Welp (A Post Not About Moving)

 

We tried.

The other day, I suggested to my fellow play-by-play Facebook group admins that we should post something about Joey Zanaboni, the highly-polarizing broadcaster.

Wow. Was I stupid?

As with everything else in our society, we can't handle simply having conversations anymore. Anyone who has an issue with Mr. Zanaboni's style (HI!) was labeled "jealous" and a "keyboard warrior."

God help any of us for not bowing down.

I described his style -- his broadcasting style -- as "narcissistic." I stand by that because Joey is all about Joey. It's not about the game. It's about sizzle. It doesn't matter if there's any steak.

I was asked if I knew him because it came off as a personal attack.

Except all I was talking about was style. Nothing personal about it.

Apparently reading comprehension isn't a strong suit.

Joey might be a great dude. But his style is all about him. I remain firm on my point.

He's been asked to call a conference baseball championship for the ESPN family of channels (probably not the Ocho) and we thought it was time to have a conversation.

So Mike Hirn posted it. Shawn Sailer and I supported it.

Some needed to post manifestos. Others chose to simply say that they were going to say nothing, thus indicating their opinion.

Eventually, I chose to shut comments off and just end it.

The idea was a failure.

Clearly, even having a conversation about a broadcaster simply isn't possible.

It's sad.

I've heard overwhelmingly awful reviews.

If I'm being honest, I've tried listening to him actually call a game, regardless of the screaming and the look-how-funny-am-I comedy bits. I wanted to hear if he could handle the fundamentals of calling a game.

He's been hired for the comedy. He's been hired to be viral. Not for the fundamentals.

Yes, there are so many boring voices in the business today. Too many just recite stats and can't handle the storytelling and intricacies of a broadcast.

Too many don't have a pulse. Oh, trust me, I hear it.

Do I admire Joey's pluck? Sure.

Do I like how he shamelessly tagged every broadcaster online, begging for relevancy? Meh. That's not my style.

But, after a few calls went viral, he got his wish.

That's on the people doing the hiring and giving him attention.

In the long run, my guess is his style will find his niche. The screaming will annoy people. He'll have a fan base. He'll have his pocket of the world.

But the clock is running. Is it 15 minutes of fame? Maybe. Maybe not. Many have said his shtick is funny but they wouldn't want a steady diet of it.

He'll remain polarizing.

So, is it personal? Is it some ego-driven jealousy? 

No, and no.

It's protection of an industry I adore. It's frustration at opportunities being taken away from legitimate grinders trying to make their way.

That's not me. Not at my age. Oh, I grind and work my tail off but, in some ways, I have a foot out the door of broadcasting. It's just a question of if I stay or not. In the middle of everything going on, I went and called the two lacrosse Prep National semifinals tonight.

I could ramp up and do more games or I could back down. Time, of course, will tell.

His style will never mesh with mine.

That's a simple fact.

But it's also part of an opinion. One I'm entitled to.

If you're saying we're "keyboard warriors," you might want to look at the mirror, champ.

It goes both ways.