13 Day Work Marathon - Day 7

(Author's Note: This is the 7th in a 2-week long series of what I am doing during my 13 straight days of work)

Well, I've made it past the halfway point. Thank God. Through having being told to get my stuff done faster than I like to moving from one apartment to another, it's been a trial starting off my career this way but something tells me, I'll be better for it in the long run.

Today wasn't a bad day, though yet again, it had its moments. I go to work at 1pm, knowing that I have to get to the Peach Jam for the semifinals. I skip the 11am one because I don't need it nor do I want to wake up that early. So I go to the second one but being the timely guy I am, I get there with less than 2 minutes left in the game...and it's a 1 point game. Yea, I'm an idiot. It's the California team I want to win the whole thing versus some team from Boston. My Cali team runs out of gas though in the last 2 minutes and loses, leaving me with a Boston team whose only highlights I got are free throws. No worries though...I grab an interview and head back to the station knowing I have enough to get by. I decide for the 6pm to use that game, that Oliver Purnell sound I got yesterday (again, planning ahead works!), and the Paddy Harrington injury. Not an amazing cast but thats what ya get on a Tuesday.

Now, for the 11pm, I have it all planned out by 5pm. The 17 and under game is at 8pm and the 16 and under game is at 6. So highlights and sound from both and that's an easy 2 minutes. Add an All-Star Game fullscreen (can't be video because it's a live national broadcast - against the rules to show on another station) and more about the British Open and I'm good. Well, I thought I was. I drive to the rec center to find out the 6pm game got moved to 2pm (I was wondering why teams were warming up after the semi...). So now, I am confused again. I decide to go back to the station, chow down on some free pizza from the station (primary election day in GA so long day for all), and think about ideas. After a few minutes deep in thought, I decide to put Oliver Purnell in the 11pm as well but changing the angle a bit. I also decide for my big finish, I'll make it longer and do my top 5 favorite plays from the Peach Jam (at least, ones that I shot well enough to show, cause I missed a ton of great plays).

Before I head back to the rec center, I decide I'm gonna try to do a story on the people behind the scenes of the Peach Jam. It's ambitious, considering my lack of video from the previous 3 days. I go around asking for interviews and well, let's just say, it went as well as Rudy Guiliani running for the Republican nomination. This story has hope...but only a glimmer. I table it for tomorrow because it is gonna take awhile to edit. In my biz, sound drives a story so when sound is bad, then video is. Well, my video isn't exciting so now, my voice track does. And that means taking time. I'll update you tomorrow.

The game is rather boing for a championship. It never gets closer than 7 points in the second half. So no big comeback story here. Just your simple interview of a player and coach and call it a night. Plus, I know there's a chance the station will be busy with all the election stuff going on. Editing and writing come easy....but late. Thankfully, everyone is turning in stuff late so I just join the party. The cast goes well and I head home feeling pretty good. I have a story for tomorrow, another story to shoot tomorrow, and the minor league team heads back to town.

Now, the final thing I am gonna report today from my somewhat uneventful day is this: I was walking into the Rec Center when I hear someone yell "Matt". I do a 360 and then just keep walking because Matt is the most popular name in America. But then, I hear "Matt, I know you're in a hurry". I look and there's this woman who is obviously talking to me. I assure her I am not in a hurry and say hello. She compliments me on the story I did on her son's team on July 12th and says she is sending an e-mail to my station to say so. Which leads me to...

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY: I found out for the first time that I am being watched by someone other than friends and family. And beyond that, I'm being recognized for my work. That's a great feeling, especially when in day 7 of a 13-day work marathon. Right when I feel like this marathon can't get worse, it just gets better. It made me want to really work hard on these last 6 days, putting out stories that people will appreciate. In my mind (and maybe theirs), I have set a standard and to fall from that now, would not be a good thing. I was always praised for my work for Gridiron but then, I didn't really feel like I should have. The stars of that show were the games and players. And don't get me wrong, the same goes for the stories I have done. But unlike Athens, Augusta is a two-state area and word doesn't travel as fast. So to be able to spread the news to everyone and and in a good way, really makes me feel good. The other thing I learned today isn't enlightening but still something new. The past two nights, I have received two phone calls from viewers that completely blow my mind. The first was last night when an old man calls me to ask "What is the phone number you can call to see Major League Baseball games?" Uh......what? I call him back, cause he left a voicemail, and tell him I don't know. He then says, "It's okay. I figured it out. MLB.com". WOW, really? Old people... The second call was from a middle-aged black guy (assumption from voice) and he asks me "Who's singing the national anthem at the All-Star game?" Really? Who asks that? And even more important...why call the local sports guy? Oh man, if this is a sign of the crazy random calls I will get as a television personality, then I am in for a treat. Needless to say, I'm gonna start posting them somewhere. Blog, the 'Book, my AIM profile or my wall at home...cause I don't wanna forget them.

7 down, 6 to go