Let the Haters Hate

 

(Photo: cbs8.com)

There are some walks of life where criticism can't be escaped.

Sports broadcasting is one of them and I am not immune to dodging arrows.

But we'll ignore the negative noise for a moment.

There were a couple of wonderful, meaningful interactions this weekend.

First, at Cardinal Stadium last night, I was greeted by a couple of fans as Sean and I got out of the car.

"I'm from San Francisco," the gentleman said. "I get to listen to you all the time out there."

He had kind words and, as if to prove he listened, he asked about my recent trip to the Bay Area.

I also enjoy pleasing fans. Now, while I don't want to be Phil Rizzuto, wishing birthday and anniversary greetings to every person, I'm not against the occasional fun note.

I got a tweet directed at me, asking for a happy birthday to a listener.

So I did it. Laughter was had, joy was extended, and the broadcast carried on.

Later, friend, colleague, and even boss Craig Jones told me he was listening and asked me to say hello to someone who had just discovered the LocalLive feed. Again, I was happy to do it.

Look, Chris Erway and I know what we're doing. We can dabble in distractions that can bring listeners a smile. It can also be entertaining but that's in the eye of the beholder. So long as it doesn't take too much away from the task at hand -- the game -- it's fine.

Again, we made people happy. Mission accomplished.

Greenwich won, beating St. Joseph by 10. The natives -- often restless (oh, and they were*) -- were happy as they left.

* Quick sidebar. A fan -- a few rows down -- was incensed at the officiating during last night's game. There was a huge disparity in penalties called, with Greenwich getting the majority of the flags by a wide margin. The fan below us implored public address announcer Nick Fesko to call out the officiating. 

The same fan also glanced toward me. I was having none of it. While I point out the number of penalties, I let that fact stand on its own. In the case of the public address announcer, he's not going to comment. Chris and I tried to make that abundantly clear on the broadcast but there may have been a hint of confusion.

In short, we were defending Nick. Hopefully, that clears it up.

We now return to the task at hand.

Today was Brunswick Day and the Bruins were 28-0 winners over Wyoming Seminary from Pennsylvania. 

The Crosby Field booth is set low, where a fan outside the window I use can hear the entire broadcast. To be honest, it always makes me feel awkward and interactions get my guard up.

To that end, I noticed a fan a few rows below me who turned around and looked at the booth a few times. Specifically, he was looking at me. Keep in mind, Chris wasn't with me today. He was with me last night.

After I ended the broadcast, the fan moved toward the window of the booth.

Immediately, I began putting bricks up to build a wall around me. It's nothing personal. I'm just more uncomfortable and shy than people realize.

All he wanted to tell me was that he was from Baltimore and watches the LocalLive broadcasts at home. He wanted to say hello and tell me that loved our work.

Nearby, a woman from Charleston, SC said the same and thanked me for the broadcasts as well as my own work.

These stories aren't to brag. They aren't to show off. If anything, I'm cringing as I'm writing them.

However, they're reminders.

Good reminders.

When the negativity comes in -- and it happens -- it can rattle. It has never mattered when or where. They can sting.

For me, anyway, I worry about the negative because I get concerned that it can impact my employment.

But -- more often than not -- there are many more words of kindness that fire me up to get right back to it.

These are just a couple of the stories.

For every bad, it's also always worth considering the source and the circumstances. That's why I see them, process them, and try to move on.

But they'll stick with me in the back of my mind.

Then either silence or kindness helps with moving on.

And oh yeah, my new friend from San Francisco told me to connect with him the next time I'm out there.

Yes. Some kindness goes a long way.