Among Friends

 

It was great to be back at Greenwich again for baseball.

To be quite honest, covering GHS baseball was meant to be a reintroduction for WGCH and WGCH Sports to show that we can do more than football. I wanted us to have a presence in town and we still can. I felt strongly that we could do baseball and softball in a small package.

Well, wait. Check that. I also thought we could do a package of basketball and ice hockey -- boys and girls in each case.

For whatever reason, it didn't come together for the winter sports but I was encouraged to create a list for the spring.

It also did not come together to be on terrestrial radio. Instead, I put it on Robcasting with no ads.

Yes. I'm doing them for fun.

That also meant that I didn't have to get to Greenwich High this afternoon. But, if you know me and how I feel about commitments, you knew I'd try.

So, with minimal fuss, I went to the high school to set up and call baseball today as the Cardinals hosted the Norwalk Bears.

I was there in plenty of time and, as I had done before, I put the equipment down the right field line near the bleachers.

The visiting bleachers.

As such, Norwalk fans gathered nearby.

I've mentioned before that I prefer to broadcast in a vacuum. I like to just call the game on my own. I get the audience can hear me -- of course, that's how it's supposed to be -- but I would rather not have people around me involved.

Of course, everyone always means well, be it a nudge in terms of pronunciation or some other correction.

And let's be clear: the Norwalk fans today were great. One person interacted with me slightly but nothing that broke my rhythm. I didn't get the usual questions about what I was doing while I was on the air or anything like that. Further, one mother was particularly complimentary after the game was over. She was fascinated by what I was doing.

I appreciated her kind words.

Of course, this also highlights my comfort with who I work. You know by now that, in general, Chris Erway tends to be my right-hand when it comes to joining me in the booth. We have the best chemistry and it's clear we enjoy working together. We understand each other.

But it's important to say that the people who are on the air with me are the ones who I'm comfortable with. Whether it's Shawn Sailer or Sean Adams or Sean Kilkelly, Chris Erway or Chris Kaelin, or someone else, it's someone who is a friend (or family) and I trust.

When I do put someone new on the air, I do so because I have a feeling they have something to offer. When you do what I do you become a bit of a talent scout.

Otherwise, I'm frankly content to work alone. I was sort of terrified to do that initially but now it's second nature. I felt I had no business trying to be my own analyst, especially for sports like lacrosse and soccer, but I have acquainted myself just fine.

Think about it. I have called, at various times, lacrosse, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, softball, football, water polo (!) and even wrestling alone. 

And I'm quite comfortable.

Sometimes, I'm forced to have a partner. That's happened a few times with Brunswick, such as the FAA baseball championship where Hopkins placed a gentleman in the booth with me so that it would be a "shared" broadcast with one person representing each team.

I've also influenced things on my own, such as the suggestion of Dan Arestia joining me for lacrosse. My instinct said he'd be good on the air and I was right.

Oh, and let me add that I don't care if my partner in the booth is male, female, etc. If I'm comfortable and having fun, it's all good.

The booth is best when it sounds like two (or more) people who enjoy being together. 

Today, I was best on my own.

The same goes for tomorrow (weather permitting) at Brunswick.