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| The HAN crew is in the background. That's me in the gold hat (screenshot) |
It was five years ago yesterday when Greenwich traveled to play the New Canaan Rams in an FCIAC baseball matchup.
John Kovach and I had the call on the HAN Network, though we were still HAN Radio at that time, streaming live for both audio and video.
The Cardinals and Rams gave us a good show. The Rams had to come back to force extra innings before coming back to win it on Robby Jones home run.
As it was still a radio call, I was giving as much detail as possible.
I cringe when I hear it.
I'd like to tell you about a broadcaster named Chuck Thompson. A great broadcaster who did football and baseball in Baltimore for many years, Chuck called the bottom of the ninth in Pittsburgh as the Pirates won the 1960 World Series over the Yankees. Bill Mazeroski homered to give the Buccos the title (the call starts at 1:01).
One problem: Art Ditmar didn't throw the fateful pitch. It was Ralph Terry who would be vindicated by winning the seventh game of the 1962 World Series. Ditmar stewed over it for years and even went to court over it.
In 2015, I got the pitcher right...
"And a high fly ball to right..." Er. OK. So far.
"Back goes..."
I know, at this point, I was looking for my defensive chart. Somewhere -- somehow -- I blew it. Instead of just not trying to identify the right fielder, I found the name of the starter.
"Mini...it is GONE!"
It wasn't Eric Mini. It was Anthony Ferraro.
F***. And I knew it immediately. I corrected myself.
"Ferraro turned and looked at it! It's a walk-off (some hate that expression), two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth and New Canaan knocks off Greenwich 8-7."
I wouldn't normally do any of that. I'd probably lay out more (let the crowd noise rule).
John, at that point, was literally stunned. Hell, we all were. We were standing just off to the side of the Greenwich dugout (I later heard someone was mad at me from Greenwich but never knew why).
Finally, John spoke.
"Just bedlam in front of us, Rob!"
I don't know that there was anything else to add, at least not until we had a chance to get our heads back on straight. It was a wacky game.
A little bonus "Easter Egg" nugget: if you listen closely, someone standing nearby (I won't say who it was) exclaimed, "Holy s*it. He just hit a home run to win it!" (That's a paraphrase as it is not entirely clear what was said). We all laughed about it later.
As these are moments that live through time, it's obviously important to get them right. Screwing up (I stumbled on "standing straight towards home plate" before the last pitch) and saying the wrong players name will always gnaw at me.
As for me, I'm a hard judge and I hold myself to a high standard. Not like, you know, Michael Jordan or whatever but in that same concept of always giving my best.
As for Chuck Thompson, after the Mazeroski home run, he said the final score was 10-0 before correcting himself to 10-9. It happens, I guess.
*****
Day 11: A song you never get tired of
To me, this is the same as the song that makes you happy, but I won't use the same one over again. I've also not repeated artists through the first 10 days. So, I'm going somewhere else.
There are tons of songs by my favorite artists that I never tire of. That's too easy.
But, is it possible to not get tired of a song? I know of a guy who strolls (well, used to stroll) into a place and see someone sitting at a nearby table. Without fail, the countdown would be on to the playing of a particular song. Pretty soon, that song became a little tiring.
I digress.
My choice here is a 1967 song by Procol Harum called "Conquistador." The most famous version is a live one from 1972 (the studio version is incredibly different). It's only slightly obscure, but not really if you know classic rock. I put it on one day when I was driving to Ridgefield for work. Four minutes and fourteen seconds later, I replayed it. And again. And again.
And didn't stop until I turned off the engine in Ridgefield.
I'm still not sick of it.
"And though I hoped for something to find I could see no maze to unwind..."
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