Underrated TV-Music "Moment"

I had my iPod on shuffle this morning when the 1987 hit "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & The Beaters started playing. When anyone of a certain age (30-40ish) hears this song, they are almost certain to be reminded of the hit show "Family Ties." It got me to thinking about how this song was a part of the mid-80's revolution of shows and the use of music.

Now, music had been integral on TV pretty much since the beginning. But it was usually in its own setting- a variety show, a theme song, "American Bandstand," a Casey Kasem countdown. And there were shows about music (WKRP, for example) in which hearing 4 or 5 songs in an episode was not unusual. But as the '80's got rolling, dramas and comedies started using songs to move story lines and create moments. "Miami Vice" & "Moonlighting" were big with this new technique. Probably the most resonating was "At This Moment." "Family Ties" was one of the biggest shows on TV at the time, and the only music you would usually hear was the very catchy theme song ("What would we do, baby...sha-la-la-la.."). But in '87, they had decided to do an episode with central character Alex (Michael J Fox) breaking up with his first serious girlfriend. The episode ends with Alex putting a quarter in the jukebox and listening to their song- "At This Moment." The song became an immediate smash hit. For a good 6 months, you couldn't get away from the emotional love song.

It's hard to imagine now, as seemingly every show overdoes the music-TV connection. But there was a time when the right use of a song could create an unforgettable moment.

A Day in The Season- 4/8

I am going to try a new segment from time to time this year called "A Day In The Season," to try to give everyone an idea of a typical day in minor league baseball. A look behind the curtain, if you will. I will try to make most of these a moment -by-moment account of what happens on a gameday. For Opening Day, though, I am just going to give you a quick recap.

I think you have a certain mentality to work in Minor League Baseball. Or maybe you just need to be mental. The bad: the WORST tarp pull ever. No joke, we somehow had half the folks pulling the wrong side, which twisted the tarp into a pretzel. Not fun in any situation, but especially during a wind-blown monsoon. We eventually got it on the field, but not before it almost pulled a few of our front office right off the ground.

The good: the great feeling of Opening Day. It's hard to describe unless you have worked in baseball, but there is just something special about it. It's the culmination of 7 months of planning, preparing, selling, ordering. To see someone walk out of the Team Store with a shirt or hat that I designed, or buy a pack of cards that I spent 2 months putting together, is a great feeling. Seeing the old faces, people I have seen hundreds of times since 2007, is also fun. But the highlight of my night?

Yes, I finally got a foul ball. Now, I have gotten plenty of baseballs here over the last few years, batting practice, parking lot bound, etc. But never one that came directly to me. I was standing in the field of play waiting to pull tarp, when a Salem player hit a shot just 2 feet from me. An intern ducked, I "caught" the ball with my foot, and 36 years of frustration came to a close. I still want my Major League foul, though.

So that's it for today. We've got a doubleheader at 5:30, then the first weekend games. Should be another fun season!