Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The Final Sign Off

My current home studio setup
Fellow broadcaster Don Wadewitz had an idea.


Of course, I can never do things that easily. Plus, my process was just that -- a process. There were a couple of games that could have been "the last one."

So, let's go back (please note you can listen to all full game broadcasts online at Mixcloud or Archive.org, and play-by-play highlights can be found on Chirbit).

You'll recall that I thought playoff time was going to be an incredibly busy stretch (including the lowest-read post of 2020 so far). But, as a few very highly-placed people said to me: "Money wins. Quality doesn't."

So, that changed things.

So I powered through the FCIAC girls basketball tourney. In the middle of that, I picked up a cold that killed my voice. Please note I did not miss a broadcast in that time and that I'm fully-healed (I have an idea of what you're thinking).

Then I called one semifinal in the boys FCIAC hockey tournament, before handling the semis and finals of the FCIAC boys basketball tournament. I knew that wasn't the end of winter just yet, and that's where we begin.

The audio is posted below.

0:00-1:07 -- Loomis Chaffee/Brunswick Hockey Semifinal: You can hear the rasp still in my voice but this is also stronger than I've sounded in over a week. I gave it all during the FCIAC boys basketball championship a few nights earlier, but after a full day off, I'm sounding and feeling better (and working alone). This is also the first time I've noticed people acting differently. There's more fist bumps and elbow bumps and even baby wipes around the tailgate. There's a hint of caution. I can hear how bummed I am to say goodbye to winter. At least I think I'm saying so long. I lingered around to soak it all in and get ready for spring. "But, this is not goodbye..."

1:07-2:04 -- Trumbull Basketball Doubleheader: I didn't expect to do anything more with winter sports but when Jeff Alterman asked, after giving it some thought, I thought it would be a good thing to do. I was right. Great games? Nah. A good night to have some fun? Yes. The COVID-19 pandemic was certainly circling around but we still didn't know to what extent, so life went on. I did find myself thinking about what was going to happen and change but, so long as we kept rolling, then that would be it. I sound hopeful for more, handing the close to Jeff Alterman (it was really a TEN broadcast co-produced with Robcasting). I had no idea this was the last time I'd be with a crowd. A day later it all changed when the CIAC closed shop. "But, I was happy to be here nonetheless..."

2:04-4:38 -- Episcopal/Brunswick Lacrosse: The last one, and I knew it. I had been asked by Kevin Devaney Jr to call two Catholic league playoff games in White Plains but had to decline due to The Clubhouse. I think I would have enjoyed working in the empty gym, finding it to be similar to calling games in a studio off of a monitor, as I did with Episcopal and Brunswick. I stayed away from discussing the pandemic unless it was pertinent to the broadcast. So, you can hear in my voice that I'm in a studio (we had no ambient sound save for any conversations in the studio) but you can also hear that the Bruins have already lost at least one lacrosse game on the schedule. Still, knowing the reality but also trying to stay honest and upbeat, I say how I plan to see everyone on April 1. Everything was evolving as I was talking.

But, there's a sense of foreboding in my last words: "For now, stay safe. We'll see you soon. So long, everyone."


I knew. You can hear it. I knew we were screwed. To what extent, I had no idea.

I walked outside and Stamford, CT was like a ghost town.

I haven't been back in Connecticut since and I'm not sure when I'll be back.

Nobody knows.

The Great Unknown continues.
Posted by Rob Adams at 3:01 PM
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