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(Thread) Opening Day story:
2002 - My original job at ESPN was a temp gig printing out articles and player bios to send to game broadcasters at hotel they were staying
Not hard. I wanted to do more. Went to Sunday Night Baseball producer asking what I could do for Opening Day
2002 - My original job at ESPN was a temp gig printing out articles and player bios to send to game broadcasters at hotel they were staying
Not hard. I wanted to do more. Went to Sunday Night Baseball producer asking what I could do for Opening Day
He said "Indians-Angels" - Colon vs Washburn. We have a lot on Colon. Can you tell us something we don& #39;t know on Washburn?
Could I?
Jarrod Washburn went to @UWOshkoshTitans
I wrote for @d3football dot com - I knew most D3 SIDs quite well.
A fortunate break.
Could I?
Jarrod Washburn went to @UWOshkoshTitans
I wrote for @d3football dot com - I knew most D3 SIDs quite well.
A fortunate break.
I called the SID and told him my situation. Within 5 minutes I had the head coach of the baseball team on the phone.
"What don& #39;t people know about Jarrod? I have a story for you."
He explained how he taught Washburn how to throw a pitch ... Could be told in 30-40 sec. Perfect
"What don& #39;t people know about Jarrod? I have a story for you."
He explained how he taught Washburn how to throw a pitch ... Could be told in 30-40 sec. Perfect
I put the story in the info package for Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. The Sunday Night Baseball producer was intrigued
"We don& #39;t typically have the researcher do that"
They got a photo of Jarrod in a UW-Oshkosh jersey.
All set to go.
And then the game happened
"We don& #39;t typically have the researcher do that"
They got a photo of Jarrod in a UW-Oshkosh jersey.
All set to go.
And then the game happened
2002 was the best season in Angels history
And one of their worst Opening Days
The first 5 batters reached vs Jarrod Washburn.
Angels scored 4 in the 1st inning
The story never had a chance ...
And one of their worst Opening Days
The first 5 batters reached vs Jarrod Washburn.
Angels scored 4 in the 1st inning
The story never had a chance ...
However - the work I did made an immediate favorable impression on important people
It set a tone for the kind of work I could do and would do.
Turned that into 15+ years at ESPN, 9 on Baseball Tonight
Jarrod Washburn pitched on ESPN again. The story got told.
It set a tone for the kind of work I could do and would do.
Turned that into 15+ years at ESPN, 9 on Baseball Tonight
Jarrod Washburn pitched on ESPN again. The story got told.
If you want to work in sports/journalism
You might have to do some grunt work early on
Do it well
And look for opportunities to be impactful. They& #39;ll come.
And take advantage of the chances you get.
That& #39;s probably my favorite Opening Day memory
You might have to do some grunt work early on
Do it well
And look for opportunities to be impactful. They& #39;ll come.
And take advantage of the chances you get.
That& #39;s probably my favorite Opening Day memory
If you liked this story, you& #39;d probably like the video Q&A I just did on my career path and advice for aspiring sportswriters/broadcasters/researchers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOXkPCWNYnk">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
