High School Baseball season is once again upon us, and so I return once more to the baseball field. No, I'm not a coach or anything--I'm on the microphone and I call the games. It's not the full Vin Scully routine (though I'm capable of that), since I can't actually talk during the plays. For the most part, it's who's at bat, what's the score, and two minutes of schtick in between innings. The crowd gets a kick out of it, though, so that's cool. (Every so often I can get the home plate umpire to chuckle, too.) About 137 years ago, when I was in high school, I had a job as an announcer at a local racetrack. It was a kick-ass gig, and doing this reminds me of that. Back then I stood next to the gal who ran the scoring computer and I just riffed. Today, I sit next to the the gal running the scoreboard and do the same thing.
Except lately.
Two days ago, she didn't show until well into the third inning (we play seven of them in high school), claiming that she didn't know there was a game. I spent the first half of the game running the microphone AND the scoreboard, which was doable but nowhere near ideal. Today, she didn't show at all.
With all the education budget cuts coming at us, all I really seem to care about is people holding up their end of the stick. Is it too much to ask for a little professional follow through? This baseball thing, though strictly a volunteer thing, is the third time this year that I've had to swoop in and save the day. I had to step up and deal with schoolwide attendance because another administrator just wasn't getting his part done, and last month I was saddled with the jobs of three different technology people because the tasks weren't getting done. Look, I like that I have a strong work ethic, and I'm happy to have a reputation for being dependable and thorough--but fuck's sake, people, do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?
Helpful hints, position essays, and useless blather from the Assistant Principal of a high school in Southern California. Posts here do not necessarily reflect the positions or views of the school or district with which he is employed.
So there.
So there.
