I will never forget the feeling of sweat beads running down my forehead, courtesy of the Florida heat. I had just barely managed to pack my entire life into my small car, getting ready to make my way from the Sunshine State to a city tucked into the Southwest portion of Virginia. With my travel buddy, aka my father, we headed north on what would be a two-night, 12 hour car ride.
Most normal humans would dread that long drive in a car filled to the brim, leaving just enough breathing room between the driver and passenger seats, but I didn’t. To give some context, this wasn’t my first rodeo. I have now lassoed the bull that is shoving everything into my car and driving across the country to start a new adventure in the sports industry, five times prior.
However, driving to state six just felt different. The type of different where packing and preparing to hear how much my dad hates my music selection on the aux for several hours in a row excited me.
Moving to Virginia wasn’t like any other move I have done before, even though it was pretty routine just as the rest. This time it was a move that took me to work for a pro baseball team in the Red Sox organization. Every day since accepting the position to serve as the promotions and social media assistant for the upcoming season, my emotions consisted of excitement, nervousness and sentiment all at the same time.
To make sure everyone can fully grasp where these emotions are coming from, we need to turn the clock back about 20 years or so. For reference, I am 24.
Here, at this particular time, a young girl runs around Boston and greets people like she’s mayor of the city, and knew how to sing Sweet Caroline before forming any proper sentences.
In case you haven’t put the cliche puzzle piece together, yes, that was me. I (luckily) was born into a family who spent their Sunday’s in the fall watching Tom Brady command an offense, and David Ortiz hammer baseballs over the Monster every spring. Because of all these wonderful, crazy emotions in my head surrounding my first season in minor league baseball with an organization that shaped my love for the game, I felt that I had to start a blog to capture it all.
So to my readers (or fans as I like to call them), I bring you the Diamond Diaries. Here I will give you the perspective from an MiLB intern with the good, the bad, the ugly, and of course the crazy that comes with it. Sort of how I would write in my unfiltered diary at home, just without all the drama that my therapist has the joy of hearing.
If you have stuck with me throughout this first entry, thank you. I hope you stick with me all season long, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one :)
Sincerely,
Chelsea
So sweet. So good. So happy for you!
So good! I can’t wait to follow your journey!!!