St. John's Baseball

This should be a picture from baseball today. But it's Sal's Pizza in Mamaroneck, NY. Don't judge.

Today was baseball day.

With surprises.

I got the first one yesterday when I heard that I might have a partner for today's baseball games at St. John's.

Now if you know me, I pride myself on the chemistry of a broadcast booth. It's so important to making a game sound good.

So I again made the 55-mile drive down the campus in Queens, showing up long before first pitch. I eventually got into booth number four and began to set up. Soon, Bob Hirschfield, a hall of fame coach at New York Institute of Technology, joined me.

"Another new partner," he said.

If you've ever been around minor league baseball, then you know that doubleheaders are two seven-inning games. In college baseball, it's two nine-inning games. That was the second surprise.

Some six hours later, it was all over. St. John's swept Hofstra by scores of 9-1 and 9-0.

It all went well and I'd have to say I'm somewhat pleased. I suppose there's a chance that I will be asked back, and we'll see what it leads to.

I stood for a moment at the foot of the steps to the Bob Sheppard Press Box at Jack Kaiser Stadium and pondered the weekend. No matter what happens -- for one wonderful, exhausting weekend -- I was a play-by-play broadcaster in Division I athletics.

I called the games as I know how. The way that I believe is the right way.

Thanks to the many friends who tuned in from around the country and told me that they listened.

I rewarded myself with Sal's Pizza in Mamaroneck as I made my way home. Susan has preached to me about Joe and Pat's on Staten Island (and it's awesome). Paul has long said Frank Pepe's, especially in New Haven, is the way to go. Both (and so many others) are great (and I don't need "One bite, everybody knows the rules" to know what a great pizza is).

Sal's was phenomenal.

So for tonight, let's enjoy all of this as a good thing, and start a fresh week tomorrow morning. Thank you to KJ, Jon, and all of those who made this possible. The real game archives are on redstormsports.com and my embedded archive files are below.