Behind "The Clubhouse"

 

Rob, Mark, Dave, Ed

Everything was set.

We were ready.

The speakers were plugged in and on their stands.

The computer was connected to the radio station.

The headsets were tested and each one worked.

The internet seemed fine (HA!).

I even got the name of the birthday boy at the party just across from where we were set up (Eric).

Then came 7:02 and the music came up.

I started talking.

Then, by 7:03, I had a text for Sean Kilkelly, holding down the fort back in the studio.

"You guys sound like you're off-mic."

Oh ****.

All i's had been dotted and t's had been crossed and still, things weren't right.

Welcome to another night in radio.

Sean's text hit me and, despite the sweat forming on my brow (it was hot in there), I calmly told Sean to stay on the air while I rebooted things. I knew what was wrong.

My computer was taking the feed from its own microphone as opposed to the equipment that Bob Small and I had spent the last hour painstakingly setting up.

Keep in mind we were at Grand Prix New York for the first time since the night of March 11, 2020. Sound familiar? That's right, the pandemic exploded that night.

Tonight's show was important to really reestablish us and, basically one minute in, it was ****** up. If you were to examine my stomach you would have seen knots. Yet, to Mark Jeffers, Dave Torromeo, our guest Ed Manetta, and even Bob Small, I was the picture of calm. I downplayed everything.

I got us through segment one. Then, in segment two, the internet dumped us. Again, calm as could be, I mentioned to Bob to keep us under control. Bob handles the mixer while I handle texts from the studio and the computer connection.

I was going to make sure our broadcast on Robcasting was perfect. Pristine even.

But, just as important, I wanted nobody else to panic. Mark, Dave, and Ed could just continue talking. Bob was sort of in on things by that point.

I wanted to make sure the show remained fluid. Bob will take my audio (the Robcasting audio), edit it as necessary, and send that off to a distributor called Sports Byline.

From there, our little show will run on Sirius XM. 

For whatever that's worth (which, to be clear, is A LOT).

But that's the gig as a producer and show host. I'm there to be "the professional" though I also think I provided some decent content and questions tonight. I also need a calm and steady hand in the studio. That's what Sean Kilkelly is.

So it works.

This chaos can happen. The key to it is to survive it without letting too much on to the audience. 

I thought we played it perfectly tonight.

We finished and I saved the audio. I emailed the Robcasting feed to Bob for him to edit.

Then I ate my dinner and called it a night.

It was great to be back at Graned Prix NY. We felt like we were back home.

Seriously, the last time we were there, Rudy Gobert was touching microphones in a press conference before the game he was to play in got completely shut down.

Connecticut had canceled all winter postseason games.

Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, announced they too were sick with the "coronavirus."

Tonight, that was all in the past.

Considering I could have been other places -- New Jersey with Brunswick lacrosse and even up near Hartford where a softball broadcaster was needed -- this is where I belonged.

My job is to drive the bus and minimize the chaos.

I did that tonight.