Variety

Yes, variety. It's what I love about my job. Last weekend, I spent the weekend in Chicago covering beach volleyball then moved on to the largest motorsports racing circuits around, NASCAR. I spent time amongst some of the most well-known folks in the country, acting if somehow I were actually important because my newspaper sends me to get pictures and stories of these events.

Unfortunately, the folks who make the "big time" don't really care if I'm there or not. As a matter of fact, they sometimes act as if they wish all media, other than TV, would just stay at the buffet table and leave them alone. Not so on last night's assignment, where I covered a routine Junior League all-star tournament game. I was welcomed by the coaches, who went out of their way to make sure I had line-ups and field access. I was welcomed by the teams of 13-14 year old kids who were playing the game they loved, most realizing their baseball playing days were nearing an end.

Although it's not the only local "small time" event I've covered in awhile, I had time to put things in perspective while covering that game last night. I remembered the days when I played in the junior and senior league all-star tournaments. I remembered the exact feelings I had when I had to pitch myself out of a jam with bases loaded. I knew of the excitement when a backup player hit a late three-run homer to tie the game up. I guess most of all, I felt like I was home. People were actually happy that someone was paying attention to the moments they'll remember in 15 years. You just don't get that covering the pro's.