The morning after

This is a good name for this post

 I've called 11 FCIAC football championships.

Countless other title games. I mean, I could count, but I don't have the time.

I've called minor league baseball.

Minor league hockey.

College basketball.

Etc.

I've called five games in a day.

I've called three hockey championships over a Friday and Saturday, left after the third game, drove to the next game site for basketball, walked in at halftime, and was ready to dive into that one before getting thrown out. So I drank coffee, waited, and then called the last basketball game.

I don't think I've ever been this wiped out and if someone thinks they can think of another time, please tell me.

Was it exhilarating? Yes. 

Was it fun? Yes.

Was it perfect? Hell...to...the...no.

Let's start with "Doubleheader." That was a mistake. The camera on the phone I was using wasn't getting the right audio. Strike one. Things were apparently freezing. Strike two. Then the internet company pulled service down.

Strike. Three.

So, here's the deal. "Doubleheader" is either not happening today (or for the foreseeable future at Dutchess Stadium) or it's going audio ONLY until I figure things out. 

As the show went on, the Aberdeen IronBirds changed their lineup. Twice. They completely redid it before game time, leaving all of us scrambling.

Last-minute isn't quite my jam, and there was very little chance to breathe from, basically, the time I woke up yesterday. To be clear, I'm not complaining but there was a lot of moving parts.

There was plenty of good. Even great. Road friends Dan Murphy and Steve Alpert came to the ballpark and that was a great surprise. My cousin Ron and his lovely Mary were there. Kris and Logan were there. Sure, they were there for the ballgame, but they were there at least a little bit because of me.

Z93 was fantastic to work with. The broadcast sounded great. Jeff is my board-op and he was a cool customer. That's so important. The crew for MiLB.tv, with Sam directing, Nick on a camera, some kid named Sean on another camera, and Zach running around, did a great job also.

Sean -- yes, him -- was by my side all night. He had his own ups and downs (including a sore back from the camera setup, which we will try to fix today). At 19, he's too young for back problems. But he had his own nerves which helped to calm me a bit as I got to be "Dad" and not worry about my tasks.

And we had a flashback moment, where I told him to look at the crowd waiting to get it and how he was already in the stadium. That's a callback to the same thing I said to him at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen when he was six. It was a small but sweet moment of serendipity.

But I'm super proud of him. He did a nice job, as I saw on MiLB.tv when I got home.

Even my parents were represented on the night because my pregame "Rob's Roundup" segment was filmed, in part, from their dining room.

Hey, for what it's worth, I can't get MiLB.tv to work on my phone. Can anyone else? If I paid for it, I'd be livid.

There were other things that were planned and didn't happen or didn't work. You didn't know about it, and that's good. There were other things you did know about, such as the webstream. Savvy users figured out where to go (or saw my Facebook page).

Pro tip: Do that again tonight.

As for the game? Well, there's another one tonight. The Gades got two hits and lost 4-0.

And my own performance? Meh. Did you expect a different answer? I thought overall my play-by-play was fine because I simplified it. I didn't dig for every last note. Not last night. Things were too wacky and I just wanted to concentrate on the game.

Clear the mechanism, right?

I did read some really kind comments that bolstered me. 

I did a small highlight package that you can find here.

So, that's one. With lots more to go.

*****

Today, Susan finishes her last edition of the Darien Times. I've written about her and what she means before. She is a simply remarkable journalist, writer, and human being. Her next position is a gain for them. Her loss is profound for Darien. I simply wanted to put a few words here to acknowledge her. There's so much more to say but even I have restraint.