An Update

I thought this would be a good time to update things in the light of our changing world. One of my objectives with the newfound "down" time is to devote more time to the things that fell through the cracks , this blog being one of them. Reading being another one, I have read so much during this period of forced isolation. There is so much to catch up on.

The first item of note is that I am forced to take an unwanted sabbatical from my baseball broadcasting this summer. Minor league baseball will not happen in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time I did not broadcast baseball was in 2004, the year before I got into the business. 2004 was also the year I was involved in the NESN Announcer for an Inning competition as a prelude to the future. The emotions of all this are many, and varied. Sadness, anger, emptiness, in some aspects, relief- in that I can devote time to my family- but there will be a hole and a void in my life, no question about it. I also can't help but think of the disappointment of not being able to finish what we started last year- being so close to a championship on that September evening in Brooklyn- having a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 7th and not being able to hang on, despite having a chance to win it in the 9th. With the uncertainty of minor league baseball's future, I am hopeful that I will get a chance to do it all again- I wouldn't want my last memory to be that final out in Brooklyn.

My attention now turns to hockey in the 2020-21 season and the hopes that we can start the season on time. The uncertainty is unlike anything I've ever experienced in my lifetime. It is all a waiting game, that's all we can do at this point.

In the meantime, although I have a summer off now, it by no means I will be resting on my laurels. I am in an unfamiliar position now- having to look for work - something I haven't had to do in almost a decade. And I'm not even sure it will be sports related. I am taking an inventory of my skills and interests- I really want to try to avoid doing work I don't enjoy- I have paid my dues in that regard. When I left the mental health industry in the early part of 2005, I vowed I would never go back. I remember that burned out feeling and how sick I was- both mentally and physically. I want to work and I want to be happy in that work. So it's a challenge- the options may be limited because of COVID. I hope to get back to baseball if possible in 2021, so we'll see.

To that end, I've been working with a couple of ideas and hopefully adding to them. I have a podcast now, which has been great fun. I am still very green and a novice podcaster, but I am learning and hope to get better each week. The podcast can be found here. I am trying to take care of monetizing the podcast, but that has been slow going. I also am revisiting my media conversion  business, which involves taking old media and converting it to newer formats like DVD, CD, and MP3. To learn more about that, please contact me.

And most recently, I landed on Cameo. I am very excited about this because I can use this to showcase my talent-music- and make some money and have fun at the same time. The platform allows users to book people on there to provide custom shoutouts for special occasions- like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, holidays, anything at all. I am throwing this out there for anybody- if anyone wants a custom made video shoutout for any reason, please consider booking me on Cameo.  It is very inexpensive and I promise to make it fun for you, and you'd be helping this broadcaster earn a few dollars along the way!

They say everything happens for a reason. We are all struggling right now but I believe somehow someway better days lie ahead. I'm always grateful for my family and friends, and my faith which helps get me through. I truly hope to be back in a broadcast booth soon. I wish you all good health, happiness, and safety.