It's Been A Long Time!!

    Well hello there!! To answer your questions, yes I am still alive and yes I am still in Massachusetts.
     It has been a crazy few weeks up here with everything going, and also the fact that I've come to find out that being a Media Director for a baseball team is almost literally a 24-hour job, and seven days as week as well.
     Since the last time I made a post on my blog, I got to spend a few days running around Boston getting to see the sights and came very close to eating a oyster!! Yuck!! But some things came up and we couldn't do that anymore. While in Boston I got to go to Bunker Hill which was cool because it looked like a minature Washington Monutment, and plus in the movie "The Town" they use that place in the first few scenes of the movie. So yes I feel  a little cooler now.
     Also while in Boston I went down to the harbor and saw the USS Constitution, which was cool, and I bought a nice picture book from the gift shop for my coffee table. I thought it would be a nice conversation starter.
    Anyways I got to go to Fenway Park as well, I forgot to write a post about that and that shocks me. So back on June 27, the NECBL and Team USA played a game there and I got to cover it. I got to go down onto the field of Fenway Park, which was really cool and do post-game interviews. I also made the roster sheets for the game, and my recap of the game was used on the Official NECBL website as the recap of the game. It still is actually still running on the home page of the website along with my Tom Murphy story.
    I wrote a story about one of our players that got signed by Team USA for the series against Japan and he is with them for one more day as they wrap up that series tomorrow in Omaha, Neb.
    So let's see what else is there....well I've gotten to do play-by-play for a few games now which has been cool and definitely a neat experience. I just got done calling the second game of the doubleheader we had tonight which was I think the fifth or sixth game I've called this summer. A little low on the number I wanted to walk away with, but being the Media Director keeps me busy a lot of the time.
      Oh I also got to meet Bernie Carbo and that was cool. He gave me a signed baseball card and that is going to be an awesome addition to my collection!!!
     Well time to hit the hay, I'll try and get better about posting on my blog. I promise.

The 2011 Boston Bruins Celebration Parade...I WAS THERE!!

So while other people were sitting in their hotel rooms, and still sleeping I was standing on the streets of Boston awaiting the Stanley Cup and the 2011 Boston Bruins to roll by!!!

It was the coolest  experience ever to be about 10 feet from the parade route and got the chance to really take in the Boston sports experience.

It was so cool to be there and take in the entire experience...of course me being in Massachusetts this summer I could not pass up the chance to go to something like this.

Other than that awesome experience, everything else is going well I am doing work all the time and it feels like it never ends and thus the reason why I have not posted in a while. But I will try and get better.

Making Progress...

So last season the Holyoke Blue Sox had one of the worst broadcasts in the NECBL...they had one camera...and that was about it...
This season they made the right move and brought in a Texan, a Red Raider, and someone who has a passion for Media and how it is run - Joshua Koch lol.
In the season opener we had two cameras, tonight three, tomorrow four going and then on Monday the debut of the pregame show and the postgame show. Hopefully by the 8th or 9th home game we have graphics as well. The broadcast has already become 10X better and now they have a daily newsletter and will soon have a gameday program with rosters, stats, and more. So it has been really good so far here in Massachusetts. I have gotten to mold this media into what it should be and it feels great to see the results of all the hard work put in up to this point. Well got to do some more work...yep the work never ends.

Wow it's been a while...

So hello everyone...yes I am still alive and still getting around to blogging finally at 1 a.m. Some people might be like oh my gosh that is so late, but my response is, "I am a college student, this is normal." So despite the fact that I am up this late posting and also since I have not written anything since the 2nd you can tell I have been BUSY!!!
Well to catch everyone up to speed, the last few days we have been prepping the ballpark for the first game which was today. It was only an exhibition game, but the park still needed to be ready. So today we had no broadcast because we were not rewuired to and also because the press box is not ready yet.
So today I ran the manual scoreboard, while at the same time was updating the box score on my computer and while at the same time Tweeting on my phone during the game on the Blue Sox account. It seems crazy, but it all worked out well and also I was the DJ for the stadium today as well. So I guess the role of Media Director has expanded quite a bit lol.
I guess I did something right today, becuase we started the day with around 248 followers on Twitter and ended the day with 303 so I call that a success. Right now I am updating the team's fan page, which that has not been done in  the past few months as well so a lot of catching up.
Today is going to be Extreme Makeover: Press Box Edition!! My team and I are going to be running cables and making sure everything works while at the same time getting the Press Box open and decent for Opening Day. While on top of that I have a meeting with CBS 3 and have to be on the air on the Average Joe Show on ESPN Radio 1450 AM as well at some point tomorrow to talk Blue Sox baseball.
So now this is the reason why I have not been blogging lately, but I will try and get better at doing it at least every other day.
Other than work stuff, I am doing  great. I am loving the country up here, just beautiful land and houses. Well time for me to get around to other things. But if you are not already doing so like our fan page on Facebook and follow the Blue Sox on Twitter @HolyokeBlueSox  .

