Hi, I'm Amaya. I already watched it twice.

Hi. Amaya Hayase. Front row, laptop open, headset around my neck. Yes, it's on. No, you can't hear what I'm watching. Probably a pick and roll.

Quick version. I'm from Los Angeles. I edit sports highlights overnight, which means while you're asleep, I'm watching the same three-minute stretch of a game for the ninth time so the internet can see a dunk in ten seconds. It's a great job. It also ruined me. I can't watch a game anymore. I can only watch the film.

Here's what nine replays teach you. The play everybody posts is almost never the play that decided the game. The real one happened two minutes earlier, off the ball, when somebody switched onto the wrong guy and nobody noticed. I noticed. I always notice. I have a folder.

I believe in plans. Talent is great. I love talent. But talent shows up every night, and plans change every night, and the second part is where the good stuff lives.

I believe in naps. Overnight shift. Don't call me before noon. Text is fine. Text with a clip is better.

This is Mochi. He's a honey badger. He has a mullet, he's very proud of it, and he does not watch film. He watches me watch film, which he says counts. When things go badly he puts on a little reaper costume and tries to look scary. It does not work. He is the least scary thing in this building, and I've met Mr. Degen's red pen.

On my classmates. Rich and I already have a running argument. He thinks the better roster usually wins. I think the better plan wins more than people expect. We've agreed to settle it on the record, which is the most Rich way to settle anything. Tommy found out I have game film on a hard drive and has texted me every day since. I like Tommy. Bev asked me if highlight editors "decide what really happened." Great question, Bev. Kind of, yes. Ethan read my notes over my shoulder, nodded once and left. I'm choosing to take that as a compliment.

Mr. Degen grades everything. Wins, losses, no erasing. Honestly, I respect it. Film doesn't lie and neither does the gradebook.

My first picks show up soon. Until then, I'll be in the front row, rewinding.

See you at tip, Amaya