On the beat: Meet the new Herald reporter

This is my sixth week at the Herald and in my short time here I’ve gotten the chance to experience some new things. I’ve met a host of new people, wrote about some interesting topics and people, and obtained more business cards than I ever thought possible.

This job would be tough if it wasn’t for the fact that the people in the Lynbrook, East Rockaway and Valley Stream communities have been nothing but nice to me — and that’s appreciated, by the way.

I’ve lived in Oceanside all my life, except for the four years I was away at school. I graduated in May from Oswego University with a degree in journalism. I loved my time there, and would not hesitate to go to college all over again if there’s a sudden technological breakthrough in the field of time travel — I’m looking at you, scientists.

But don’t shed any tears for me (I can imagine your eyes are getting watery). My girlfriend still has a semester left in Oswego, which means that I get to make the six-plus hour drive up there every so often.

Before I was hired at Richner Communications, I interned with the New York Islanders for more than seven months. Working for a professional sports team was a great treat for me, plus not many people can say they played a minor role in a failing referendum vote. I got the opportunity to interview just about every player on the team at one time or another — most of the time those interviews took place in the Islanders’ locker room after a practice or game. If you’re curious, no, you cannot un-smell a professional sports team’s locker room, no matter how hard you try.

In my spare time I like to read, run and ski. I believe that Boy Meets World is the best family-based sitcom of the 1990s, although Saved by the Bell is a close second. Also, I have seen a professional baseball game in 11 cities.

When possible, I try to have some fun with my writing (I hope you’ve noticed), but I realize the importance of community journalism. Your stories are our stories. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming months, so please say hello if you see me around town. I’ll be the guy with red hair and the dangerously pale skin. Or if you’d like, give me a call at (516) 569-4000 ext. 246 or shoot me an email at bcroce@liherald.com and tell me what’s new.