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The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation broke ground at what will soon be home plate of a youth baseball field at the site of the old Memorial Stadium. It’s the first of several parks planned to be built around the city of Baltimore.
Today is a day I’ll never forget, not because the ceremonial press conference itself was so exciting, but because I got an uncontrollable nosebleed in the presence of Maryland royalty.
Among the hundreds of important people that I was in very close proximity to were:
- Cal Ripken Jr., National Baseball Hall of Famer and Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Founder
- Bill Ripken, 12-year Major League Baseball veteran and Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation Founder
- Senator Frank Kelly, Chairman, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
- Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore
- Brooks Robinson, National Baseball Hall of Famer
- Art Donovan, Pro Football Hall of Famer
I also had my camera and tripod set up next to a slew of camera grips and reporters from every major media outlet in the Baltimore area.
Right before the Mayor was introduced, I looked down and saw that the keys on my Blackberry phone were doused with blood. Looking down was a bad choice, as red droplets decorated my bright yellow polo shirt and bright orange Baltimore Sun lanyard.
I tried stopping the blood with my hands, but this was no ordinary nosebleed. I frantically made a makeshift tissue out of the 8.5 X 11 paper blueprint of the field that I was given earlier.
I left my camera to avoid any further embarrassment. I wandered around aimlessly behind the audience for what seemed like an eternity, hands and face bloody. Luckily, my fellow reporter, Kirby Mills, had a stroke of genius and instructed me to go to the bathroom.
So there I stood in front of the mirror in a bathroom of the YMCA for twenty minutes waiting for my nose to stop bleeding. Naturally, it happened to be bathroom break time for an entire camp full of kids. Their reactions varied: laughter, concern, fear, to name a few.
All the while, the Mayor of Baltimore and one of the Maryland’s most beloved legends were addressing a crowd. I left it to fate that my camera would capture it all without any human assistance.
I cleaned myself up and joined the rest of the press for a close-up interview with Cal Ripken Jr.
What nosebleed?
You’d never know it from the video.
Get the story, at all costs.
Iron Man Office.
There’s a possibility that Cal Ripken Jr. is offered an advisory role in the Baltimore Orioles front office. Read the story here.
This is the short clip of him discussing the situation today at the groundbreaking event at the site of old Memorial Stadium.
‘O’besity Awareness.
The Baltimore Orioles hosted the 2010 Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth (PLAY) Campaign event on Tuesday. Orioles Head Athletic Trainer, Richie Bancells, and Orioles Pitcher, Brian Matusz, ran a fitness clinic for local kids, and talked to them about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
Besides what’s in this video, I don’t have many thoughts about the event itself. My thoughts were elsewhere.
Although I’ve covered the Orioles nearly every week this summer, I hadn’t been down on the field since Opening Day. I was thrilled to be back on grassy turf, sweating it out on a 90-plus degree day in the middle of a record-setting Baltimore heat wave.
I always find working on the field of Oriole Park at Camden Yards to be extremely soothing. The symmetry, clean lines, and vast openness of the park are an escape from the chaos that fills the rest of the city. I took a few moments to meditate on the warning track in right field.
After being out there, I’ve found myself reminiscing on all the great memories from my time with the O’s.
On The Road.
"A car wheel glides along Interstate 95 in New Jersey Thursday, June 17, 2010."
I’ve been on the road a lot lately.
My trusty Subaru Forester compiled hundreds of miles two weeks ago, after long journeys to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and Brewster, Massachusetts.
I’ll be back on the road again in a few days, driving up to Boston, Massachusetts with some friends for the 4th of July weekend.
I shot this frame out the passenger window, and lots more like it, when my Dad and I drove up to Brewster.
I-95 is rather boring.
David Hook.
This was my first personality feature for The Sun. This was also the first time I’ve been assigned to a topic like this.
It’s difficult to explain my feelings leading up to my interview with David Hook, which happened last Wednesday in his East Baltimore home. Just hours before, I was sardined into a tiny corner of a bar full of drunk, rowdy U.S. soccer fans. This assignment couldn’t be more different.
I really didn’t know what to expect. I was both nervous and excited, but when David told me, “I have quite a story,” I knew he was happy that I was there.
He was right. His story is truly compelling, and the composure with which he told it was inspiring.
As a journalist, one must strive to stay impartial. I learned this week that that’s not always so easy to do.
Heat Wave.
Temperatures rose well into the upper 90′s yesterday in Baltimore, marking the official first day of Summer.
The extreme temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week.
We got sent out to report on how people were coping with the heat. After walking around a nearly deserted Charles Street, we decided to head to the Inner Harbor.
It was a bit difficult to find a compelling angle for this story. The facts are straightforward: it’s Summer and it’s hot outside.
But, on hot days when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.
We talked to four people that were on the job at the harbor. This video came together as a sampling of how the heat affects (or doesn’t affect) the downtown workplace.
Bawlmer, Hon!
Nothing says Baltimore like the annual honfest in Hampden, Maryland.
The festival celebrates “hon,” a Baltimore slang term of endearment. Short for “honey,” the term epitomizes the friendliness shown throughout history by the working women of Baltimore. At honfest, locals celebrate this history by dressing up in over-the-top 1960′s vintage attire.
