Florida Bound….But for now, the Indianapolis International Airport

It’s not often I have not one, but two hours of free time on my hands where I don’t have ANY homework waiting for me.  No Stat S-300 folder sitting lonely in my backpack, no “Espanol Tareas” to complete (Spanish homework) and no Sport Marketing P418 waiting for me to figure out what market I am targeting for the next up-and-coming sport product.  No, readers, I am sitting in the Indianapolis International Airport, very new and clean might I add, waiting for my 7:14 p.m. flight to Ft. Myers, Florida, home of the Spring Training Minnesota Twins, their High-A affiliate Fort Myers Miracle, and many of my good friends that I have made since making this sandy, sun-filled state my second home.

Currently, I am sitting at an un-named sports bar watching the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team hopefully defeat Northwestern…and if they lose, hopefully it’s  in exciting fashion….an exciting loss is almost as good as a win for us these days.  Ah, but I am optimistic that by the time I return to IU to see if I have really outgrown Kirkwood and Walnut that the basketball team has redeemed itsself.   To might right is a man dressed in a suit that is worth at least five times that is currently in my bank account talking about “capital trust, capital qualified, and capital non-qualified trust” on his BlackBerry Tour.  To the left of me is a man from the East coast, only identifiable by his thick accent that I hear all too much on the IU campus.  His heaping plate of pasta and bread sticks that he brought from the “authentic pizzeria” across from the bar also gave him away.  Have you ever seen the movie “For Love of the Game?”  If you have, remember the man in the airport rooting for the Yankees?  According to IMDB, his real name is David Mitchell Evans.  Anyway, he precedes to name every Yankee player and their number dating back eons and is a general annoyance to everyone else in the bar.  Yeah, that is who I am sitting by right now.  Between him and Mr. Business on my left (Tour still glued to his right ear discussing an account in Persia), I am stuck somewhere between the Bronx and Wall Street.

I also just ran into my journalism Sport Research J-460 professor, on his way to Maryland, where he lives permanently.  Good think he canceled class today…apparently we both had important flights 🙂

Oh, IU is leading 20-17 over Northwestern.  HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOOOOOSSSIIEERRRS!

np

Take Me Back to Florida!

This time last year, I was preparing for the big move to Florida….and currently, I am stressing about job searching, studying for my Spanish final, and how I am going to handle 19 credit hours next semester.  However, I just found out I can graduate in June instead of August–that definetely brightened up this 13 degree weather day!

Speaking of weather, TAKE ME BACK TO FLORIDA!  Not only do I miss the amazing weather (ok, June, July and August was downright BRUTAL), but I miss the whole experience I had from January 2009-August 2009 while I was down there.  Anywhere from 70-100 hour work weeks (yes, 100 hours in a week.  I reached that feat twice last summer) that included dressing up as the mascot, supervising an all-night Boy Scout overnight in the outfield, and re-programming cash registers weren’t always a blast, but when I look back, I really did love it.  After so long, it’s almost like I got a euphoric high off working so much and not really knowing what I would be doing everyday.

It’s this experience I had that helped me figure out that I don’t want to do a normal 9-to-5 job after college.  My mom is a retired 7th grade English teacher, and she always says that teachers have the best schedules–you work the same hours your children are in school, you have the same breaks, and you have the summer off.  I 100% agree.  My mom was a GREAT teacher–however, I would not be.  When the day approaches that having a family presents itself, I’ll worry about how my job plays into that.  But now, with graduation 6 months away, I want nothing more than to move, hopefully start a promising job, and be on my own.

Yes, I said be on my own.  So many people say to “Stay in college as long as you can! The real world isn’t that great! Become a lifelong member of Kilroys!”

As cool as that sounds, I really DON’T want to stay in college for as long as I can.  I realize that the “real world” includes bills, being cut off from my parents (more or less…hoping for a little help from M & D to get me started….Hi guys!), and essentially being broke for a while (funny side note–we went to visit my sister in Nashville right after she graduated and to save money, she turned her heat down to 60 degrees…We were so cold that my dad threw some money on her bed just to get her to turn her heat up!).

Keeping the fore mentioned in mind, I know it’s not always going to be fun, I can’t buy all the things I want or used to buy (I will be switching to ALL generic brands at the grocery…luxury of a struggling college student: parents lovingly (or reluctantly) pay for my groceries!) and the work holiday parties will be mildly dull compared to the weekends out in Bloomington.

