Last week I started a new column in the Easy Reader called Angel Girl. Every couple of weeks, I will share my adventures in this new aaaamazing job, take you behind the scenes, as well as document the Angels season. So with out further ado, here's a taste of my first entry-
I couldn’t sleep. Not a wink.
It was the night before my first day on the job as a reporter and host of Angels Weekly, the Fox Sports West show that will chronicle the Los Angeles Angels season, going behind-the-scenes to show just who these players are – their stories, passions, the hopes and hard work behind each Angel’s journey to the big leagues.
I was about to meet the Angels. I was in a hotel room in Tempe, Arizona, the night before the Angels’ first day of Spring Training. We flew in from LA in the early evening, had a late dinner, and went to bed. I remember looking at the alarm clock at 12:30 a.m. and saying to myself, “Oh my god. I am not going to sleep tonight.”
I tried to meditate. I did some yoga. I even did some sit-ups, thinking that might wear me out. At 3:30 a.m. I looked at the clock and thought, “I have to be up in three hours!” Just one hour, I thought – please, just give me one hour of sleep. But 6:30 arrived, the alarm went off, and I jumped out of bed, sleepless. I talk to myself a lot: “Okay, here we go — first day on the job with not a wink of sleep.”
I do my own makeup, and it’s a two-hour process (this time with a little extra concealer below my eyes). By 8:30, my producer had arrived, picked me up, and we were off Diablo Stadium, the springtime home of the Angels. I had butterflies in my stomach, but my running dialogue with myself was working. As soon as I walked out the door, I set my mind on it – alright, first day on the job, you better get your day together. All of a sudden I felt like I had eight hours sleep. I psyched myself into feeling great. When we walked into the stadium, I did feel great – I was smiling ear-to-ear.
We walked into a room set-up for interviews, and I was introduced to Jose Mota, the Angel radio analyst who also does pre- and post-game on-air commentary. He was so warm and friendly that I felt immediately at ease. We talked a little bit, and I offered to help him with his social media – Jose, I later learned, is famously “old school” and probably wouldn’t know a tweet if he saw one – and that seemed to really make him happy.
Jose was interviewing Angels Howie Kendrick and Tori Hunter. I was happy to observe and learn, but the production team decided they’d have me finish up the interviews (and Jose, who said they should let players have “a prettier face” to talk to), asking some different kind of questions – like what at-bat music they wanted on the on the ballpark P.A. system this year, or what person, dead or alive, they’d have dinner with if they could.
I’d barely arrived at the stadium and I was going on-air. It was like, here we go, Alex.
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