Follow-Up From Yesterday

 

Every post -- regardless of topic -- rolls around in my brain. Depending on the reaction (or lack thereof) I will reread it and break it down. But virtually every post gets a cursory "was that good?" or "did I go too far?"

One thing about last night's post I want to make clear is that I like the school we visited yesterday. Heck, I like basically all of the schools we visit. Sure, some really go out of their way to make us feel welcome (Ridgefield immediately comes to mind) but simply a smile and a hello are enough.

Middletown High in New York made sure they had our broadcast position marked and even got us a couple of bottles of water.

So what I'm trying to express is that there was no offense intended towards Williston Northampton in that post. It's a beautiful school and campus in a picturesque New England setting. The town -- Easthampton -- has a funky, fun vibe that Chris and I got to experience at dinner.

The leaves were turning and the colors were glorious. It was football and we get to describe it. What's not to love?

As I alluded to, I look forward to returning for the next visit, which will likely be in 2024.

It's just that, well, we're the media. We're often the enemy for a variety of reasons.

Did you know Chris and I were once seen as spies when we went to set up at West Haven? Greenwich was playing Xavier there in a neutral site game and we were early. So we strolled into the stadium to sit in the bleachers and wait for the booth to be opened. West Haven was practicing as we walked in.

The coaches took notice and asked us to leave. We explained we're a neutral party. We're broadcasters. We don't know what Greenwich runs and we're not going to tell them what we see. So I turned my back on their practice. Please note we weren't even paying attention to their practice to begin with.

We're not the enemy, yet Chris and I are often seen as villains for some reason. It's actually hysterical. We're just two guys who call ourselves "The A-Team" because that's how a top broadcasting team is referred to. It's a play on that.

We're the top sports broadcasting game team at WGCH because we're the only ones.

Since then, it's taken on a life of its own. It's fun. That's really all it is.

But I personally don't want to be a villain or the enemy.

I want to be a decent, reliable, respected broadcaster. 

But I hear so much about the media almost daily. Obviously, there is the political issue, and, yes, there's incredible bias in the media but there remain incredibly talented reporters and editors -- journalists, all -- who simply get the facts and report them.

Well, that's what I do with play-by-play, sports talk and, once again, Election Night coverage next month.

But I see bias. Don't get me going on who and where. Just know that I know.

Still, so much gets blamed on the media, especially when things go badly.

The simple fact is, we're not here to be cheerleaders. We're also not here to root against anyone. Yet, if anything, I'm going to lean more positively, especially when talking about high school and youth sports.

But, still, as a reporter, facts are facts.

As I've watched the Mets closely this weekend, I've also noticed an almost ridiculous amount of vitriol from fans toward the media.

Why? Because they're not homers, especially the beat writers, who tend to be a bit more hardened. Deadlines can do that to you.

And we're not homers either.

The main thing I want clear is I was only telling the story of yesterday's football game and broadcast. In the end, Chris and I both looked at it as great fun as we continue to establish a broadcasting standard.

*****

Joe Musgrove lets Mets fans "ear" it

The Mets' season just came to an end and I'll address it all on "Doubleheader" tomorrow. I feel for my friends who are the legit fans. It seemed like a special year for the Mets and I thought they had a legit chance of making the World Series but they came up really short -- at home -- in this three-game series against the San Diego Padres.

But, please, don't make excuses. I don't want to hear about Joe Musgrove, Vaseline, Mike Scott, umpires, or -- the subject of this post -- the media. The Mets failed, at home, in a stadium that wasn't even sold out for an elimination game.

We'll deal with all of it tomorrow.