Hey guys, I'm Patrick Smith, an Oklahoma transfer/born and raised Texan! I'm in my third full year at OU, although I'm only ~30 hours away from graduating (hooray?). I'm a journalism major, sports management minor, and I hope to one day be a sports broadcaster for baseball games.
She noticed the reflection of the Washington Monument looked pretty cool and decided to take a picture through my sunglasses. Photo taken by Reachelle, taken from my Facebook.
Baseball is one of my passions; I live and breath the Texas Rangers. In the summer of '13, a friend and I went cross country to see every Major League ballpark in America and Canada. Due to class starting so early in August for us, I only got to 24 of them, but she saw all 30 by the end of September!
Panorama of Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, taken by me.
My traveling companion and I at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. First walk-off win we saw on our adventure!
She noticed the reflection of the Washington Monument looked pretty cool and decided to take a picture through my sunglasses. Photo taken by Reachelle, taken from my Facebook.
We met some amazing people on our trip, many who let us stay at their house/apartment free of charge. For anyone interested in backpacking, or just travelling in general, Couch Surfing is a great app filled with great people who share the same passion for travel and adventure!
During the most recent semester, I did radio color commentary for the Westmoore Jaguars football team to kick off my broadcasting career. I was fairly positive I wanted to do commentating for sports before I got this opportunity, but once I had my feet under me I was 100% sure it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I'm taking this course because I've always had an interest in mythology, and learning about the myths of old seemed like a great way to finish my last gen-ed requirement! After taking a bunch of courses I cared nothing about, it'll be a nice change to take one that I actually have an interest in!
That's so cool that you saw all the Major League ballparks and got the chance to travel across the country. I was just in D.C. for the Winter Classic and it was a blast! It's amazing how different places are within our own country. I bet that was an amazing experience for you. Congratulations for finding your passion in life with sports broadcasting!
ReplyDeleteWell, you know it already, Patrick, but that photo of you with the Washington Monument in your shades is AMAZING!!! You should get that done up as a poster or something. Fabulous!And if you want to get into sports commentating, that is one of the great storytelling styles of all time: maybe you can work on that as you do the writing for this class, developing your style, building up your metaphors, thinking about what makes the best kinds of sports commentary. There are a lot of myths and legends related to sports and competitions of all kinds since that is such a huge part of human culture, and has been so from the dawn of time. From the Olympic sports in ancient times, to jousting in medieval times, to all the great sports legends (and urban legends) of modern times, you could find a ton of good material to work with... with human athletes and with animal athletes too, like in this Cherokee legend about the animals and birds playing ball!!! The Ball Game Of The Birds And Animals
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick, wow! How’d you get through school so quickly (with a minor)? Very impressive ☺ I’ve never heard of the couch surfing app. Seems like a great way to meet new people and travel cheaply. It’s great that you were able to get experience in what you want to do with the rest of your life. It probably made you just that much more excited to get started.
ReplyDeleteHey Patrick it is nice meet you. Congrats on your 3rd at school. It takes a ton of commitment to stay with it. Also that was an amazing picture of your sunglasses. I would have never noticed that, which is why I love this class because get to see other peoples perspectives. Baseball, well that is a cool game, I think it is great that you traveled around going to games. I would love to do that, although I will most likely not watch the games but rather probably spend my time trying out all the concession food. Well it was great to meet you.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you Patrick! What a great accomplishment getting to visit every single baseball park. I personally have only been to six. I've been to the Orioles, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Nationals, and Royals stadiums. All of which were very cool. I hope to one day be able to visit them all like you did. Also a really cool photo of the Washington Monument. I have gotten to see it in person, but it was very interesting through your glasses.
ReplyDeleteThanks man! Reading your comment, I just now realized that was supposed to say SHE saw all thirty! I totally didn't realize that! I hope to see all 30 pretty soon! That's great you've seen that many already, you're 1/5 of the way done! Personally, PNC was my favorite park, it's just so amazing.
