chin--California born and raised, I wasn't built for this.-I fell asleep on the N Train on the way home from a long night, only to wake up at the end of the line and well beyond my transfer station.
-Saw snowboarders hit a 90 foot ramp in NYC on the East River while a live band performed behind me.
-Had my buddy Esto visit and we were Queens Blvd., but not Bronx.-Witnessed the demolition of the last piece of Shea Stadium and a grown man crying at the same time. Many memories I'm sure (sorry Buckner)
-Worked 103 hours the first week of the World Baseball Classic (Monday-Sunday)-I found myself stationed at a television broadcast center on Long Island coordinating all the virtual signage you see behind home plate for all games during the World Baseball Classic
Here I am March 20, 2009, three days away from the World Baseball Classic Final in Los Angeles. In just 11 short weeks I have seen a number of great places in NYC, eaten some amazing food, seen some of the most beautiful sites (all nationalities), and learned more about sponsorship and television I could have imagined. An expert by no means, but if you happen to find yourself reading this and know someone hiring, I will prove that I'm a fast learner.
To make a long story short (as my dad always said, only to drag the story on for another 5-10 minutes), my last 11 weeks have been a wild ride filled with new experiences which I invite you to share with me. I hope you enjoy. If you do, pass it along, comment, call (if you know me).
"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." --Sir Winston Churchill
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