I would love to be Peter Pan and “never grow up,” but it’s approaching…quickly.

As Asher Roth shouts “I love College!!!!” in his ridiculously popular song (circa last year), I agree–I love college…but not enough to stay forever.

So in June, I will take my last victory lap around Kirkwood and Walnut (don’t worry, I’ll be back to visit) and switch out my “going out clothes” for work clothes.

So from now until then, check back about my job hunt, finishing up college, and other witty pieces of enlightenment.

Happy Holidays!

np

Jobs here…Jobs there…Jobs not everywhere

When boredom hits, I have recently found my self Googling terms like “sports management companies,” and “sport publicists,” along with obsessively checking my Linkedin contacts like it is the new Facebook.

Graduation is upon me…not in May like I hoped, but in August.  Taking a semester off of school to complete an internship will do that, though.  While my D-Day to get that little piece of paper with ‘career’  written all over it is not for nine months, I’m positive that the job search can’t start early enough.

Do I obsessively search for jobs?  Perhaps.  Do I find a company I like and immediately Wikipedia the city that it is in?  I’m going to go with yes on that one.  It’s like Facebook stalking (stop looking at their pictures!..and playing Farmville…and Bejeweled Blitz) but for jobs.  But really, it does help to look at the city the company is located in–how else would I know if I could afford the price of living?  Is the city too big for a small-town girl like me?  Could I see my self there? Will I have to live alone? How far away from home am I?

Well, fortunately for me with the job market right now, being picky and worrying about those petty things (except the cost of living) will have to be ignored in order to snag a job thousands of other people also want.

What job is that, you might (or might not) be wondering? Well, I’m not sure my self.  Here is a list of qualities I would like to find in a job:

-Interaction with people (beyond the “water cooler”)

-Travel

-Flexibility to work from my laptop/BlackBerry (i.e…being completely mobile when necessary)

-Located in a large city or surrounding suburb

-Allowed to be creative within my work

-Room to move up in the company (needless to say, I don’t exactly want to be the #2 catcher for the Twins…something (maybe his most recent Gold Glove Award) tells me Joe Mauer will be there for a long time).

Again, I know this is not the time to be picky; however…I also don’t feel like I need to settle, either.  I’ve put in long and hard hours as an intern and I’m certain there is a company that could reap those benefits in the near future…any takers? IMG?  BDA Sports?  Career Sports and Entertainment?

Didn’t want to raise you’re hand just yet?  That’s ok, you’ll hear from me soon.

Back to Google…

np

Extra Innings

 

Back at School! .... yes, it is a fixer-upper!

 

Wow, it has been far, far too long since I let all my readers (yes, plural…Mom, Dad, Hillery) hear about the ins-and-outs of MILB. For times sake, yours and mine, I will just quickly re-cap basically the rest of the summer:

-The All-Star Game was great–so much fun!  (side note: our entire party deck was destroyed in an HORRIFIC storm the night before the game…with a quick cleanup and a few repairs, we were still able to have a few beer/drink remotes on the deck. )

-The Miracle went through a couple weeks of EXTREMELY long games (4-41/2 hours each) that made for some REALLY long workdays.

-The Miracle made several roster moves, and even had a member of the 2008 Miracle “make it”…. Jeff Manship was called up by the Twins in mid-August and has been pitching great!  Steve Singleton also got called up to AA  and had a great remainder of the season in New Britain.

-Speaking of Singleton, I might add that I was his partner during baseball camp  and got nailed directly in the shin which resulted in a nasty bruise…no defense on his part.  I was soon delegated to just throwing baseballs back into the bucket. 

Visit miraclebaseball.com for more news!

-Not only did I pass Econ (phew!), I also took Spanish II and Government….I highly suggest taking summer classes!

-One of the other interns (Taylor) and I became BFF’s (I know you appreciate ‘abbrev’s’, Hill) and I talk to her a few times a week while she is at school in North Carolina

-My roommate over the summer, Tracey, moved into a new condo with some girls she works with.  She still works on the beach at a resort, lucky her! (ROUGH LIFE, T-MONEY!).

