Now that I've been in the Badger State for an entire week, I figured I'd take a look back at how it all went.
We had breaking news on Thursday, the last day of training for me. NBC 15 has newscasts at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. Around 3:50, our Web Producer, Abby, was reading over a news release that said police in Minnesota made an arrest of a suspect in connection with a high-profile murder that happened in Madison a few months ago.
The newsroom went into crazy mode. Abby printed the news release and our news director ran it to the 4 p.m. anchor to read immediately off the top of the newscast (she had about a minute to gather what the heck was going on). We pulled a reporter from a live shot at another story to come back to Madison and work on an angle of the murder arrest story. A different reporter stuck around and reported ANOTHER story instead of leaving after the 6 p.m. newscast like he usually does (putting in a day of around 11 hours).
Meanwhile, I had no clue who Joel Marino (the murder victim) was or who we could call to get more information or interviews for stories. But I learned a ton within the short time that I was there that night. It was a good thing to see how breaking news works within the station BEFORE having to deal with it on my own.
My first solo-produced newscasts were Friday, when I tackled the 6 and the 10 (which I'll do on every Friday from here on out). Luckily for my "first day," there wasn't anything that tried my skills immediately.
Otherwise, my first week was pretty uneventful. I spent over an hour the first day doing paperwork and reading company policies. The IT guy was on vacation, so I still don't have a station e-mail or computer user name or user name for posting stories to the web. That difficulty should be gone on Monday, thankfully.
There's a possibility I might have a blog on nbc15.com in the coming weeks, but that's not for sure at this point. I want to have a few posts in the can before I have the opportunity to start one up. If you have any ideas, let me know!!
-------------------------------------------------------
Where has the Indians' lineup gone this season?? Unless I make a daily trip to a sports bar, I can no longer watch the Tribe games live. But that's OK with me at this point considering this was their batting order against the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of their series in Cleveland...
Grady Sizemore
Casey Blake
Ben Francisco
Jhonny Peralta
Shin Soo Choo
Kelly Shoppach
David Dellucci
Andy Marte
Jorge Velandia
Are you kidding me?? Marte needs to play everyday or get designated for assignment. Choo is hitting well, but should NEVER have to be a designated hitter in any Cleveland lineup. When Jorge Velandia started at shortstop on Wednesday night, it was the 65th DIFFERENT lineup used by Eric Wedge in 78 games.
It's a tough season for everyone on this team for various reasons, many of which are injuries. But even before the injuries there were underperformances. Cleveland couldn't score runs if its life depended on it for a stretch of about two months. But I'm done with this season. If C.C. Sabathia isn't traded soon (well before the trade deadline, when teams are willing to give a little more to have him sooner.
Bring on the Browns and, maybe even a little bit, the Irish.
Swing and a Drive...
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Ridiculous Ramblings
I guess I'll try to make this a regular (weekly) segment where I talk about whatever comes to mind. In other words, it will be the most un-read of my posts.
My career at Ohio University is winding down and I want to elaborate on some of my final week disturbances. First of all, it's been an adventure living without air conditioning when the high temperatures hit 90 degrees over the span of a week. Three showers a day doesn't even seem to cut it at this point. I guess it was my own bad decision in not finding a place with air conditioning built in, but I've really enjoyed my time at 6 1/2 Coss, so I guess I can tough it out for another week.
My last undergraduate class ever was on Wednesday. It was actually supposed to be Thursday morning at 9, but being the celebratory person that I am, I did not wake up in time for that class. In no way am I complaining about being able to go out any night of the week -- it's actually a very nice gig.
I have a six-page research paper for English (due Tuesday) and a Blue Book final exam in History (Thursday morning) as my final obstacles to a B.S. of Journalism with English and History minors. Well, technically I have all the necessary pieces of my overall degree, but if I don't get credit for those minors, there will be about 10 classes that were essentially worthless -- unless you count personal development as an award for having taken them.
The apartment hunting has been slow to say the least, but at least I have another thing to throw at the facebook naysayers. The facebook marketplace is an online classifieds section that allows anyone to look to different schools and see what's for sale or rent. It ranges from event tickets to books to electronics to... available houses and apartments.
I like it better than craigslist because pictures are easier to upload/view and the website itself looks better -- but that's just me. Don't get me wrong... there's a good chance I'll find my new abode on craigslist. But my preference goes to "the book." But my one-year contract as a news producer at WMTV NBC 15 is in the mail, so I should probably start finding somewhere to live soon...
I find it interesting to delve into statistics, especially in baseball, trying to find trends and patterns among the teams. A recent stat that I noted was a direct relationship between playoff teams in Major League Baseball and those teams' home records. The top five in each league (overall MLB rank in parentheses)...
AL
1. Boston -- .800 (1)
2. Tampa Bay -- .706 (4)
3. Chicago -- .654 (7)
4. Baltimore -- .607 (t-12)
5. Oakland -- .588 (14)
NL
1. Chicago -- .765 (2)
2. Atlanta -- .735 (3)
3. Houston -- .640 (8)
4. Arizona -- .636 (9)
5. St. Louis/Philadelphia -- .618 (t-10)
If the playoffs started today in Major League Baseball, here's how it would shake out...
