Hey everybody!
I’m Joe Kraus, a soon-to-be senior at Canisius College majoring in journalism with a concentration in sports journalism. This summer, I am interning with the Buffalo Bisons baseball team, the Triple-A or “farm team” of the Toronto Blue Jays.
From now through early August, I will be the beat reporter / game-day reporter for the team. Similar to my internship last fall covering North Tonawanda athletics with the Tonawanda Sun, I will be responsible for writing game recaps – and once the summer session picks up steam – an occasional feature story or extra story, depending on what is going on that week. This equals out to roughly 3 to 4 stories a week.
I started my internship on the team’s Opening Day on April 4. The team won over the Scranton/Wilkes – Barre RailRiders, 8-3, in front of a crowd of almost 12,000 fans. Here is the first game I covered along with quotes following the post-game press conferences with players and manager Bobby Meacham. It was cool to be a part of and listen to how the Buffalo and Toronto-based reporters asked their questions. Hopefully this type of situation will happen again as the summer progresses.
https://www.milb.com/buffalo/news/bisons-win-big-on-opening-day-8-3/c-305955836
On the days I’ve covered the Herd at Sahlen Field, I arrive about two hours before the game. Then, I set up the score cards and gather notes about the players from both teams to keep an eye on during the game. Once the summer starts picking up, I’m sure my pre-game roles will gradually increase.
When the team is on the road, I follow along at home, watching the live-stream on MiLB.tv and their online game-caster in case I need to double check a sequence of events. I’ve tried to synch the TV feed with the Bisons radio feed on 1520 AM but I’m still figuring it out.
After watching the game, I have approximately 30 to 45 minutes to write the game recap for their website, Bisons.com. So far, I’ve sent the stories to my supervisor but I will soon learn how to post onto the website myself. I’ve also sent out the links to the story on my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts for those interested in reading.
The best part so far has been seeing the top young talent that is on the team. Some have actually been called up to Toronto, including Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jacob Waguespack.
It was a little nerve-wracking at first, especially heading into the first day on the job, but I quickly realized that all the experiences I’ve had up to this point prepared me for this internship. It’s just one of those situations where you have to leave all the stress before walking into the room and giving your maximum effort.
I look forward being a part of the Bisons game-day staff this summer!
Here are a couple more of my recent stories:
https://www.milb.com/buffalo/news/hanson-homers-twice-as-bisons-rout-ironpigs-15-8/c-307442450
Joe, your internship sounds like a lot of fun and a great life experience! You wrote that article?? It really is professional writing and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had you producing material for the “herd’s” website sooner rather than later. I’m amazed at the opportunity that you have and I can’t wait to read more of your work.