-I moved back to Indiana on August 14th and got to spend a couple days at the lake with my family…great to see everyone!  I also got to go back up during Labor Day weekend with my family and some friends.  My wake-boarding skills were a little rough, considering it had been over a year since I had last been out on the water!

So, now we’re back to the present, and I am currently finding myself with about 45 minutes of extra time before my next class, which is highly unusual. I’m taking 15 credit hours, and my K300 Stats class has been one of the most challenging classes I have ever taken.  I wish I could say I liked challenges (and I do, just not mathematical ones), but when its detrimental to my GPA I feel a little disgruntled towards the subject.  Spanish III is also a challenge, but I try to remember that knowing Spanish is essential in the sports world, especially baseball. 

My schedule isn’t the best; I usually like to get all my classes out of the way by two or three in the afternoon so I have the rest of the day to work, study, or here lately, JOB SEARCH!  But, alas, that is not the case this semester and my classes start at one or later every afternoon, except for Friday (my 7th semester without Friday class!).

When I do have spare time, I’m an active member of IU’s Hoosier Sports Business Organization and volunteer in the IU Athletic Media Relations Department.  Oops, did I say spare time?  I wrote that last line almost two days ago, and here I am, on the 1st floor of IU’s library, procrastinating studying for my Stats test tomorrow.  So no, this is not spare time.  This is time being wasted.  But….as John Lennon said…”Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”  

So here’s to me, for wasting time.  And here’s to you, for reading this.  I thank you, and will be back again soon!

 

np

FSL South 1st Half Division Champs!

1st Half South Division Champs!

~All-Star Game~

Chris Parmelee, Champion of the HR Derby!

Hey fans (if there are any out there…)!   I know I have been a little here-and-there on my updates, but I am in the middle of taking Spanish II and Gov, on top of working,so life is a little busy right now! On a GREAT note, Econ ended well and my grade will transfer back to IU as I had planned. 

  Anyway, the Miracle wrapped up the first half of the season by clinching the FSL 1st Half Division title and hosting the 2009 Florida State League All-Star Game. It turned out to be about a 29-hour work weekend (Friday and Saturday) but it was a great time and the Miracle received compliments right and left about the production of the entire weekend.  The South lost the game, but our own Chris Parmelee won the FSL All-Star Game Home Run Derby!  Starlin Castro of Daytona was the MVP of the game, going 4-for-4 on night.   

Here are a few links to some interesting game recaps and photos!  

http://www.miraclebaseball.com/news/?id=7579  (Miracle Recap)

http://www.miraclebaseball.com/fanzone/index.php?cat_id= 

 http://prismpressgroup.org/?p=3775 (GREAT pictures by Prism Press Group!)

http://prismpressgroup.org/?p=3956 (All-Star Game overview and recap)

http://prismpressgroup.org/?p=3953 (HR Derby coverage)

Prism Press Group did a great job with their coverage of the game, and Dave Dorsey, of the News Press, had his story (the Miracle recap) featured on MiLB.com!

Miracle News and Player Profiles!

 

Our beautiful stadium--Home of the Spring Training MN Twins and Fort Myers Miracle!

 The Miracle are currently 34-19 and in FIRST PLACE IN THE FSL SOUTH!  We’re (not that I technically play but…) 6 1/2 games ahead of the Charlotte Rays, our I-75 rival.  After a few bumpy games in the past week or so, including a season long 3-game losing streak, we’ve (again, there is no jersey bearing my last name on the back) beat Clearwater the past two nights by 1 run a piece.  LHP Spencer Steedley is 4-0 with an 0.67 ERA and Ben Revere is hitting .339 through last night.  The All-Star game is coming up on June 20th (and it’s @ our stadium!) and we have a record 8 All-Stars on the South team, including, P David Bromberg, P Spencer Steedley, P Carlos Gutierrez (will not play due to AA promotion), C Danny Lehmann, OF Ben Revere, SS Chris Cates, OF Chris Parmelee, and IF Steve Singleton. 

I am doing short, fun player profiles on our All-Stars, and have 3 to share with you all that I did yesterday!  

Name: Chris Cates

My family: The most important people, ever.

