This Should Be Fun

 

There are many things I love about broadcasting, especially calling play-by-play.

One of those things has been how I can check out of the world while doing it. Most problems don't matter and I don't think about them when calling a game. The exceptions to this are very few.

Still, I love the things that make what I do such a blast. The prep. The research. The setup. The breakdown. The time with my friends. The impact our broadcasts have. Trying to find the nuggets to present to the audience. The great games are easy though I get stressed over creating a call that will be worthy of the moment.

Today's game -- Hoosac/Brunswick hockey -- finished with the Bruins winning 7-3. Such games with big scoring differences can be tough or mundane to call but they're a fun challenge since I have to create an atmosphere that engages the audience.

I worked solo as I so often do.

All of it should be a pleasure. A privilege even.

When it's not fun is when there are politics, egos, technical issues as well as other non-broadcast issues.

Worst of all, money. I just want to do the game and make a living.

What I can't stand is when any of this nonsense hangs over a broadcast like a bad smell.

We just want to focus on the broadcast. The game. Rooting through the internet looking for little gems to talk about. Trying to come up with different phrasings and words instead of repeating everything. I mean, a pass is a pass but there are other ways to say it. The great Doc Emrick found 153 different words to describe a pass once. 

I can't do that. Or at least I haven't done that. 

But it's part of crafting a broadcast that hopefully, fans enjoy and players will treasure knowing it exists.

It's far better than soothing egos and massaging situations.

That doesn't mean I don't like responsibility. On the contrary. I relish being the lead dog that heads things up. But, sadly, life isn't always fun. Nor is play-by-play. There are negatives. Always. Most days they aren't tangible. Some days they rear their ugly heads like Howard Cosell's ego at a jockocracy convention*.

* Howard hated athletes who tried to break into broadcasting. Along with myriad other people. "Jockocracy" was, in Cosell's eyes, the handing of a plum sports broadcasting gig to a former athlete who hadn't earned the position.

None of this is to mean that I didn't enjoy the broadcast today. Oh, sure, something hung over me causing me to feel a bit low on energy in the run-up to the broadcast. But once it was time to light things up I put the headset on and did what I do.

Brunswick 7, Hoosac 3. And it felt good to be in the rink. I'll be back there Monday afternoon also. The issues could wait until the game was over.

*****

I realize last night's post about Mahopac possibly (likely) changing their mascot risked going down the controversy highways. I'm also not afraid to have a debate. But I just simply hate politics as well as political correctness.

Still, I wrote a post that I felt I should write. I hit "publish." Then, I waited.

In the roughly 24 hours since the comments -- for and against -- have been fair, rational, and dignified. It should, in the long run, not be such a big deal but I'm smart enough to know that won't be the case.

As I said, I remain proud to have been a Mahopac Indian.

But I'm also really proud that last night's post didn't dissolve into a name-calling disaster.

Once in a while, I'm allowed to believe that we can have dignified conversations where we can agree to disagree.

So, thanks.