Games to Call

 

Leo T. Mahoney Arena (Photo: Fairfield University)

So begins the final week of 2022. 

Games. Yes, lots of games. There's a question of how many but that will be resolved.

Two tonight.

Two tomorrow.

Maybe two Thursday? Three? One?

One Friday.

As many as eight total. 

Love it.

Without question, I'll do the most games I've ever done in a calendar year by the end of Friday and I'm beyond grateful. Yet the thing I always have to remind myself is that it's the quality that matters.

Was every broadcast good? Most? A few?

I'd like to believe they all were with some better than others. Despite whatever demons are swirling I try to believe that I'm ready and can do a quality job on each game.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The four New Jersey girls soccer state championships? I felt like an awkward fish out of water but I did my prep, gathered my notes, collected my rosters, and made sure to have adequate internet for any additional information on the fly.

The four New Jersey girls lacrosse championships? Those were mighty challenging but I still gave it my best.

I'm diving into boys basketball tonight for the Prep Holiday Classic in Fairfield. I could look at how many times I've called it (probably five or six) but it doesn't matter. I was lucky that, when Fairfield had one public high school in the late 90s, they needed one more team to fill out the four-team tournament.

Enter the Greenwich Cardinals.

And, thus, I got the call on WGCH of the games Greenwich played in.

So it was that I fell for Alumni Hall at Fairfield University. The place had charm and screamed of old-school athletics.

But time marches on and modern amenities are a beautiful thing. Thus, I'm heading to the new Leo T. Mahoney Arena tonight for four games (two tonight, two tomorrow).

It was March 1, 2021, when Shawn Sailer and I did the last high school game from Alumni Hall. Tonight, we'll both be back in the new place on the site of the old place.

Two games. Four teams.

6 p.m.: Notre Dame-Fairfield vs. Fairfield Ludlowe

8 p.m.: Fairfield Warde vs. Fairfield Prep

The winners play in the championship game tomorrow night at 8 p.m. while the consolation game is at 6 p.m.

I'm on the call and I'll share the link for the video feed when I get it. I'm also planning to air the audio on Robcasting.

Later in the week, I'm definitely calling at least one (and maybe two) Brunswick hockey games. It seems the Bruins were supposed to play in a tournament near Buffalo but, as you might know, they've been hit with awful snow and cold. 

Photo: NYSDOT Buffalo on Twitter

As a result, the Bruins are now hosting games on Thursday and Friday. 

The Friday game is at 10 a.m. and I'm all over that. I get a game to call and still get the rest of my day.

Oh, finding the energy to jump on a morning broadcast can be a trick but there's something about an early morning game that I like. I think my earliest game broadcast was 8 a.m. down near Philadelphia.

So I'll be in the Hartong Rink by 8:30 on Friday morning and on my way back home in the early afternoon. Perfect.

We'll head into 2023 not long after that.

No. Let's just focus on today.

Enjoy the journey.

New experience tonight.

First game at 6.