Crazy Day Again....And The Weather Was Too

     Well to let everyone know I am fine and I was not in the area where the tornadoes touched down in Western Massachusetts yesterday. I was in Holyoke where we just got some rain, hail and a little wind but nothing too severe. But in Springfield where my hotel is, the damage and pure destruction is unbelievable. There are tops of buildings ripped off, cars destroyed and probably worst of all families dismantled.
     It is unbelievable the pure power of wind and rain, until it is knocking on your front door. We got a lot of work done yesterday, but the afternoon and evening kind of came to a stand still during and after the terrible storms plowed through Massachusetts. I was listening to the radio this morning during the car ride over to Holyoke and they were describing the scene outside the basketball hall of fame, which is in Springfield, as looking almost like a military camp. The person reporting from the Hall of Fame said there are military helicopters on the ground, personnel running around trying to get power back up, and continue searching for people in the rubble of buildings.
      The destruction is shocking and I thank God that I was not in an area that was hit, but I pray for the people that were. For the families that were affected by losing homes, or loved ones, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family this day.

An Insane Tuesday

     So you can probably tell with me not writing on this blog until the next day, Tuesday was a completely insane day.
     It started at the publisher and did not end until 1:00 a.m. when I finally shut my computer and said that is enough for today. We had to go by the publisher to go over the 2011 Holyoke Blue Sox Program, and when we walked out of that meeting there were about 15 things we needed to do. We had to send them articles, proof bios, send pictures and make sure everything was where it was supposed to be considering there are going to be around 20,000 copies of this thing made. So the last thing I want to do is make a mistake and have it printed that many times if you know what I mean.
     We were running around so much yesterday that Barry and I actually FORGOT to eat lunch!!! Yes actually skipped a meal, I have never willingly done this before in my life, but that is how crazy it got Tuesday.
      Today seems to be about the same since we woke up around 6:30 and got right on our computers and started working immediately. So we will see when I post again and hopefully I will not miss lunch today.

An Action-Packed Sunday!!

    Well yesterday was so busy and hectic that I didn't get around to getting on my computer and updating my blog. Sorry for everyone that's following, but here is the action from Sunday.
    My day started early with a trip to LA Fitness with Tony and I was put through the "Tony" workout and now this morning I am starting to feel it. We spent most of the morning at the ballpark getting it ready plugging things in, pulling stuff out of storage and making a huge to-do list for the rest of the week.
    After eating a nice lunch at the Crackerbarrel everybody went to the office where I got settled into my new desk finally with a nice view out the window and started plugging in cameras to see if they work or not. I took my official Blue Sox photo for the program and will upload that and more pictures onto Facebook here in a few minutes.
     After a long day I spent the evening with Barry, Matt and Sandy watching Kung Fu Panda on TV and now I want to go see the second installment of this movie for sure.
    Well today will probably much slower, just a lot of work on the computer from my hotel room, may go swimming here in a little bit and go to Buffalo Wild Wings later this evening!!! Bdubs!!! Should be another exciting day in Massachusetts!

More play than work today lol

     So today was a fun day because we did a little work this afternoon and then enjoyed a great evening with a great bunch of people.
    I spent time sharing stories from Texas, and it was interesting how fascinated they were with how I grew up and everything. It was fun sharing these stories, because in Texas everyone has these stories so I really never get to tell them. So it was a fun day getting to spend time with them, had a good dinner, played Taboo, which is a fun game and watched the Twins beat the Angels in extra innings. So despite tomorrow being Sunday we will be back at the ballpark getting it ready for opening day. May the countdown begin, 11 days until opening day of the 2011 Holyoke Blue Sox season....getting ready and getting pumped up for a summer of baseball.

A Busy Day in Massachusetts!!

    So after my adventure of traveling by plane and bus yesterday, I got to spend today traveling around Massachusetts!!! What beautiful country up here and the houses are just as pretty.
    First this morning I got picked up by Barry Wadsworth in the Blue Sox van, and got shown around the area before heading to Mackenzie Stadium. I got shown around the park a little bit and spent some time hanging advertising banners on the outfield fence with some other interns. I will get to start working on some of the media stuff tomorrow afternoon.
     After finishing hanging the banners, Barry and I headed to a shed place to pick up a shed to serve as a concession stand for the season. After finishing this we went and ate at a hot dog joint called Nick's Nest, and I had the best chili dogs ever there with some good fries as well.
    So finally after some adventures around Holyoke I got to go to the office finally and it was really nice. Very well set up operation there, and it is a nice enviorment to get work done in. I got my Blue Sox hat, polo and t-shirt so I am officially Blue Soxed out now.
     After a long day of running around and craziness here in Holyoke, I went to dinner with Barry and his daughters, Sandy and her son. We went to this really nice restaurant called Delaneys House. It was really fancy because there were covers on the seats and it had vallet parking and the food was extremely good. I had the BBQ Salmon and it was delicious.
     So now back in my hotel room starting to unwind finally, and going to try and enjoy what's left of the evening before getting back up in the morning and doing it all over again. What an adventure Day No.1 has been can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings.

Made It To Boston!!

