Basketball, Hockey, and Baseball

This is where I'm wanted

The tires are fixed.

It took much longer than it should have but I finally have new tires on the car. So there's that.

That meant I could work, calling basketball this evening.

I'm blessed in that Brunswick is happy with me and both the basketball and hockey teams want me on their broadcasts.

One parent approached me and told me -- jokingly -- that they were "mad" at me because I was setting up for basketball and not hockey.

So I called basketball -- Brunswick ran away from Hamden Hall -- and described hockey details when I could.

There was an audible buzz in the Dann Gymnasium. Nah, scratch that. It rocked.

The student cheering section bounced between the two facilities -- gym and rink -- to keep an eye on both games. Heck, I wandered over to the Hartong Rink at halftime.

The hockey game didn't quite go as well for Brunswick as the Bruins fell to Frederick Gunn. It will be roughly 10 days or so before we see the Bruins back on the ice. They'll be on the road for a few games.

There was a great spirit in the Sampson Athletic Center. Sure, masks were still the thing but everybody just seemed happy to be watching these games. Players played and students were raucous. That's sort of how it should be.

I stood at my "table" in the gym, which is actually two basketball team chairs placed side-by-side, and called the game. I fed off the energy in the room and had to remind myself to be careful. One really can't maintain that type of energy for an entire broadcast. 

I know I would have crashed in the second half.

The game, as I alluded to, didn't quite dictate an insane call anyway. It started as if it would be a brawl before Brunswick went to the locker room up by nine. They won 59-33 playing obviously great defense but also pushing the ball and scoring. They're now the top dog in the FAA (Fairchester Athletic Association) with a game remaining in the conference against Greenwich Country Day next Wednesday.

I'll be on the call for that and their season finale against Greenwich Farms next Thursday.

I also got a look at schedules for lacrosse and...wait for it...baseball. I chatted with their head coach, Johnny Montanez, and he said the Bruins might play 34 games. Now, we all know there are a variety of reasons why that number will likely go down but still, he promised me I'll have my hands full with Brunswick baseball.

Johnny always makes it clear how much my broadcasting games mean to him and he reminds me of how his father-in-law in Florida loves to listen. He's been listening since I was doing the games very informally with just audio, pre-Robcasting.

So if what I see is true, I could be calling baseball by the end of March. The same goes for lacrosse.

And the teams all know -- how can they not? -- that I will happily travel. While there's no way to split me in half to cover everything for every team, I'm in a desirable spot where the school, their players, coaches, families, and fans all seem to want me around.

That's really cool.

And what it leads me to finally come out and say -- deep breath -- is that I won't be calling the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2022.

I'm actually surprised nobody caught on to my social media accounts. I changed each and every one of them by the time I exited I-84 for the Taconic Parkway back on Dec. 21. I expected a phone call or text that night.

Yes, Christmas was a little gloomier, if I'm being 100% honest. I'll miss it more than I can possibly describe. Simply working with Sean was priceless, let alone being a "voice" in the Yankees organization.

I'm still hurt. Sad. Bummed. Let's not sugarcoat it. 

But I treasure the whole ride of 2021. I'm proud of every one of those 61 broadcasts. It wasn't enough but it never is. I really wanted the chance to do it all in a "normal" year but that's not where the road will be leading me. 

I put heart and soul into it, as I do with everything. I still believe we put on the best broadcast in High A East if not all of High A. That's a testament to a great crew. I just talked.

I'm grateful to literally everyone involved and now look forward, though I'll look back at magical memories from time to time. I thought it was a thing I'd do for years but that wasn't reality.

I have many friends there, including my own son who will likely continue doing games for them. That's his decision.

As for me, 2022 will be paved differently. I'll be on a plane to London as the first home game is being played at Dutchess Stadium. I can't think of too many better places for me to be.

There are friends who want me to pursue some other baseball jobs and I just wonder if my time is done. I'm 53 and that's been made abundantly clear to me.

Right now, my focus is on my next broadcast and the search for a place to live and making money to afford that place to live and cleaning the place I currently live in and...

The next broadcasts are a weekend of wrestling before more Brunswick next week. The FCIACs are on the way for hockey and basketball as well.

It's good to feel wanted.