Tournament Night One

 

I was on the call of the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic basketball tournament last night in Fairfield.

Oh, the new Leo D. Mahoney Arena is absolutely beautiful. It has that "new arena smell" still. It's very intimate, as the crowd is so close to the action and there are nice little tributes to the building it replaced, Alumni Hall.

Even our broadcast perch was interactive, as we sat on a concourse level where fans could lean over our shoulders as we called the games.

I've often talked about chemistry in a broadcast. It's so crucial in the booth for the on-air team but it's also important for the entire crew. In this case, I was working with a crew that had a director, a producer, and a couple of camera operators. The producer is heading up Fairfield Prep's broadcasts moving forward while everyone else is a student.

It's a fancy dance, walking in as the hired voice (I was also described as "the pro."). I got talked up as being "kind of a big deal" which embarrasses me but, among friends I'll lean into it and have fun. As Shawn Sailer and I walked up to where I'd call the game, I joked about "the GOAT" approaching to him.

Blech. I'm hardly "the GOAT."

While maintaining a calm demeanor and approach and calling the game as I've all called the previous 1600-plus, I was honestly inwardly awkward and nervous. It's a new scene. It's a new group. I don't want to screw it up. I know there are people constantly gunning to do what I do (some who were in the building!). 

New regimes do things differently and, as I alluded to recently, you have to approach every broadcast with gratitude as it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. So I certainly wanted to help produce broadcasts that people admire.

I called the games and eventually established a rhythm. Oh, I made mistakes (damn you, rosters) and the games were ... well, they were games.

You see, what is expected of me is to recognize that I'm not going to heavily criticize high school athletes. Yes, there certainly can be criticism but these aren't professional athletes. So when the first game has a nearly 40 point difference, all I can do is still focus on the action, give the score and time, and joke about dinner plans or something else.

While I don't keep shooting percentages in basketball, I'd love to know what that number was in the second game. There were a lot of misses but the audience gets that without me having to add much more.

Still, this is especially awkward when the son of a close friend is not having a good game.

"The pictures said it all," I said after the game. "I couldn't sugarcoat it."

No, I could not. But the choice of words matters. So, by saying, "He's having trouble finding it," it's critical without being harsh. It's fair and honest.

Also, the pictures. As a play-by-play announcer so used to working with a more descriptive "radio" call, a broadcast like last night shifts into more of a hybrid. The camera people are very raw so I can't just do a TV call but I really shouldn't go all-in with details because there are supposed to be pictures.

It's a dance.

This was a good atmosphere for me as a broadcaster in that I know some of the coaches. I know some of the families. I know a few of the players. I also know others connected to the evening. It was my own crew that I knew none of and, in the long run, it didn't impact the broadcasts. 

We got along fine and found a groove as the night moved along. I was able to joke with them a bit, hoping to release any tension (especially within me). I've been told I can be intimidating and it's always my goal to alleviate that.

I think the games looked pretty good for a first go-round. 

Nobody knew what to expect from the guy who would serve as the broadcaster and I guess I did OK.

Crews change. It might not be the same bunch tonight.

But I'll be back.

Oh, you bet I will.