      So I have finally made it here!!! I am glad it is going to be two months before I have to make this trip back to Texas.
      My journey today started in San Antonio this morning at 7:30 by going through security, took a quick little flight over to Dallas. In Dallas I at some lunch before boarding my final plane of the day. My second flight of the day stopped in St. Louis shortly, but I was disappointed because it was overcast and I could not see the arch coming in or going out of St. Louis. Maybe on the trip back I will get to see it.
      After that fun stop, where I stayed on the plane and waited for them to board new passengers, the plane took off again and headed towards Boston. The coolest thing was flying in to land at Boston Logan because the plane had to circle over the ocean to line up to land, and the ocean looks cool from that high up. It's neat because the water doesn't even look like it's moving, it looks like glass with white little marks all over it.
     I was glad to get off the plane and stretch, because I have been on an airplane almost the entire day, so it was nice to finally walk into an airport and not have to get on another flight. Thank goodness my luggage made it alright. So my luggage and I have made it to Boston, Massachusetts.
      I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings, because I don't know and couldn't even give you a slight preview of what tomorrow brings or the rest of the summer to tell you the truth. So Summer 2011 is going to be an adventure that you will have to read all about and see where it takes me around the east coast. Hold on becuase it will be the ride of your life.

Airport Experience!!

     For the first time in six years I am going to board a plane. Is that weird? I have not traveled by plane since the summer after my 8th grade year on my trip to Washington, D.C. I can definitely say the airport has changed a lot since the last time I came through.
     I was really excited this morning after going through secutiry, which is always fun, to find a Raising Cane's Chicken place in the airport as one of my options to eat a quick breakfast at. To say the least it was satisfying ... can't go wrong with Raising Cane's in the morning!!!
    So just now waiting in the terminal to board plane one of two for the day. It will be an interesting day to say the least.

Last Day In Texas Well Spent!!

     Well my last day in Texas was well spent!! I got to spend time with my grandparents from Germany for a little bit this afternoon and that was nice to see them before heading to Massachusetts in the morning. For the rest of the afternoon and evening I spent time with my wonderful parents and sister, going shopping for last minute things and watching the American Idol Finale to wrap up the evening. What a day, and what a perfect day to have before leaving for Holyoke.
     Of course the last day I spend in Texas the high in Fredericksburg reaches 104 degrees and the place I'm headed the high is going to be in the 80's and 70's for the next 10 days....It's going to be wonderful!!! That will probably be the only thing I won't miss about Texas is the heat.
     I have been waiting for this day to come for a while now and finally that it's here I am happy and sad at the same time. I can't really explain it, but at the end of the day I know this is going to be a whole new adventure for me this summer and I can't wait to see where it takes me. So so long Fredericksburg, Texas in the morning and by tomorrow evening hello Holyoke, Massachusetts!!!

Gonna Miss Texas

    With really only one more full day left in Texas it is starting to set in how different this summer is going to be for me. For the past two days I have been helping my uncles take parts off old Model B John Deere Tractors to get them ready to go to the scrap yard due to the fact they haven't worked for the past 30 years probably. Even though this was long hard work out in the Texas heat, I deeply enjoyed it and will miss those kinds of moments with my family this summer.
     I have spent my entire life living on a working ranch, and both my uncles have little ranches of their own as well, so I have helped on them all. We might have been doing hard work out there either building a fence or working the animals, but those are the moments I love because they create the greatest memories.
      I know this summer I will be away from my family and friends, but I am excited about meeting new people and building new friendships with people from around the country. So yes this summer will be different, but I hope to take a lot of good memories and friendships away from it.
    So only  one more day left in Texas, how will I spend it?

Getting Ready To Go

So it is ridiculous trying to get ready for a trip that lasts two months!!! I keep thinking that I am going to forget something, which would be tragic considering I will be hundreds of miles away from home so I guess my mom could just FedEx that stuff to me!! Hopefully I can remember everything and don't have buy anything when I get to Massachusetts, but we will see. I am getting excited to get to the airport on Thursday and board my plane for Boston, Mass. This will be the first time I have been on a plane since the 8th grade when I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. So I this will be a different experience considering how much higer the security  is at the airport now than it was back in 2005. Well I will see what the changes are and how they handle my luggage. I hope they don't lose my luggage, that would be really bad. Well I will be back on  here on Thursday to give an update on my journey to Massachusetts. Talk to you all then.

Hello There!!!

     Hello everyone, my name is Joshua Koch and I am a junior at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The reason I am starting this blog is because  I am traveling a few hundred miles away from my home state of Texas to Massachusetts to do an internship with the Holyoke Blue Sox this summer. The Blue Sox are a team in  the New England Collegiate Baseball League in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
    This summer I will be blogging every day with what I am doing, and also will be posting pictures as well. I hope everyone enjoys my journey from Texas to Massachusetts this summer and follow me on the blog or my twitter which is jokoch09 and I am  also on facebook under Joshua Koch. If you want  to friend me please inform me that you are reading my blog.
    So follow me on facebook, twitter and this blog and let the journey begin from Texas to Massachusetts.