DeletePatrick, those are some great pictures in your post! I really like the panorama of Minute Maid Park. I am a public relations major, so I often spend much of my time in Gaylord College (as I'm sure you do as well). But I'm glad you found something in sports commentary that you love, especially with your love of baseball. I've only been to a few baseball games, but I think it's a really unique and fun atmosphere. I am looking forward to reading your work throughout the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Patrick! It sounds like you've had some really great traveling experiences and you got some really good photos too. Sports commentating sounds like a great career for you and it's great that you were able to get some experience in it to decide if it was something you could see yourself doing for many years to come. Baseball is a lot of fun and I have always enjoyed the games I have been to. I hope you get to see the other Major League ballparks soon.
ReplyDeleteHey, Patrick! It is awesome that you were able to visit so many of the Major League parks! Traveling is pretty great, and is basically awesome when you get to see places/things that you are really passionate about. Also, it would definitely be fantastic if you could get into sports commentating, again because of your passion for the sport as well as the experience you have already had. Hope this class goes well for you!
ReplyDeleteDang! It's definitely obvious that you love baseball. That's awesome! I hope you can actually become a sports broadcaster for baseball games. That would an amazing career.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, couch surfing is the best! It makes traveling so cheap, and you meet the coolest people. I've done it a few times, but a lot of people I know are too sketched out by the idea of it to go for it.
Anywho, good luck with all the things! I hope your semester goes well.
Hey Patrick!
ReplyDeleteI am also a huge Texas Rangers baseball fan. I also grew up in Texas, in Aledo just west of Fort Worth. I grew up going to lots of baseball games with my family. That major league park road trip sounds like a blast. I would love to visit more stadiums in the future. Best of luck with the rest of the semester. Go Rangers!
Hi Patrick! I really like how your major and minor go together for what you want to do with your life! My minor is kind of a back up plan haha. It is so cool that you and your friend got to take a road trip and visit all of the Major League ballparks! Baseball is one of my favorite sports! I went to New York last summer and I was so upset that I couldn't go to Citi Field!
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick! I thought your intro was great! I was really impressed with your experiences and interests. You had some great pictures too! I think that it is awesome that you want to be a sports broadcaster! Keep up the good work, I am looking forward to hearing your voice at Rangers games in the future! Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteDude. That must have been the road trip of a lifetime. My aunt has been trying to get me to travel and do the couch surfing thing. I've always been too preoccupied with school. Maybe this summer I'll get the chance. I might hit you up with questions. I'm happy that you're doing something you're passionate about! My brother and sister-in-law started a food truck last year, and they've been my inspiration to follow my heart. Cliche, yes. Silly, no.
ReplyDeletePatrick, I am a born and raised Texan as well! I actually just moved back to Texas to finish up my degree at OU online. I’ve been to a few Texas Rangers games throughout the years and have really loved those experiences because the atmosphere is so spirited and refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI hope this last gen-ed requirement has been enjoyable for you, and you have been able to read some intriguing stories.
Hey, Patrick! That’s so cool that you got to see so many major league ballparks – so many people want to do cool stuff like that but never do, so it’s great that you were able to do it so early. Congratulations on being just about done graduating and sounds like you have a neat career ahead of you! I think my brother will do something similar (sports broadcasting), but he’s only in high school so we’ll see. Anyways, enjoy the rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're getting some fantastic experiences backpacking and couch hopping! That will certainly come in handy when it comes to becoming a "talking head", as they call them, for sports and similar events. What other journalistic exploits have you been on? I would assume many since you seem to travel constantly! Anyway, best of luck with the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Patrick. I think it was awesome that you road tripped around trying to hit all the major ballparks in America. A few weeks ago I was up in St. Louis and went to the Cardinals stadium. If you made it to that one it is really cool. There is that "Ballpark Village" that is filled with bars right next to the stadium. It was expensive, but very cool. Anyways, congrats on almost graduating! It'll come pretty quick.
