Tomorrow is the end of five weeks at Baseball America.
And also the end of my time with Editor 1 and Editor 3. They are both heading to Winter Meetings in Florida, where they will be for all of next week, and when they get back I will be on my way to Canada.
I can’t believe my time has gone so quickly, and even though I’ve said it before, I am positive I will keep saying it until I am gone. I just can’t fathom how five weeks have already flown by, and I only have one left at BA. I guess it is true when they say ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. I really have had the experience of a lifetime, and the fantastic opportunity to stay in baseball for six weeks of the winter months.
I started my day by trying to call the scouting department of the Chicago White Sox. I made an attempt before anyone got into the office, but because Chicago is an hour behind us, that didn’t work out for me. I had to call back when the people around me could hear me. That wasn’t so bad though.
I talked to a guy who was very helpful, gave me the information that I needed, and even gave me a correction on a signing scout that we had already published. He didn’t make me feel like an idiot, so I ended the phone call with the idea that I asked appropriate questions and got what I needed without putting anyone out.
The directory stuff is ongoing and I made the changes that I had received from the people at each organization, and then had to leave it for now. One person called me about the information I wanted, and that was a big surprise. I don’t believe that I gave out my phone number in the emails I sent, and I am still baffled that he managed to get my extension from someone. And that whoever he talked to knew my extension.
When I had pushed aside those tasks I went back to Editor 2 to take a look at the list of Hall of Famers. A lot of them had been crossed off so I now believe that I am not the only person working on the list. I picked the two best names that I could see and set off to write about Brooks Robinson and Tom Seaver.
Robinson was probably the greatest third baseman the Orioles ever had. He was with the team for 23 years, though rumour has it they kept him for a couple of extra seasons because he was in financial trouble and he needed the work.
The man at the hot corner only had one season where he batted over .300, and that was the year in which he won the American League MVP Award. When he was the MVP of the 1970 World Series, he got a car as a prize. The manager of the Reds, the team he won the Fall Classic against, Sparky Anderson said, “I hope it has an extra large glove box,” which I thought was absolutely hilarious.
Seaver was the franchise man of the Mets. He brought them to their miracle World Series victory in 1969, and he is their all-time leader in wins. He is also the only man in the Hall of Fame to be wearing a Mets cap. I am hoping that someday there will be a Blue Jays hat in there to join him.
I was interrupted by lunch late today, because Editor 1 had been on a three-hour long phone call with someone that went until almost two o’clock. But when he and Editor 2 and I had lunch, it was good. We went back to Williams, a place I have been to a few times now, and I am still a big fan of.
At lunch we talked about the conversation Editor 1 had with my program director yesterday. He mentioned that he didn’t really say anything out of the ordinary, just that they have enjoyed having me and I’ve been doing a good job. That was surprising because the email I received from the program director had me believing I have made the impression of a lifetime. Either way, I will take it.
I finished up the bios after lunch, but waited to send them to Editor 2 until my mother had proofread them. I don’t like to send anything away unless it has been looked at by at least one other person. Whether it helps or not, I’m not sure, but she has definitely found a few stupid mistakes that I happily avoided because of her editing. So when she returned them to me with corrections and comments, I sent them off.
From work I headed to UPS, where I sent away copies of the newest magazine to people that I don’t believe I will see any time in the near future, but I still think they are genuinely interested in what I have been doing. It cost me almost $35 USD, so I am pretty sure that puts an end to my mail-sending. I will be back in Canada soon anyway, and even if I want to mail anything else I can do it from there, because it is cheaper. All of my Christmas cards are sent, so I think I should be okay for awhile.
I made it to the gym and ran nine-and-a-half miles today. Actually, I implemented my new training plan of alternating two miles of running with a half mile of walking, in preparation for the Goofy Challenge. That worked pretty well I think, but I am still not completely sure how I want to approach the two races in a row.
After tanning, I came home to finish making a thank you card for Editor 1. Tomorrow is the last day I will see him, and he is the one that gave me the internship and brought me here. I have a lot to thank him for. I also wrote him a letter, which I included in the envelope with the card. I hope I get across the message that I have had an absolutely great time here and it is thanks to him. I might have also slipped in that if they should ever have a job opening in the future, I hope he would think of me. It needs to be said.
I will miss him and our lunchtime conversations though, and I will miss Editor 3 and Baseball America and North Carolina. I am not yet ready to leave, and I don’t think another week here is going to change that.
Tomorrow is my last lunchtime with Editor 1. Sad.
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