I was debating whether or not to share another embarrassing moment I had last week, then thought, why not! I like to embarrass myself with the stupid stuff I do once in a while.

I had a softball game to broadcast on Thursday.  I arrived at the Lac qui Parle Valley softball complex a bit earlier than usual. Dawson-Boyd and LQPV were going to play a double header. Both teams were already on the field warming up when I arrived.  When I got out of my car, I immediately started taking pictures and doing some Snapchats of the Blackjacks, taking batting practice. I then posted them on my social media sites to promote the game and the broadcast coming up. I visited with both head coaches and got their lineup cards.

I made the climb up into the press box and set up the radio equipment and started to fill out my scorebook with names and positions.  Amber Lee came up to the press box and handed me a small cordless microphone to attach to my shirt collar. She informed me that my play by play would be broadcast on the YouTube channel with the video streaming of the games. I’ve done this before but not often. The thing I need to remember is that when I take a commercial break on the radio I’m still live on YouTube. This is where the problem and embarrassing part comes in.

I usually like to talk to the people in the press box during a radio commercial break and communicate with the person back at the studio running the board. Most of the time I say positive and good things and I don’t use foul language, so I really don’t have to be concerned about saying something I shouldn’t. The problem is I don’t always remember I’m live on YouTube.

Well on Thursday, the YouTube softball game watchers got a good laugh, thanks to me. The first game was over and LQPV won 13-1. Between games Eagles Coach Sawatzky came up to the press box to give me the game 2 lineup.  I was having a very hard time picking a Player of the Game from game one.  A number of the Eagle girls had a really good game and I couldn’t pick one so I started telling Coach Sawatzky this girl did this and this girl did that and I started eliminating girls and saying why they shouldn’t be player of the game. Not remembering I was live on YouTube and that should have been a private conversation. Coach Sawatzky whispers to me, “is your mic live?” I was immediately shocked and embarrassed. It gets worse!!

Game 2 was about to start and I was still upset with myself that what I said had gone over the video stream. How terrible for the girls and families to hear me say why they shouldn’t be player of the game. I did receive two text messages from friends watching YouTube reminding me that I’m always live. This is where the story gets way worse or maybe funnier.

Just before the first pitch of the second game we were at commercial break on the radio. I told the guy back in the studio to run a few more commercials because I needed to go to the bathroom!!! Remember, we are still live on the YouTube channel! I’m oblivious to that, not thinking at all about the live mic on my shirt collar. Just moments ago I embarrassed myself and now am about to do it again. I climb down the ladder, go around the press box to the men’s bathroom and find it locked, someone is using it and I’m upset because the second game is about to start. You can hear me on YouTube talking to myself because the door is locked. Finally the guy comes out and I go in and lock the door and walk up to the toilet and begin to relieve myself which you can clearly hear, then the flushing of the toilet! I quickly made my way back up to the press box and began broadcasting. Almost immediately, I receive a message from a friend saying that she didn’t really need to hear me going to the bathroom!!

Once again I was live on YouTube the whole time. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! So, I did both! The next day at work, we watched the replay and all had a good laugh! We actually laughed pretty hard. I need to write a big note and have it in front of me at all times the next time I’m miked up for a video stream, if there is a next time. Sometimes in life you need to just laugh at yourself.