Games 1 and 2

 

"Right now it is a beautiful day, and a called strike on the outside corner on a fastball gets us going..."

My hands shook as I wrote the lineups.

I just felt anxious. Nervous.

About calling baseball.

Was I kidding myself? Am I not that good? Did I have any business being there?

I kept thinking I have to be good. It's a new opportunity. I have to be better than good.

I expect it from myself.

This was different.

"Tell me I'm just calling baseball," I said in a message to a friend. It was a plea to help me calm down.

I'd like to think that the average viewer couldn't pick anything up but, if I'm being honest, it took a few innings. OK, several innings, before I stopped feeling uptight.

I was in the cozy little booth in the press box of Frank Vieira Field. I could close the door, which I don't mind, since calling a game in an open press box can be a bit intimidating.

Somehow I think I'm in a vacuum. Nobody hears me.

In fact, there's no audience.

But I know better.

These are new people I'm broadcasting for. A whole new audience.

The University of New Haven and Pace University were locked in a pitchers duel. In fact, both games were. The final scores were 3-1 and 2-0, both in favor of Pace. No, I couldn't bring any luck to UNH.

Matt Almonte of Pace homered in the sixth inning for the first run of the day. New Haven answered in the last of the sixth but Pace put two on the board in the seventh and took game one.

The pitching was outstanding all day.

Of course, playing into my brain was that my voice hasn't sounded right for about a week due to a head cold I've been dealing with. Also, food was at a minimum so I tried to avoid starving.

As a broadcaster, I'm arguably at my worst when hungry.

No matter. I survived all 14 innings and don't think I embarrassed myself.

Weather also factored into the day as rain hit just after the end of the first game but then backed off to let the second game start. It reappeared once but was never a problem.

Of more fascination to me was my little booth in the press box. It's a separate room with a monitor, a mixer, a headset, and some wires for the video and audio. The astounding thing for me was that I didn't need to carry my own equipment case over. Things were already set up when I arrived.

That was very unusual for me.

Still, the booth is so small that a second person in there would get...er...intimate.

Overall, the facility is a nice place with the baseball field in the middle of the softball field, football field, and Charger Gymnasium. I could definitely get used to it. But it's also a fascinating area -- in the middle of a neighborhood. 

After it was over, I was told that there would indeed be more opportunities to call games at UNH. It wasn't a result of being particularly good (or bad for that matter). It was that I was a warm body who was responsible. Nobody told me that but nobody needed to tell me either.

I showed up. I was responsible. I helped UNH out when they needed it. But, yeah, I'd like to think I was also good.

That also counts for something.

The next game -- weather permitting -- is Monday back at Brunswick, followed by lacrosse on Tuesday at Wick.