Adapt

 

I had another long night in the videography business.

I decided I could get just enough sleep and still be on WGCH with Tony Savino at 7:50, as I am most Friday mornings.

What makes that easier is that I can wake up, roll over, call in, and even go back to sleep if I want to.

So I stumbled through an 8-10 minute interview and stayed in bed. Rascal Squeaky the troublemaking cat bounced in and out.

I was all set for a mostly quiet day. I was going to rest and do stuff around the house.

Then my phone buzzed. It was Kevin Devaney, Jr. and he wanted to know if I could call the regional championship in girls soccer tomorrow at Somer High School. Mahopac would be the opposition for the Tuskers.

I'd have to work with an analyst I've never met but I'd be back calling a game and be at a site just 15 minutes away. 

I jumped at it. I love Local Live and the overall freedom they've given me in the booth.

Then Kevin came back with another question: could I do boys soccer in Carmel between the Rams and John Jay Cross River (formerly the Indians but now the Wolves).

Today.

Again, I jumped.

I can just hear the stuck in the-mud high and mighties of the play-by-play fraternity.

"But but but...prep time. I need to talk to coaches, next of kin, their third grade teacher."

All I needed was rosters and Google. To start.

The rosters came together. Of course they can never be easy, as they weren't numerical. So I retyped them. Big deal.

I messaged Harold, whose daughter Katie attends Carmel (and she's mortified that I mentioned her during the broadcast). He asked his Carmel friends for some info on the team.

I gathered just enough to survive and eventually made my way to Carmel High School. I was there a little over an hour before the game started.

After setting up, I went to the field and talked to the coaches. I got pronunciations. I got some background.

I was ready. I could take it from there.

Life isn't scripted. Game broadcasts aren't either.

Talk shows shouldn't be but that's a discussion for another time.

So I learned as much as I could by 4:30 today and got down to calling the game.

Those too stubborn to adapt to changes like that will not survive.

Mike Hirn was set to call a game closer to his home before COVID closed the stadium he would have worked in. He had to drive three hours to the site that it got moved it.

Adapt.

So, when given a last-minute gig, I jumped and made the best of it.

I got to see a 2-1 John Jay win in double overtime. I thought I was raw and a little off but was told by a fan that there were people watching who wanted to know who the broadcaster was because they seemed to like him.

I smiled. How could I not?

I can't stress enough how not fun it is to wear a mask while broadcasting, but again, I made the best of it.

Adapt.

And so, onto tomorrow. Despite all #preparation, who knows what awaits?

We'll adapt.