My trip to Lancaster

This past Sunday I finally went to Lancaster to film and meet one of my sources for my capstone project.

It took over an hour to get there, and another hour to get back, and I was honestly tired afterwards. Driving for over two hours doesn't seem too bad, and thankfully I had a friend with me to help me record.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I got to the stadium. Long story short, my capstone is about how MLB cut 43 minor league teams from the system and I am focusing on the only team that was cut in California, which was the Lancaster JetHawks.

I was going to meet John LaFerney, a 63-year-old man who now works for the city of Lancaster.

John LaFerney, 63, poses with his own JetHawks bobblehead and his two championship rings (2012 and 2014).

A very soft spoken man, John was so kind and willing to help me with my project and tell his story of the JetHawks, a team that not only had an impact on him, but the community of Lancaster and the Antelope Valley.

This was a team that he gave 25 years of his life for, and the fact that it's all over now, it's definitely a tough pill to swallow. And I'm imagining all the other John LaFerneys out there and the other 42 teams that were impacted by this.

Countless memories of catching a baseball game with families and friends, gone just like that. Fans and employees were left in the dark and they're left wondering, what's next for them.

I won't go too deep into this and give away my capstone, but while I was interviewing John, I could feel his emotion, his passion and love for his team. It got to the point when he was starting to tear up and cry...

And I'm thinking to myself....shoot, he's crying and tearing up. I wish I could have walked over to him, give him a hug and tell him everything will be alright. But I can't.

At that moment, I knew how important this story was and I definitely want to do it justice and make sure it's the best story on the JetHawks possible. And it's not because I want to do it for my personal gain, no. It's because this story needs to be told and heard, especially considering next month, is Opening Day for many of these teams.

Just imagine a big name team like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees being cut from the majors. It's highly unlikely, but the very thought of that is unbearable. Unfortunately for the 43 teams, that's the cruel reality of minor league ball.

I'll be honest, reporting on a story like this is definitely stressful, draining and sad. From having potential sources ghost and ignore me, to putting together my story with all the interviews I've done, and remaining objective while doing so, I worry and question if what I am doing is enough? Am I really doing this story justice? I really hope I am.

And I really hope things get better for John, and he's able to find his passion once again.

He didn't deserve to have this happen to him. No one deserves to have their team ripped away from them.