A Response Isn't Necessary But I'll Explain

 

Looking up at the press box at Rafferty Stadium

The Greenwich football season came to an end last night. For me, that meant the end of my 23rd season associated with Big Red.

I was their sideline reporter for one game in 1999. I was with HAN in 2014 and 2015. Other than that I've been the play-by-play announcer for the Greenwich Cardinals.

I knew last night was one of those "can't win" type of nights for me. I know people at Fairfield Prep and the game was at their stadium. Of course, emotions were high.

Thus I was accused of auditioning for being Prep's announcer.

It's a ridiculous notion; one that doesn't need to be addressed yet here we are.

Admittedly I made a vague note of it last night when I posted from the Stop & Shop parking lot. I needed a quick post and that was it.

Criticism is part of the gig. Coaches deal with it. Players (in high school) to a lesser, more passive/aggressive extent. 

In my case, if I wasn't waving Greenwich pom-poms, I was going to be considered pro-Prep. This is exactly what the Joe Bucks of the world hear on a daily basis.

OFF WITH HIS HEAD! He dared to be excited for a score by the other squad!

No. He dared to do his job as he always has.

Another thing to remember is that Chris and I were there not as the Greenwich broadcasters but as the state broadcasters on the NFHS/CIAC broadcast produced by Fairfield Prep. That broadcast also happened to air on WGCH radio (in Greenwich). Of course, it was our job to be prepared to give Prep their due as we literally always do.

"Nobody can call you a homer," someone said to me after we got off the air (it might have been Shawn Sailer...OK, it was). 

Of course, they will.

Let me be clear though. The reviews were 99.5% kind.

It's easy to blame us or Pete Paguaga or Sean Patrick Bowley or Dave Fierro or literally any media member. We're frequently the villains these days.

I've protected all athletes -- Greenwich included -- since I became a studio host for game broadcasts in late 1998. I report honestly but also know they're high school students.

Late in the game, I addressed the fact that Greenwich had lost their quarterback, Jack Wilson, to a head injury and that the Cardinals -- and maybe I could have phrased it better -- needed to maintain their composure. Of course, they did keep said composure, given they have excellent coaches who drill that into their brains.

Folks, these aren't professional athletes and each broadcast has been carefully cultivated to that extent. Frankly, I know what I'm doing.

Still, it was a playoff game and tensions were high. I figured the losing squad wouldn't be happy and, for once, it spilled marginally onto the interwebs.

So now you basically know what I was saying last night.

As for my "audition," I passed that a long time ago when I began calling some Prep basketball games. There's a solid chance that I'll be back at Prep on Sunday for the game against Shelton and I'll call that game the exact same way.

You know the drill with me by now. I love calling games. Any game. I also potentially picked up a remote hockey broadcast this Saturday.

Have headset...no need to travel!

If I do those two games this weekend it will surpass my record for most games in a year. Not bad, given I didn't call my first game of 2021 until Feb. 3, snapping a 74-day break between game broadcasts.

The winter schedule is already coming together and one game actually began to formulate on Facebook tonight. Two friends -- John Dailey of Ludlowe and Garrett Hickey of Norwalk -- will face off on Jan 13, 2022. That seemed like a perfect excuse to offer a broadcast. Nothing is in stone but it feels like it could happen.

Oh, I love it when a plan comes together. John and Garrett have both advocated for me broadcasting games for their teams at one time or another and this is a perfect fit.

I suspect I'll be heavily into a Brunswick schedule again very soon so my dance card will begin to fill up again. While I'm no fan of winter weather or the shorter days, I do enjoy hockey and basketball calls. 

Plus that moment of sticking my toe into wrestling -- especially if I'm with Chris since he loves it. I'm more of a lead broadcaster in terms of guiding things for those calls.

I guess the big takeaway is that, despite a few critics, our work is well-received and I'm truly grateful. 

No rest for the weary. Onto the next call. Onto the next parking lot for a late-night post!