Details, Details

 

University of New Haven, 2022

I don't mean to rush things but I'm ready to broadcast baseball.

I mean, that's basically the post.

To that end, colleges are playing so I decided to put some on.

I should have known better.

Within seconds, I heard "the count is full at three and two" and I soon shut it off.

That's just a pet peeve of mine.

According to things I've read, a full count became three balls and two strikes in 1889. So, if you're keeping score, a full count has been three and two for one hundred thirty-four years.

So it's a bit redundant to say, isn't it? It is to me but, again, it's my pet peeve.

Baseball broadcasting -- the most wonderous of storytelling -- is still about word economy.

On the radio, it's magic. It's poetry when done correctly. The canvas belongs to the broadcasters and it's up to them to paint it with their brushes.

Unity Park, Trumbull, 2022

In my case, I had middle school basketball today and I gave it what I had. I think it was appreciated and I'd do it again.

I often chide myself for talking about this because I don't in any way want fans of any other sport to think I don't love their game. I love each sport. I love each opportunity.

Basketball. Ice hockey. Lacrosse. Wrestling. Softball. Football. Soccer. The list goes on. I love them all. 

Baseball is simply my first love.

I'm sure I've pointed it out many times. Peak baseball is a warm, sunny day with the beautiful sound of ball hitting bat and glove. Depending on the forum, the smells of baseball include popcorn and hot dogs. There's also a certain chatter to baseball be it at the local field for a pickup game or in a stadium with 50,000 people.

In the booth, there's a rhythm. There's the pitch and, on the radio, the location of that pitch. Is it outside, inside, high, low, knee-high, on the corner? What kind of pitch was it? What was the end result of the pitch?

You're doing radio and these details count. A gripe with many coming into the business is that they lack the ability to describe all of that, just as they don't have the ability to tell a story.

I want to tell some stories, preferably about the players I'm describing but, lacking those, then things that keep the listeners interested. I always enjoy learning of a player's hometown so that I can learn more about that and, maybe, mine a nugget worth bringing forth.

But, beyond that, give me more. What's the stadium look like? How's the sky? How's the weather?

Describe all of it.

"Full count at three and two," which I also foolishly hear at the major league level, isn't something I want to hear.

Report to me. Inform. Elaborate and educate. Entertain me. Not by being a clown but by telling me stories that pull me in.

My baseball broadcasts are coming. They'll begin filling in on the calendar soon. Brunswick will be the top priority, of course, but there are potentially several others that could have me. At least I hope so.

Oh, don't fool yourself. I'll go to basically any level and drive basically anywhere. 

Keeping the equipment out of the elements

It's not perfect. It never is. There's the hustle to write or type lineups into a scorebook and align that scorebook perfectly. It's a must. The broadcast space is vital. There's also the hustle to even get those lineups from a coach that has a hundred other things going on.

And if you broadcast baseball at certain places, well, there probably isn't a booth. My location at Brunswick has changed over time and, as of now, I'm parked near home plate, to first base side, close to the visiting dugout. 

Besides the chatter (and potential foul language) this position also lines me up perfectly for a dust cloud to cover the very computer I'm typing on.

Oh, and keeping the equipment dry in case of rain. That's always fun.

And yet? Bring it all on.

Brunswick. Greenwich. Fairfield (Prep/Ludlowe/Warde/ND). Little League. Babe Ruth League. Port Jervis and Delaware Valley.

Anywhere that makes me feel at home.

Yale. University of New Haven. Pace. Manhattan College. 

Others. More. More. More.

Soon, friends. Soon.

The birds will be heard. So will the bat and ball.

The count will be full.

Play ball. Of course.