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
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!
Filed under Ft. Myers Miracle, Intern, Life, Minnesota Twins, Minor League Baseball, Sports, Uncategorized
Tagged as 1970s, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Florida, fort myers, Ft. Myers Miracle, Indiana, Intern, Life, milb, Minnesota Twins, Sports, Tampa Bay Rays, weather, Writing
May 13, 2009 · 12:39 pm
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 32nd 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."
Filed under Baseball, Intern, Life, Sports, Uncategorized, Writing
Tagged as Baseball, Florida, fort myers, Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Miracle, Indiana, Intern, Life, milb, Minnesota Twins, mlb, Sports, Writing
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.
Filed under Life, Minnesota Twins, Minor League Baseball, Sports, Uncategorized
Tagged as Baseball, Florida, Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Miracle, Indiana, Intern, Life, Minnesota Twins, mlb, Sports, Spring Training, Writing