The Magic Is Behind The Boards

I got the opportunity last Friday to work a position with the Astros that I never have in 15 years between the Astrodome and Minute Maid. Underneath the Crawford boxes in left field is a manual scoreboard, one of only a few in the major leagues.

I decided to fill in at the last minute and am so thankful for the experience because it was truly a blast!

Since it was a Friday night, there were quite a few games going on all around the league, and the job of running the scoreboards is to keep all the games up to date. While this wouldn't seem like such a big task, since there are only three of us working, covering 12 games can get pretty hectic at times.

We essentially had one guy calling out the changes in scores, while the other two of us updated the numbers. Remember that everything is backwards from your point of view so the first inning is on the right and the ninth inning is on the left. 

I'm proud to say because of excellent training and being very concerned about putting the wrong number in the wrong place, I had a perfect game with no mistakes. I even asked if the nine was actually an upsidedown six when I couldn't find the nines...

I want to give a shout out to Justin on the left and DeShaun on the right for entertaining me along the way. They do their job well and with a cheerfulness that is always nice to be around.

Another scene behind the scenes that makes the magic happen!

You Gotta Eat Something

      As a technical director, I have worked through more than one lunch or dinner break due to some problem that couldn't be resolved without my help, but when traveling all around this great country of ours, I get to stop every now and then to grab a bite to eat somewhere special.
     Most of the time, after a game, it's the fast food solution on the way back to the hotel if I have enough energy left to do that. Certain venues like Robertson Stadium in Houston have the every present Subway, Wendy's, and Burger King within walking distance from the truck. I've stopped going to the Shipley's Donuts.
     There are the rare occasions when you are presented a dinner beyond belief as pictured above. At the 2010 Editor's Retreat in Miami, we were treated to an authentic Cuban buffet with pork, plantains, mushrooms, black beans, and rice. It was definitely a night to remember as we were served the exact same meal in 2007 and I loved it then.
     Some locations aren't nearly as food friendly to the production crews. In December, I worked a Rice basketball game. The director and I spent the better part of an hour walking around the campus looking for anything to eat.
     It didn't help that the school was on Christmas break, that it was a Saturday night, any number of reasons. The story doesn't ever change - just the location and you end up going into your backpack to find the Southwest Airlines peanuts from two months ago.
There are exceptions to the rule and one is here.
                 http://www.1808grille.com

     I don't remember how I found out about this place or the first time I went to the 1808, but whenever I'm in Nashville, I try to make it by.
     Pictured above, I have found a new discovery but I haven't gotten to eat there yet.
     They were closed... maybe the next time I'm in El Paso!

Which waterfall is known as the largest single sheet of water in the world?

This and other interesting tidbits will be coming your way here "Outside of The Loop" as I prepare to cover the World Cup for Univision this summer.

Of course our summer is their winter so... nevermind.

Over the last couple of years, I've gotten to work a lot of Dynamo games, a couple of Superligas, and the occasional international match. This has given me an appreciation for soccer and athletes like Brian Ching and Francisco Ochoa.

Getting to see the best of the world, on the world's largest stage, is one of the best things about my job. I feel very fortunate to have been asked to go!

I'll be working as a technical and assistant director in Johannesburg and will have one run of twenty three days in a row. Even with the workload, I'm looking forward to it and realized that it's a mere four months away. The countdown has officially started!

By the way, the answer is Victoria Falls.

One of the Good Guys

Working sports or entertainment by necessity means we spend a lot of time at the job when the fans are available. Usually that means evenings and weekends and unfortunately, the Houston Rockets have a standing New Year's Eve game every year.

For the last five or six years, I've had the distinct pleasure of getting to work that night and bring in the New Year with others that would probably rather be somewhere else having fun instead of working.

This past year was no exception and when I got to the production truck I saw that Andy Benz was mixing audio. I've known Andy for quite a few years and he is truly one of the good guys that works hard and enjoys himself along the way.

We got the show ready to go and were waiting to start so we could finish and get home by midnight to celebrate - the mood was kind of ho-hum.

So, as we were waiting to get started, Andy started playing Lyle Lovett's "Church" which is a rousing, gospel-styled, ditty that instantly put a smile on my face and made everyone in the truck feel a little better at least until the Rockets stopped playing well. As it all worked out, the Rockets did beat the Mavericks that night and we had a good day thanks to Andy.

If you are at a Baylor Bears, Rockets, Spurs, or Mavericks game, there's a good chance that Andy may be working behind the scenes. He has the I-35 corridor down. You'll never see him, but the producer and director are happy because of it.

Is The Fog Machine On?

It seems so simple. Four cameras, four stages. Bus 11,000 kids in and let them hear from a real American hero, the first black astronaut in space...simple.

It's never that simple but, a timely rehearsal, better luck, and a not out of control fog machine can make for a great show, especially on a very early morning.

Strike one is that the crew call is 5:30 AM. I really don't know too many people that are at their best that early in the morning. Not a problem though because there are donuts and coffee.

This particular morning, when 11,000 kids are being brought into the arena, there is a very heavy fog that is causing traffic delays all over the metropolitan area...the buses are now running late. Nothing you can do about that but push the start time later and later. Of course the kiddos that got there at 8:30 AM when the doors opened have now been sitting in their seats for well over an hour. Hey so a few hundred kids are inconvenienced, big deal.

Okay, if the fog machine works, everything is okay. The air handlers within the arena are causing the "misters" not to work so well so the lasers aren't as cool as they could be, but if we pump enough fog from behind the curtain backstage, the kids will be impressed.

Oooops! So much fog, the cameras can't see the volunteers or the astronaut on stage.

Once the lights came on, we all saw the fog! Rock 'n' Roll!

The Life of a Rodeo Clown

As the close of the year is here, and a new one begins, my original title for the blog was going to be "The Life of a Rodeo Clown". For the most part, working in the sports and entertainment business is much like a rodeo clown - part of the process but not really a feature of the show.

It's not necessarily a bad thing...you get to see the game but you also get to walk away from it when it's done.

My hope is always my hope for the new year, continued growth in my profession, continued health and happiness for me and all those around me, and just a little bit of excitement from time to time.

I hope you obtain whatever it is you seek in the New Year!

Where Are We? Anaheim??

I've always liked San Antonio as a place to work. It's close to Houston, there's good mexican food there, and the AT&T arena is very similar to the Toyota Center with better parking.

I got to work the Denver Nuggets feed a few weeks ago and after a long day in the truck as I'm headed through the parking lot, I see this.

Seeing art cars in Houston is not uncommon, but I had to ask myself why... Why does someone have this many ducks on their dashboard? Is there a safety hazard here? Am I in Anaheim? And there's a handicapped tag also... I'll assume it may be a part of therapy.