So much to do

 

I still have some game broadcasts on cassette

It's Friday, April 23.

May 1st is a week from tomorrow. The Renegades open on the road three days later.

They open at home a week after that.

There's still a lot to do.

I might have mentioned that I've tried to connect with each former Renegades broadcaster (or at least what I would call the primary voices). I was hoping to get sound from each of them to create a montage to play. In the end, I didn't do that badly. I got eight out of 13 (including me). However, two of those were thanks to my own digging around.

Sean Ford told me he doesn't have his archive -- at least, he doesn't think so -- but I had a few things. In the end, I chose a home run call from our broadcast at Fenway Park.

I found Josh Caray's call of a catch to end the last game at Dutchess Stadium: game one of the 2019 NY-Penn League semifinals against Brooklyn.

Geoff Brault sent me a call of Carlos Beltran striking out in a rehab assignment at Dutchess Stadium. The best part? I'm doing color on that call.

Bill Rogan, Rick Schultz, Jacob Wilkins, and Ben Gellman-Chomsky all sent me some audio as well, with Schultz sending me several items.

JJ Duke told me he would get me something eventually. All good and no worries.

It's a fraternity and even those who didn't get me anything still take a certain level of pride in their time in Dutchess County. The beauty of this project is they can always send me audio later on and I can edit things.

I don't know if what I created will ever see the light of day but I'll tell you I felt a great deal of pride to hear my own voice along with each of the others.

Oh but there's still so much more. I'm trying to figure out who is broadcasting for each High A-East team. Some teams list the name on the website. Others don't. Then there's sleuthing by doing Google searching and other queries.

So I've found out that Hudson Valley has a broadcaster and, thankfully, it's still me. I know Keith Raad is at Brooklyn because he and I have talked extensively. Greg Giombarrese is the name of the Jersey Shore broadcaster. I connected with Luke Hallett at Winston-Salem yesterday. I also know of Shawn Murnin at Bowling Green and Kevin Karel at Rome. It appears that Doug Maurer is the man in Asheville.

I have no confirmation at Greensboro and Greenville.

After that? I've heard Aberdeen will have a broadcaster. I'm not sure what Wilmington is doing, and it appears Hickory won't have a broadcaster at all.

You can probably guess what I think of that.

Again, I think it's a brotherhood, fraternity, or whatever term you want to use. I think we can each be a source of information for the other. When it works, fellow broadcasters can work together and be friends and support each other.

When it doesn't...

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One other thing. I'm shocked at the number of jobs that are still open or just getting filled.I saw Fayetteville -- yes, that Fayetteville -- has an opening again. While I'd love to be closer to Kristy, Hector and family, I'm pretty darn happy where I am.

If I haven't mentioned it, I'm a broadcaster for a Yankees affiliate, a mere 30 minutes from my front door. It's pretty nice to see job openings and just watch them, given I'm taken.

*****

Tomorrow, we'll fight the emotional tide of the calendar by being busy, and wow did people want me to work for them. I'm grateful for that.

I was wanted back in Pennsylvania again, presumably, so I could blow another tire (I kid). I had an offer for Greenwich lacrosse but Brunswick gave me baseball first (we'll come back to that). Then the University of New Haven surprised me by offering me a baseball doubleheader (we'll hopefully talk again soon).

Was that everything? Well, sort of, but let's go back to Wick baseball. So, the game -- against Greenwich Country Day -- was scheduled for 2 p.m. But rain is coming on Sunday, so Wick moved the GCDS back to 11 a.m. and rescheduled a doubleheader with Poly Prep from Sunday to Saturday at 1:15 and 3:30.

Yes. A tripleheader. However, barring something unforeseen, I will do only two of the three.

As if she's sitting on some heavenly throne trying to mess with me, tomorrow is my mother's 84th birthday. She'd want me to work. No question. Make the almighty dollar.

She'd also want me to honor her birthday. Trust me. She'd say otherwise but I know better.

So I'll do the two games -- 11 and 1:15 -- but have dinner in her honor later on. Sean will join me. It's where we probably belong.

And time will keep marching on.