Camden Yards

Friday night following the workshop I went to Camden Yards for the first time ever to watch the Orioles host the Rockies. I encourage all of you to go, it is a great place to watch the game. Prior to game, I was down on the field and that was an unbelivable experience. Batting practice was happening 20-30 feet in front of me. Then I got to go up to the pressbox and see how it operates at a major league park. Walked by the legendary Boog's BBQ Pit and watch some batting practice from the top of the RF wall. It was a fun time and the O's won 4-2 and then headed back to Chestertown.

Goodbye From Baltimore

The workshop concludes shortly and the 2007 ECAC-SIDA workshop comes to a close. It was a fun week and I got meet some nice new people, see old friends and see a person who I consider one of the legends of sports information get an award he so deserved, Rick Leddy. What a week it has been and tonight I take my first trip to Camden Yards to watch the O's play the Rockies.

Hope you enjoyed my blogs this week and look forward to blogging in the fall.

Inner Harbor Greetings From ECAC-SIDA

Greetings all, how are you today!? Tonight is the awards dinner and something I am looking forward to very much as the person who gave me my first post-graduate sports information job, Rick Leddy, is winning the prestigious Irving T. Marsh Award (along with Ann King from The College of NJ). Rick was the longtime sports information director at Southern Connecticut and just recently retired and now works for the National Association of Basketball Coaches, something he has been a part of for over two decades. He has had a lot of his former assistants go on to work in sports information all over the northeast. It is going to be a great moment when Rick get his award that he so deserves and I have gotten a lot of comments from people this week on how happy they are for Rick.

I am in the middle of a break as the luncheon ended a bit early and the town hall meeting doesn't commence until 2:15. The town hall meeting is always one of my favorite panels at ECAC-SIDA every year since it is an informal, yet very productive session. Last year, a lot of good topics were mentioned and I look forward to hearing more good topics.

This morning was two panels and the table topics. Phil was here too doing a table topic on healthy living, something that is important in this business as we work a lot of hours. The topic I spent the most time with was the hometown releases and I shared my story about how I was able to get a story on the recently graduated Christine Chop in the Guam Pacific Daily News. People are fascinated about this and I definitely enjoy explaining to them the whole process.

As for the softball game last night, I apologize for the game not being on live stats! ;-) Maybe next year! I had fun, went 1-for-3 with an RBI, completed a nice double play by tagging out a runner at the plate and making an over the shoulder catch on a foul ball. It was a fun time by all!

I will try to blog later in the day or early tomorrow. If I can't, I hope you have enjoyed my blogs from the home of the Orioles and Ravens.

Afternoon

Just got back from The National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor. It is a really cool place and if you are ever in Baltimore, I encourage you to visit. My personal favorite was reading about the rain forests. The bus leaves for the picnic shortly, so time to get ready for the picnic and softball!

Greetings From ECAC-SIDA

From June 5-8, I am representing Washington College at ECAC-SIDA in Baltimore at the Holiday Inn-Inner Harbor, the same hotel that you see behind Camden Yards during Orioles games. Yesterday the opening panel was about stat crew and always a topic that has a lot of discussion. Following a short break and checking in, I had dinner at Legends at Camden Yards last night and it was a great time. Got to see a lot of exhibits about the history of sports in Baltimore and Maryland. Chestertown native Bill "Swish" Nicholson is in the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame along with Sudlersville native, Jimmie Foxx. Foxx is along with Lou Gehrig considered the two greatest first basemen to ever play the game of baseball. The biggest exhibit there for Johnny Unitas, the legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback.

I just came back from three panels this morning, one on ethics and professionalism, one of writing and one on student workers. The panels are done for the day and free time this afternoon as some are golfing, one of them being former WC Asst. SID Ryan Griswold. Tonight is the picnic and softball game as I will try to go deep!

Yesterday, I helped collect school supplies that have college logos on them at registration. That is all for now. Hopefully I will get to blog more should time permits.