It's Time For Cardinals Football

Greenwich has a new scoreboard that might be turned on for Saturday's game (My photo)

I wanted to call a high school football game tonight.

I didn't call a game tonight.

So I stayed home, saw Sean (my 16-year-old son, for those who don't know*), and watched some guy named Paul McCartney perform from Grand Central Terminal.**

* I don't assume everyone knows Sean, especially since he doesn't join me on the road as much as he used to.

** Macca called it "Grand Central Station." He's Paul McCartney. I'll give him a pass.

As late as yesterday, I thought I'd be on the call of Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame of West Haven tonight, but for reasons out of my control, it didn't come to be. I might still get a Prep call later in the season. We'll see.

Tomorrow, at 3:50, barring any last-minute issues (again, I'm making no assumptions), we'll flip the switch on the 2018 season, as Greenwich hosts Trumbull at Cardinal Stadium.

Wanting to make an entrance (not really), we'll be the last game to start in the FCIAC, and the second-to-last game to start in Connecticut.

For me, it's another year in a wild ride that actually began in 1997, for that was when I first walked into the hallowed halls of WGCH Radio. After initially being used as a board-operator for Sunday church services and other fill-in things, I moved over to sports in late 1998.

But it wasn't on WGCH.

It was actually on our former "sister station," WVIP, the Mount Kisco-based AM outlet that we ran out of the Greenwich studios. I was the board-op and studio host for a few Westchester County high school football games.

By late '98, I was board-op'ing Greenwich basketball and hockey, and would soon venture out to a game site or two before getting my first game call in April '99 for a Greenwich/Port Chester baseball game. I'd stay busy with lots more, including calling Westchester County high school football on WVIP in 1999.

By late spring, 2000, former 'GCH sports director John Connelly was heading out the door. John was the lead for Greenwich football. Now that door was open.

I ran through it, pulled it shut, and have never really looked back.

So that means I'm starting year number 17 tomorrow as lead broadcaster ("Voice of" always makes me uncomfortable. Mel Allen was the "Voice of the Yankees." Who can compare to that?)

Add in games that I called during two years with the HAN Network, plus being a sideline reporter in late 1999, and I'm starting my 20th year around Cardinals football, and 21 overall covering Greenwich sports.

Local Live will get the FCIAC package going tomorrow, and my understanding is Tom Prizeman -- a one-time intern for me -- will handle St. Joe's and New Canaan. I would loved to have been on that call, but my commitment to Greenwich will keep me from it.

So Chris Erway and I will buckle into Cardinal Stadium again. I'll be on the call of every play (I've missed one Greenwich game, in 2005, not including the HAN years). Have I mentioned every down will air on WGCH (1490 am) and wgch.com?

Next Friday, I'll be back with Brunswick, calling their football (and more!). That will be on Local Live and Robcasting Radio.

Local Live will get me going with plenty of FCIAC stuff (and...again...more!).

My (hopeful) point is that I will be busy. So long as I have the voice, I'll make it happen.

There's equipment that needs to be reviewed, and even then, I won't know what works until I'm at Cardinal Stadium.

There are notes to finalize and, to be honest, how many notes do I need? I'm fairly familiar with GHS. I know Trumbull pretty well.  It's football. Chris and I can call a game. There's actually a point where there can be too many notes (especially in a small booth like Cardinal Stadium).

The ability to adjust, not lean on stats, and ad-lib is immensely important to a play-by-play duo.

I'll talk to John Marinelli (Greenwich coach) and Marce Petroccio (Trumbull coach -- man that's weird) tomorrow at the field. I know them both well.

As always, I'll be nervous. Families actually rely on me to be a conduit through the radio/internet to their athletes.

But I'll take a deep breath around 3:49.

The music will build around 3:50.

By 3:51, I'll probably begin talking. Like I always have. Since 1998.

The National Anthem will play around 3:58. That's a sacred moment for me. Patriotism aside (I'm not dismissing it), it's my last moment to think. To pause and remember the father who never heard his son as a broadcaster. To hope I make my son, my friends, and the listeners (many of whom are also friends) proud.

Then...it's football. The nerves will subside.

Another year will begin.

Let's go.

*****
Greenwich has a hype video, created by DJ Furano. Have a look.