Two weeks from tomorrow the RedHawks will be playing ball. Hard to believe, but the season truly starts in a fortnight at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. It’s a statement that induces a lot of joy, but also some anxiety since there’s still a lot to get done.

It’s been far too long since my last post, so let’s take a look at some of the things that have transpired between now and then that will have an impact on the season.

Before I dive into the rest of the post—and to avoid “burying the lede”—an important programming note: I will be at Astros Spring Training in Kissimmee, Fla. Friday-Sunday. The plan is to write a new post each day, but since it’s my first time there, I’m kind of going into it blind. Regardless, be on the lookout for pictures and all sorts of other fun stuff through the team’s Twiter (@okcredhawks), Instagram (@okcredhawks), and Facebook (facebook.com/okcredhawks) pages.

Putting In Work

On Feburary 28 and March 1, the RedHawks hosted the team’s annual job fair. Despite some lousy weather both days, the turnout was outstanding.

Gameday employees are the unsung heroes of gameday operations. If a fan has a question or concern while at the ballpark, that fan isn’t going to know what a full-time member of the front office looks like. Odds are good the fan will find the first person in sight wearing a staff shirt, and more likely than not, that person will be a gameday employee.

The department managers who were hiring during the job fair walked away very satisfied with the quality of candidates and are confident they were able to add some great new team members.

And The Rockets Red Glare…

Just a week later, it was time for the annual National Anthem Tryouts at Penn Square Mall. I don’t just say this, but it seemed like the performers we had this year as a whole was better than the past.

I served as a judge for part of the day and got to witness others. Although no grand prize winner has been announced yet, my vote is for young lady:

If you weren’t able to make it Penn Square Mall, you can get a brief glimpse through this video.

Between the tryouts and other submissions, Enterainment Director Shannon Landers has listened to 250 renditions of the National Anthem. I don’t think she’ll have trouble finding 72 quality performances to appear throughout the season.

Who’s Hungry?

This is going to sound odd, but I rarely get to eat the food at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The folks with Professional Sports Catering put out great stuff every night, but the problem is, I’m kind of occupied when the food is being served.

Fortunately I had the chance to be part of a tasting for new items to be featured at our specialty burger and hot dog stands, Burgertopia and Franx.

I sampled six burgers and seven hot dogs, and they were all very tasty. My favorite hot dog was the Guac Dog, which is topped with guacamole, cheese, and pico de gallo.

As for my favorite burger, I’m gonna roll with the Philly Burger, which is topped with Philly beef, onions, green peppers, and cheese sauce. There aren’t too many better burger toppings than another kind of meat.

To take a look at some of the other new creations, check out this video.

Oh Appy Day

In case you haven’t heard, the RedHawks recently released an official team app. It’s been in development for awhile and has a bunch of features. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play. It’s free, so go check it out.

Play Ball

Although the RedHawks will not play their first game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark until April 11, there are baseball games going on throughout this month. The Majestic Roofing High School Baseball Series is in full swing, and all the games are free to attend. Click here for a full schedule.

Time to get back to writing the media guide and working on all the other stuff on my to-do list. Thanks for reading.