Baseball broadcasting follies

 

I was at Greenwich High School yesterday for the Cardinals' quarterfinal win against Fairfield Warde.

The crowd was the largest I've seen for a game there and I've been hanging around those parts since 1999.

Still, I find myself occasionally thinking the time has passed and was surprised to get the call, first for the FCIAC Championship Game last week and then for this game.

Suddenly, with my phone number rediscovered, I'm a hot commodity again. Greenwich and Norwalk will play in one semifinal on Tuesday night in Class LL while Westhill and McMahon will play in the earlier game.

I've been asked to call them. As of now, I hope I'll be there. I'm planning on it.

The games were initially scheduled for Municipal Stadium in Waterbury. While I've called a game there and was perfectly fine doing so on Tuesday (NEWS FLASH: I'LL GO ANYWHERE) it still didn't make a lot of sense for four teams from Fairfield County to drive to Waterbury.

I'll say this: the audience would have likely been fantastic because it wouldn't have been easy to get to those games. 

However, after some digging, Stamford's Cubeta Stadium became available. Most agreed that's where the games belonged.

What's the harm here otherwise? Who was hurt when Darien and New Canaan moved the football championship in 2013 or Greenwich and New Canaan did the same in 2018? Don't you want the most fans?

Reminder: I live in New York. I have no dog in this fight and, as mentioned a few paragraphs above, I'll go anywhere.

Norwich? Done. Windsor? Done. Salisbury? Done. Mohegan Sun? Middletown? Shelton? New Britain?

The point: I've gone, basically, to almost every corner of the state of Connecticut to call a game. So I personally don't care. I want the facility that is best for fans and also for the broadcast.

Cubeta Stadium will be jumping on Tuesday and, if the fates allow, I'll be there.

I don't assume though. If anything, I have anxiety over this stuff. I don't just announce I'm going there without talking to someone. People are working behind the scenes to get me there.

I wish we could get some of this under control, if only for my own sanity.

If it all happens, I'll be live at 3:25 p.m. Tuesday in Stamford. If not, well, then I won't be.

I'll also add that the state championship game should be under the lights -- Friday, at 7:00 p.m. -- at Cubeta. Again, it makes tons of sense. I couldn't broadcast it anyway since the CIAC and NFHS will sink their tentacles in.

However, and this is where I think they're shortsighted, there should be an audio stream. I'll repeat it again: I live in New York. There's zero chance I'll pay to watch on NFHS. Zero. Besides, people in their car or unable to watch won't want to pay either. But, a wise move would be to allow a free audio stream (not a simulcast). Then people might miss the video enough, and there would be a few more customers.

This isn't rocket science.

Oh, one last thing. Greenwich last played in a state baseball semifinal on June 8, 2004. They lost to Danbury at Muzzy Field in Bristol. 

It was a Tuesday.

That will be 17 years to the day.

The game was on WGCH.

I did the play-by-play.

The pregame show started at 3:20 p.m.

Anyway, 3:25 p.m. Tuesday.

Hopefully.