ReplyDeleteBusch Stadium was number 6 on our journey, if I remember correctly! I'm a diehard Rangers fan, so I was a little bitter about going there considering the 2011 WS, but the people we sat by were so nice it was one of my favorite stops. Unfortunately I wasn't 21 at the time, so I'll have to go back to checkout the Village!
DeleteHey, Patrick! I share your passion for baseball and think that is really cool that you were able to visit 24 stadiums across the country. I am sure you will get those last six soon. That picture is really cool too. When I lived in Maryland, my family and I would go see fireworks every July 4th in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is where you were standing. They are still the best fireworks I have ever seen. Good luck with the rest of college and your subsequent career in sports broadcasting!
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick, it is nice to meet you. Wow, a sports broadcaster? That sounds like such a fun job! The panorama of Minute Maid Park is very cool. All of your pictures in your introduction are very unique and say a lot about you. I enjoyed reading your introduction. Good luck on the rest of this semester and enjoy senior year! Trust me it goes fast…I cannot believe that I graduate in a month.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you Patrick! Did you make it to Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City? I'm from KC originally and a huge Royals fan. If you haven't been you definitely should try to. Despite a historically bad team (pre-last season) the stadium is really beautiful, with some awesome fountains and a huge big screen. I'm actually going to be down in Texas this summer for an internship, so I'm sure I'll check out the Astors and Rangers stadiums. That's cool that you've been cross country to check so many of them out, I've always wanted to visit Wrigley and Yankee Stadium!
ReplyDeletePatrick! I love to see how passionate you are about baseball. A lot of times people say how passionate they are, but don't back it up. I would say that a cross country road trip just to see and visit 24 baseball fields qualifies you for being a passionate fan. I also love how much you love what you do! So often people get caught up in doing careers just because they had to pick something, but I like hearing that your truly love what you are dong! Best of luck to you in the broadcasting world!
ReplyDeleteI think your trip around the nation going to all the ballparks sounds awesome. I am a huge college football fan and I've made my way to some pretty amazing and historic college stadiums but I'm hoping I can make my way to many more. Sports broadcasting sounds like a really cool career. Some of my favorite sports moments have been made even better by sports broadcasters and some famous commentary.
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick. No offense to you, but I've never really enjoyed baseball. I think it's that I'm just not patient enough for it. The games go on forever! That being said, it seems like something you're passionate about, so good for you. Also, sports broadcasting sounds awesome! It seems like it would be a hard career to get into, though, right? If it is, good luck! If it isn't, good luck anyway!
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on almost being done with your degree. Having graduation be around the corner for me is certainly a scary, and exciting, process. That goal of going to all of those baseball games sounds like it was a blast to go to! That is also cool you want to do commentary. My friend is doing a radio show for her capstone, which I have been on a few times and it is certainly a fun experience to have.
Hey, Patrick! Congrats on being so far ahead in your degree! With only around 30 hours left, I'm sure finishing will be a breeze for you. That's so interesting that you saw so many ballparks! I'm not a huge fan of baseball, but I like the history and culture behind the sport, so I respect it. I wish you the best of luck in your future broadcasting career!
ReplyDeleteHey Patrick! It sounds that you have had some awesome adventures. I've always wanted to couch surf! That's really cool that you're almost done, I'm finishing this semester and I can't wait to graduate. The senioritis is setting in! I'm from Houston and I've seen the Astros play a few times! Tickets can be really cheap and it's always a good day at the park!
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick! Congrats to you on being so close to graduating! I'm sure you will be able to visit the rest of the ballparks that you wanted to visit whenever you are done with school. I applaud your ambition to do that in the first place. It sounds really interesting. I'm not much of a baseball/softball fan, but I have watched a game or two in my life. I did play softball for a couple years when I was younger for fun.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a transplant from Texas too. He feels like more of an Okie though since he has lived here almost all of his life. He moved to Oklahoma when he was very little. I was born and raised in Tulsa, OK and I've never lived outside of this state. I've visited Texas several times and I do like the atmosphere there.
Good luck with your broadcasting career and degree. I hope it turn out to be everything you hoped it would be. Take care and have a great rest of the semester and a wonderful summer.