AL
1. L.A. Angels -- .613
2. Boston -- .594
3. Chicago -- .567
4. Tampa Bay -- .590
NL
1. Chicago -- .629
2. Philadelphia -- .587
3. Arizona -- .541
4. St. Louis -- .571
The National League is especially telling in this stat, considering all four playoff teams made the list of the top five home records. (OK, there were six teams, but Atlanta basically doesn't count because its record on the road is an abysmal 7-21) In the American League, three of the four made it and L.A. missed the list to West Division rival Oakland by .007.
All of these teams are also (at least) above .500 in games played within their respective divisions. So if a team wants to make a playoff push, it needs to win home games, especially home games within the division. The same can be said for last year's playoff teams -- all eight were above .500 at home and all but the Arizona Diamondbacks had division winning percentages above .500 (Arizona was right on the mark).
It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Progressive Field in hopes that the Indians can turn this ship (or "shit" perhaps) around in time to salvage their season. Instead I'll be spending my only week off trying to figure out what I need and what I don't, packing my car until it's nearly bursting at the seams before heading to Wisconsin.
It's less than two weeks away from the (first) big move and it still hasn't really set in. I guess right after I get that diploma on the stage in the Convocation Center a week from today it might hit.
--------------
Not every person can be perfect in every
way, shape, form; we tend to be
experts by some manner.
My career at Ohio University is winding down and I want to elaborate on some of my final week disturbances. First of all, it's been an adventure living without air conditioning when the high temperatures hit 90 degrees over the span of a week. Three showers a day doesn't even seem to cut it at this point. I guess it was my own bad decision in not finding a place with air conditioning built in, but I've really enjoyed my time at 6 1/2 Coss, so I guess I can tough it out for another week.
My last undergraduate class ever was on Wednesday. It was actually supposed to be Thursday morning at 9, but being the celebratory person that I am, I did not wake up in time for that class. In no way am I complaining about being able to go out any night of the week -- it's actually a very nice gig.
I have a six-page research paper for English (due Tuesday) and a Blue Book final exam in History (Thursday morning) as my final obstacles to a B.S. of Journalism with English and History minors. Well, technically I have all the necessary pieces of my overall degree, but if I don't get credit for those minors, there will be about 10 classes that were essentially worthless -- unless you count personal development as an award for having taken them.
The apartment hunting has been slow to say the least, but at least I have another thing to throw at the facebook naysayers. The facebook marketplace is an online classifieds section that allows anyone to look to different schools and see what's for sale or rent. It ranges from event tickets to books to electronics to... available houses and apartments.
I like it better than craigslist because pictures are easier to upload/view and the website itself looks better -- but that's just me. Don't get me wrong... there's a good chance I'll find my new abode on craigslist. But my preference goes to "the book." But my one-year contract as a news producer at WMTV NBC 15 is in the mail, so I should probably start finding somewhere to live soon...
I find it interesting to delve into statistics, especially in baseball, trying to find trends and patterns among the teams. A recent stat that I noted was a direct relationship between playoff teams in Major League Baseball and those teams' home records. The top five in each league (overall MLB rank in parentheses)...
AL
1. Boston -- .800 (1)
2. Tampa Bay -- .706 (4)
3. Chicago -- .654 (7)
4. Baltimore -- .607 (t-12)
5. Oakland -- .588 (14)
NL
1. Chicago -- .765 (2)
2. Atlanta -- .735 (3)
3. Houston -- .640 (8)
4. Arizona -- .636 (9)
5. St. Louis/Philadelphia -- .618 (t-10)
If the playoffs started today in Major League Baseball, here's how it would shake out...
AL
1. L.A. Angels -- .613
2. Boston -- .594
3. Chicago -- .567
4. Tampa Bay -- .590
NL
1. Chicago -- .629
2. Philadelphia -- .587
3. Arizona -- .541
4. St. Louis -- .571
The National League is especially telling in this stat, considering all four playoff teams made the list of the top five home records. (OK, there were six teams, but Atlanta basically doesn't count because its record on the road is an abysmal 7-21) In the American League, three of the four made it and L.A. missed the list to West Division rival Oakland by .007.
All of these teams are also (at least) above .500 in games played within their respective divisions. So if a team wants to make a playoff push, it needs to win home games, especially home games within the division. The same can be said for last year's playoff teams -- all eight were above .500 at home and all but the Arizona Diamondbacks had division winning percentages above .500 (Arizona was right on the mark).
It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Progressive Field in hopes that the Indians can turn this ship (or "shit" perhaps) around in time to salvage their season. Instead I'll be spending my only week off trying to figure out what I need and what I don't, packing my car until it's nearly bursting at the seams before heading to Wisconsin.
It's less than two weeks away from the (first) big move and it still hasn't really set in. I guess right after I get that diploma on the stage in the Convocation Center a week from today it might hit.
--------------
Not every person can be perfect in every
way, shape, form; we tend to be
experts by some manner.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Getting My Fill
A recent news story I saw on my Yahoo! News feed really brings to light how much of an economic force is found in the rising costs for fuel.