Best concert I’ve been to: Keith Anderson

Playing baseball at Louisville was: Awesome and unforgettable

Best road trip city: Tampa, because it’s my home town

I have always wanted to: Host my own talk show

I’m known for: My height

On a day off I: Go home and spend time with my family

Favorite food: Pizza

Day or night: Both

Fort Myers is: Nice

 

Name: Ben Revere

Funniest teammate: Chris Cates

Best dressed on the team: David Bromberg

The next car I buy: Lamborghini

Team with the best uniforms in FSL: Charlotte Stone Crabs

Lexington, KY is: No place like home

My family: The love of my life

Favorite city: Atlanta

After a game I usually: Eat

Best advice: Play hard every day

Favorite dessert: Twizzlers 

 

Name: Steve Singleton

California: Beautiful

In my refrigerator: Gatorade and a watermelon

Biggest pet peeve: Floating debris in my water at restaurants

Best Halloween costume I ever had: Officer Jones from Reno 911

Early Bird or Night owl: Early bird

Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch

If I could be anyone, I would be: Tiger Woods

Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi

Siblings: 1 brother

iPhone or BlackBerry: iPhone

 

I will hopefully finish up the other 4 today and get them posted soon!  

np

Peace, Red Sox, & Rain

 

 

Amanda, Alicia, Me, & Sarah before the game!

Just a couple new pictures from work and life!  We had “Party in Polyester” (aka 70’s night) @ the stadium the other night (I think I thought I was Disco Barbie) and I also went to the Rays-Red Sox game a couple weeks ago.  Also, after an EPIC tarp pull on Wednesday, (in which the tarp did NOT make it across the field…it got stuck, thus forcing the cancellation of the game…which would have been cancelled anyway due to the torrential downpour), I documented the aftermath of our field…. enjoy!

 

Gary (Media Relations Director) and I! Peace 🙂

I also had a good time @ The Trop… made a road trip up to Tampa with Amanda (game-day intern), Josh (Food and Bev asst.) and Caity (fellow friend, blogger, and Twitter’er.)

 

Amanda and I tailgating in downtown Tampa!

So, the grounds crew said they “were already planning on ‘re-sodding the infield’ but we I have a high suspicion the tarp pull on Wednesday night might have had a hand in this mess: 

 

Weather: Sunny. Infield: Gone

Progressing…

 

Weather: Looming clouds. Infield: Coming along

Wruh-Wroh…

 

Weather: Torrential downpour waiting to happen Field: Grounds crew still on it..

Sh%#!

 

Weather: Torrential hurricane-like downpour aftermath. Field: Pitching mound sliding towards Visitor's dugout...

No worries, the grounds crew has been hard at work today.  Good thing… we have a home-stand starting on Wednesday!

Happy Friday Funday!

np

Chris Parmelee & David Bromberg Feature

 

Parmelee and Bromberg currently play at this beautiful field, Hammond Stadium.

Our second Miracle program comes out soon, and our Media Relations Director, Mr. Gary Sharp, graciously allowed me to write a feature on a couple of our players.  After a few tweaks and constructive criticism from my editor ( initials G.S…), I am happy with my story and am looking forward to writing more of them!  As an IU School of Journalism student, I’m just trying keep up on my writing and hopefully display what I have learned while there…see mom and dad, I really do go to class! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy getting to know two of our great players..our team is full of them!

 

 

 

 

inor league baseball is a job. It’s a commitment. It’s fun.  For two Fort Myers Miracle players from California, it’s a passion.

Chris Parmelee, the Twins first round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, has had a passion for the game of baseball since he was four-years-old, playing catch after school with his dad.

“You know the kids you see at the park playing catch with their dad two or three times a week?  That was me, but every single day. All I could think about was baseball,” said the Chino Hills native.

Parmelee credits part of his love for playing everyday to the team chemistry of this year’s Miracle.  Between watching countless movies on road trips and getting together off the field, playing with same guys day in and day out has become fun.

“We definitely all mesh together really well.  Most of us have been playing together for a couple years and all the guys have a great attitude,” said Parmelee.

The soft-spoken 21-year-old’s dedication to the sport is obvious when he talks about his favorite part of the 140 regular-season game schedule.

“There is nothing better for someone who loves baseball to be able to play every day, and there is nothing better than putting on a uniform and going out there.  All I could think about all day when I was younger was playing baseball, and things really didn’t change as I got older,” Parmelee said.