Honfest also features the “Baltimore’s Best Hon” contest every year. Contestants “must have a unique HON style, command of our beloved language, “Bawlmerese,” and a great personality,” according to the honfest website.
I’d never been to honfest despite having lived in Baltimore for twenty years. As shown in this video I shot and edited, there were some real characters roaming up and down 36th Street.
Besides the ridiculous fashion that hons are so well known for, I was most intrigued by the copious use of “Bawlmerese.” The Baltimore accent is certainly unique.
I had this in mind while I was shooting, and I think it serves well as the main thread of the video, hon.
Burns on Baseball.
The legendary documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, came to speak at The Sun newsroom for the second time in several years.
He discussed his upcoming documentary, “The Tenth Inning,” a sequel to his successful 1994 documentary, “Baseball.” He also shared his thoughts on the most pressing issues that currently pervade Major League Baseball.
It was difficult to narrow this video down because everything he said was extremely insightful and well-delivered. It was a pleasure listening to his opinions, and I was impressed by his knowledge of the game and his ability to provide specific dates and statistics.
Here’s some highlights from his talk.
Slowly, But Surely.
It doesn’t look like much from these photos, but it’s taken me almost a month of organizing, rearranging, and cleaning just to get the newsroom of The Quindecim to look like this.
I spend my days off from The Sun transforming this office, one step at a time.
It’s starting to come together. Putting up the string of lights around the top of the room and moving the couch and exposing the fireplace give the space some feeling. Yesterday, I got some basic office supplies, which we’ve never had in my three years with the paper. I’ve moved the furniture around to make the room more functional.
I know I’ve made significant progress with our previously roach infested workspace, but sometimes it feels like I’m making none.
There are so many things that need to be done.
I keep telling myself that as long as I accomplish something each day, it will be set by the time the semester starts and it’ll be a great place to work.
“The Ripken Way.”
The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation hosted the Badges for Baseball summer camp today at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland. The mentoring program, which teaches life lessons through baseball, brings law enforcement personnel together with underprivileged children.
This assignment was quick, straightforward, and exactly what I expected. Because the success of an event depends so greatly on the PR put out by those involved, answers for interviews tend to be rather generic or obvious.
I think that was noticeable with this assignment, and that’s why I had the most fun talking to the kids.
They were candid.
The two boys from Houston just kept babbling about the plane ride to Baltimore and Bill Ripken’s floppy hat, for example.
“Israel strives for peace.”
"A demonstrator from Baltimore, Maryland, gathers with friends on the corner of Pratt and Light streets in downtown Baltimore Friday, June 4, 2010, to march with members of the Baltimore Zionist District."
It seems like I’ve only been covering sports lately, so it was nice to be reminded Friday in the midst of my Orioles reporting that there are, in fact, other things happening in Baltimore.
Nearly a hundred people gathered downtown on Friday to show their support for Israel. The peaceful demonstration was organized by the Baltimore Zionist district, a non-profit organization which creates connections between Israel and the local community.
This happened on the busiest street in Baltimore in the middle of a work day. I could feel the cars speeding behind my back as I stood in the right lane of Pratt Street taking photos. People were screaming and honking their horns. I was amped from the energy out there.
Here’s a still I took, and the video for The Sun that I edited.
Out With The Old, In With The New.
- “Former Baltimore Orioles’ third base coach, Juan Samuel, laughs between innings of a baseball game Sunday, May 31, 2009 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He was recently hired as interim manager after former manager, Dave Trembley, was fired.”
"Former Baltimore Orioles' manager, Dave Trembley (left), jokes with shortstop Robert Andino before the start of a baseball game Saturday, August 15, 2009 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards."
With all the recent hype about the Baltimore Orioles’ managerial changes, I decided to look back at my work from my internship last year.
I came up with these two images, both of which are a bit ironic in their own ways.
Juan Samuel’s reputation as a disciplinarian has been cited as precisely what the Orioles need right now. In the time I spent sitting in the photo pits right behind third base and beside the Orioles’ dugout, I did notice that he was always quite vocal and pointed out players’ mistakes. This frame shows a side of him many haven’t been mentioning throughout the transition.
Once I came across the shot of Trembley and Andino, I knew I had to post it in light of the recent news. I took this photo last year on the day the Orioles announced their vote of confidence in Trembley, solidifying his job for the rest of the season. Now, they did fire him.
Everyone has different opinions about his time with the O’s. Regardless, this was one of his nicest moments I captured last year.
He was all smiles that day, and I’ll never forget it.
Baltimore Reacts.
The other interns and I went out on Friday to get some fan reaction to the firing of Baltimore Orioles’ manager, Dave Trembley. Here’s the video Kirby Mills shot and edited. I shot stills of each of these people, which ran in the sports section of Saturday’s print version of The Sun.
Between the swarm of Boston Red Sox fans inhabiting Baltimore for that night’s game, a general lack of knowledge about or enthusiasm for the Orioles, and trodding through the city in the 95 degree heat, this assignment turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.
Nevertheless, it was interesting to hear what people thought about the change. I think we gathered a good mix of opinions.