A synopsis of the story is that people are putting less gas into their cars and are, therefore, running out more frequently. The main reason behind this decision is that they don't have enough money to fill up the tank all at once, so they just try to get by with what they can, hoping it gets them to their destination. But many times this venture is unsuccessful.
I find this very similar to the reason why some people don't have much invested into a retirement fund. They know it would be a huge benefit in the long run, but in the short run they need that extra money to get by. Filling the tank is easily the "safest" choice, but that $25 not spent on the extra half tank of fuel might be enough for three or four meals for that week.
It's a game of investment. Drivers know that the cost of gas isn't going to go down immediately -- and even if it would, the cost would likely be just pennies less than it was. Buying the gas at $4 a gallon, for example, would fill a 12-gallon tank for $48. Paying just 10 cents more would push that total cost up to $49.20. Investing in the gas right away allows for the driver to save $1.20.
This amount actually seems pretty paltry when compared to the time and effort spent on trying to get your empty vehicle off the side of the road. Then consider having it happen in rush hour traffic, when it could take even longer for a service vehicle to get to you. Then consider the fact that companies like AAA aren't going to bring 12 gallons of gas for your car -- they'll probably bring just a few.
If one's car runs out of gas, the next likely step after getting off the side of the road would probably be to put more gas into the tank. But the options could be slim, depending on where one breaks down. It's incredibly unfortunate that this society is one that has people trying to save even $1.50 when that money really should be invested into something of great use, like an extra portion of fuel that can save later problems on the road.
It's unlikely there will be a major slowdown in the rise of gasoline prices. If there is any relief in sight, don't expect it until around August or September when the Presidential campaigning really fires up. It will be a matter of who pushes first. If the Democratic Party puts extreme stress on decision-makers to fix the problem it will be seen as being the one most helpful to citizens, considering fuel costs are part of the biggest issues for Americans.
If the Republican Party wants to strut it's stuff, President Bush will find a way to incorporate Presidential hopeful John McCain into the group that makes the decision to lower fuel costs (in whatever way they can). This would likely spark more people to vote for a McCain seen as trying to fix problems in this country.
Either way, it puts travelers at odds for the majority of the summer. Good thing I have that excellent three-hour trip back home after graduation, followed a week later with an eight-hour journey to Madison, Wisc., where I'll be putting up shop for at least a year. Here's hoping those are the only two major trips I need to take this year because, let's face it, I have to start PAYING the college loan companies, instead of them paying me. But there's no telling how many tanks of gas I'm filling for other people by doing it...
A synopsis of the story is that people are putting less gas into their cars and are, therefore, running out more frequently. The main reason behind this decision is that they don't have enough money to fill up the tank all at once, so they just try to get by with what they can, hoping it gets them to their destination. But many times this venture is unsuccessful.
I find this very similar to the reason why some people don't have much invested into a retirement fund. They know it would be a huge benefit in the long run, but in the short run they need that extra money to get by. Filling the tank is easily the "safest" choice, but that $25 not spent on the extra half tank of fuel might be enough for three or four meals for that week.
It's a game of investment. Drivers know that the cost of gas isn't going to go down immediately -- and even if it would, the cost would likely be just pennies less than it was. Buying the gas at $4 a gallon, for example, would fill a 12-gallon tank for $48. Paying just 10 cents more would push that total cost up to $49.20. Investing in the gas right away allows for the driver to save $1.20.
This amount actually seems pretty paltry when compared to the time and effort spent on trying to get your empty vehicle off the side of the road. Then consider having it happen in rush hour traffic, when it could take even longer for a service vehicle to get to you. Then consider the fact that companies like AAA aren't going to bring 12 gallons of gas for your car -- they'll probably bring just a few.
If one's car runs out of gas, the next likely step after getting off the side of the road would probably be to put more gas into the tank. But the options could be slim, depending on where one breaks down. It's incredibly unfortunate that this society is one that has people trying to save even $1.50 when that money really should be invested into something of great use, like an extra portion of fuel that can save later problems on the road.
It's unlikely there will be a major slowdown in the rise of gasoline prices. If there is any relief in sight, don't expect it until around August or September when the Presidential campaigning really fires up. It will be a matter of who pushes first. If the Democratic Party puts extreme stress on decision-makers to fix the problem it will be seen as being the one most helpful to citizens, considering fuel costs are part of the biggest issues for Americans.
If the Republican Party wants to strut it's stuff, President Bush will find a way to incorporate Presidential hopeful John McCain into the group that makes the decision to lower fuel costs (in whatever way they can). This would likely spark more people to vote for a McCain seen as trying to fix problems in this country.
Either way, it puts travelers at odds for the majority of the summer. Good thing I have that excellent three-hour trip back home after graduation, followed a week later with an eight-hour journey to Madison, Wisc., where I'll be putting up shop for at least a year. Here's hoping those are the only two major trips I need to take this year because, let's face it, I have to start PAYING the college loan companies, instead of them paying me. But there's no telling how many tanks of gas I'm filling for other people by doing it...
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