To David Bromberg, the Twins 32^nd round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, baseball gave him an opportunity.

“I hung out with the wrong people when I was younger and I was given a choice: either focus on baseball and start being around the right people or go no where.  I choose baseball,” said Bromberg.

Bromberg learned how to carry himself on and off the field, even when he’s not successful. 

“When I fail, I always ask how I am going to carry myself to the next start.  I’m a little upset at first, but I just think about what I did and remember that tomorrow, whether it concerns baseball or not, is a new day and pray the Lord be with me,” the tall right-hander said.

The Los Angeles native credits his dad, along with his baseball coach at Pacific Palisades High, Tom Seyler, as the men who have factored in his success, along with one special fan.

J.R. Bromberg, David’s 19-year-old brother, was drafted by the Twins in the 2007 First Year Amateur Player Draft, but now plays at Fresno State.

“We listen to each other’s games when we can,” said Bromberg.  “J.R. calls me up after a game, and I’ll call him after his.  It’s awesome to be able to pump each other up.”

At the end of the day, with the support of his family and coaches, the promising pitcher simply loves baseball.

“I love the game, the fans, and being on the mound.  The little fans are the best, and I’ll always take time to talk to them and sign autographs,” the smiling pitcher said. “ I just want everyone to know there is nothing else I would rather be doing and I’m happy to be here.”

 np

J is for Jo!

My Roomie!! 

Trace and I last summer working for the Miracle!

 Forgot to mention on my earlier spiel that I now have a roommate!  Tracey was an intern last summer with the Miracle and she just graduated from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC.  I am so excited to not come home to an empty house anymore!  Trace has an internship with Sunstream, a company that oversees multiple hotels and resorts between Naples and Fort Myers Beach, including The Ritz Naples. 

It’s going to be a great summer “OHHHH 9!”

 

 

I have recently been asked a few times what the “J” in NJP stands for…and good guess, but no, it is not Jean!

It’s actually Jo, and before that, it was Elizabeth.  Yep, I formerly was Natalie Elizabeth Platt from about March of 1987 until probably about April of 1987.  Apparently, the couple that parent me thought Natalie Elizabeth Platt was too long of a name, thus legally changing it to “Jo.”  Eight  Nine letters to two… couldn’t find a middle ground there of five or six letters, mom? 

But that’s ok, because my mom’s middle name is Jo too. And my daughter’s middle name will probably also be Jo. 

As long as we’re on the topic, my mom’s top picks for my name were: 

1) Natalie

2) Caroline

3) Berkley —->  a name I used to think was hideous, but I think it’s kind of quirky now. 

And if I was a boy, Evan Michael.  That was after the fact that she wanted to name me Rhett and after the fact  my dad said “Rhett Platt up to bat” sounded silly. 

So here I am, NJP, or Natalie Jo Platt.  

🙂

np

Twitter

 

Joy and I at the Charlotte Stone Crabs opening night!

 

 

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the delay… I have had family in town, games to work, and sleep to get!  

To catch up a bit, the Fort Myers Miracle are currently in FIRST place in the FSL (Florida State League) and boast a 11-6 record.  Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been on the road with the Miracle for the past five days rehabbing and should be back in Minnesota ready to play on Friday.   Check out http://www.miraclebaseball.com/ to see our roster, news, and updates!  

In other news…Who is on Twitter?  I joined recently and was skeptical at first but LOVE it.  I can “follow” ESPN, Sports Center, Time, the Twins, etc.  That way, every headline shows up on one page and I can click from there to read the article.  It saves so much time and I only get the news I want!  It’s also fun/silly to follow some celebrities… some of my favorites include Giuliana Rancic from E! (amazing tips on working out/health), Perez Hilton (admit it, you like him too…) and Kim Kardashian.  You can also follow Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and Twins catcher Joe Mauer…neither one “tweet” consistently but it’s an oddly fascinating thing to read their “140 characters or less” updates.

You can follow the Miracle (search Fort Myers Miracle or Gary Sharp) and myself, Nat32.

Also, hope you all enjoy a couple of my new pictures (NJP & Friends)…the ones of Joy and I are in our new jackets the Twins gave us in appreciation for Spring Training!  Too bad it was only chilly enough to wear them one night…

np