SLC: Why didn't I bring more long sleeves?
Salt Lake City this week, bringing to a close our stretch of four games in 13 days and giving me 16 days or so between road trips. One of the great things about the SLC trip is that we almost always train here, to help adjust to the altitude, so we get to leave a bit earlier and see more of the city.
We've stayed in three different hotels on my three trips here, and each has had its own brand of memories. This year's dominant memory is ... cold! My other two trips were in July and August, but it's still cool here - temperatures in the 50s and lower, with a pretty good wind to boot.
Somehow, I figured I'd be fine with one jacket and one long-sleeved shirt. Technically speaking, that's been OK, but let's just say that the long-sleeved shirt has gotten a lot of wear. And I'm layering for tonight's game - only one T-shirt and two polo shirts remained back in the hotel.
Training on Wednesday was fun - the new stadium here is gorgeous (as you can see), and it even felt pretty comfortable if you stayed in the sunlit portion of the field. Naturally, our bench was in the shade. We also had to investigate and/or chase away anybody who might be considered a threat to watch practice. That involved LG going up into the suites to question sales reps for the other team who were just doing their job. Good times.
After dealing with some interviews (both arranging and conducting) back at the hotel, it was time for Jon time. I had arranged for tickets to the AAA baseball game that night and figured I would take a cab over. Once I investigated on Google Maps, however, I found it was a straight shot up West Temple Street and a 30-minute walk. I figured, "I can handle that," and set out in plenty of time. It was a pretty good walk, and the last 3-4 blocks were definitely not the greatest neighborhood in the world, but it wasn't too bad.
What I found at the stadium, however ... wow. There were maybe 500 people there at first pitch, spread out in a stadium that seats 15,500 (supposedly - that's surely SRO with berm seating). Needless to say, the atmosphere was a little dead. It was dollar hot dog night, my second such outing in the last year, so that was a nice break for the old expense account.
The game included the Astros' AAA affiliate and even Brian Bogusevic, whose girlfriend I had met on a train in France/Spain way back on the early days of this blog.
Despite the atmosphere - which did pick up slightly as a few more fans arrived - the 6:35 p.m. first pitch was pretty early - the setting and the ballpark were great. Supposedly it gets great crowds once school is out, and it's set to host the 2011 AAA All-Star Game, so I think I just caught it on a bad night.
I moved back under the overhang to avoid any chance of rain, and a guy eventually sat next to me and we started talking baseball. Turns out he knows a guy in Houston who's a big Rice fan and whose kids I saw in a high school game this year when watching some Dynamo Academy players. Small world. We talked throughout the game, and he gave me a ride home, so I didn't have to make the long walk twice.
I'll skip ahead to the setup for tonight's game, which is really the next interesting part of the trip. As usual, I took the early bus and got to the stadium almost four hours before game time so I could properly set up my equipment. Salt Lake's radio booths are set back about 10 feet from the main press box, so I have a very obstructed view when seated and have a tough time running my crowd mic to pick up noise from the whole stadium and not just the suites below.
So I was very carefully running my mic cord along the railing of the press box to set up my microphone, when I must have pulled too hard, in the process pulling the mixer I use for the crowd mic off the ledge and dropping it down into the suites a full story below. Needless to say, I was not happy. I had also managed to get some crap from the stone wall all over the front of my pants.
Luckily the story has a happy ending. I went downstairs, picked up the little mixer, brought it back up, and set things up again, much more carefully this time. Secured the mic to the press box railing and felt like I was good to go. When I came back and turned everything on, I had an extra hum in my ear, even when the mixer was off! But I just rattled a few cords around - the gentle version of slapping a TV on its side - and eventually it disappeared. Here's hoping it stays off for this nationally televised game!
OK, time for work. Pregame show in 40.
We've stayed in three different hotels on my three trips here, and each has had its own brand of memories. This year's dominant memory is ... cold! My other two trips were in July and August, but it's still cool here - temperatures in the 50s and lower, with a pretty good wind to boot.Somehow, I figured I'd be fine with one jacket and one long-sleeved shirt. Technically speaking, that's been OK, but let's just say that the long-sleeved shirt has gotten a lot of wear. And I'm layering for tonight's game - only one T-shirt and two polo shirts remained back in the hotel.
Training on Wednesday was fun - the new stadium here is gorgeous (as you can see), and it even felt pretty comfortable if you stayed in the sunlit portion of the field. Naturally, our bench was in the shade. We also had to investigate and/or chase away anybody who might be considered a threat to watch practice. That involved LG going up into the suites to question sales reps for the other team who were just doing their job. Good times.After dealing with some interviews (both arranging and conducting) back at the hotel, it was time for Jon time. I had arranged for tickets to the AAA baseball game that night and figured I would take a cab over. Once I investigated on Google Maps, however, I found it was a straight shot up West Temple Street and a 30-minute walk. I figured, "I can handle that," and set out in plenty of time. It was a pretty good walk, and the last 3-4 blocks were definitely not the greatest neighborhood in the world, but it wasn't too bad.
What I found at the stadium, however ... wow. There were maybe 500 people there at first pitch, spread out in a stadium that seats 15,500 (supposedly - that's surely SRO with berm seating). Needless to say, the atmosphere was a little dead. It was dollar hot dog night, my second such outing in the last year, so that was a nice break for the old expense account.
The game included the Astros' AAA affiliate and even Brian Bogusevic, whose girlfriend I had met on a train in France/Spain way back on the early days of this blog.
Despite the atmosphere - which did pick up slightly as a few more fans arrived - the 6:35 p.m. first pitch was pretty early - the setting and the ballpark were great. Supposedly it gets great crowds once school is out, and it's set to host the 2011 AAA All-Star Game, so I think I just caught it on a bad night.I moved back under the overhang to avoid any chance of rain, and a guy eventually sat next to me and we started talking baseball. Turns out he knows a guy in Houston who's a big Rice fan and whose kids I saw in a high school game this year when watching some Dynamo Academy players. Small world. We talked throughout the game, and he gave me a ride home, so I didn't have to make the long walk twice.
I'll skip ahead to the setup for tonight's game, which is really the next interesting part of the trip. As usual, I took the early bus and got to the stadium almost four hours before game time so I could properly set up my equipment. Salt Lake's radio booths are set back about 10 feet from the main press box, so I have a very obstructed view when seated and have a tough time running my crowd mic to pick up noise from the whole stadium and not just the suites below.
So I was very carefully running my mic cord along the railing of the press box to set up my microphone, when I must have pulled too hard, in the process pulling the mixer I use for the crowd mic off the ledge and dropping it down into the suites a full story below. Needless to say, I was not happy. I had also managed to get some crap from the stone wall all over the front of my pants.
Luckily the story has a happy ending. I went downstairs, picked up the little mixer, brought it back up, and set things up again, much more carefully this time. Secured the mic to the press box railing and felt like I was good to go. When I came back and turned everything on, I had an extra hum in my ear, even when the mixer was off! But I just rattled a few cords around - the gentle version of slapping a TV on its side - and eventually it disappeared. Here's hoping it stays off for this nationally televised game!OK, time for work. Pregame show in 40.
posted by Jon at
19:18
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