Season's Over

 

It was after 7 p.m. when I pulled the car onto New York Route 9D south.

We drove away from Heritage Financial Park towards Interstate 84 East to come home.

For now, my Renegades season is over.

Oh, I could be back there next Sunday on the public address microphone if the Gades can beat Jersey Shore and advance to the South Atlantic League Championship. Their best-of-three series with the BlueClaws begins Tuesday night in south Jersey. 

They then come to Dutchess County beginning Thursday for Game 2 and the deciding Game 3 on Friday. As I have football on those nights, I'll miss the fun.

So, yeah, as of now, my season is over.

Let me focus on the positives.

I do public address announcing for the Renegades first and foremost because of family. Sean and Lori are both there and I love being able to hang around them. Beyond that are people who feel like family. That's the people I share a booth with and the people around the ballpark I've come to know. That's Murph and Clicks and Beats and Anthony and Richard and Jason and anyone else I've forgotten.

Obviously, that's also the people who are part of the team from day to day like Rick Zolzer and Zach Neubauer, both of whom championed me for staying on as a PA announcer. Then there's the man we'll just call "Fish" because the guy makes me laugh as well as being a bit of a sounding board. He serves as, dare I say, a perfect consigliere.

Plus Feldman. That's all you need. OK, Steve Feldman, who I graduated from high school with and was on the field all season. He served as the oldest batboy in the league and we egged the crowd on to cheer his every move.

Sean has his coworkers on the broadcast side, from the remarkably talented Sam Eisenbaum to the camera people and graphics and replay and the voices who present it all. Sure, my heart is still with that group. I won't lie. But life presents you with different opportunities and, well, that's where I am.

I can't possibly forget Luis Flores, who runs the Renegades Team Store, or Jamie Goerke who tirelessly ran game day promotions and programming.

This is all led by Gades' GM Tyson Jeffers and myriad others. I apologize for not naming everyone.

There are things I can learn from this season that will make me better.

I was asked not long ago about returning and I said I'd come back if wanted. I do it because of Sean and Lori and my friends and, of course, baseball.

Fish (right) with Rascal and Rosie, the newly-engaged mascots

I mean, I get to work in a minor league stadium where I can basically roam as I'd like, and get to be a complete goofball on a microphone. I've grown in that regard. At my best, I'm loose and firing off one-liners. At my worst, I'm probably a stale professional public address announcer.

There is a big thrill to saying something that gets, sometimes, thousands of people to respond.

Plus there are great fans who sit outside of our window and we get to interact with them.

Oh, and did I mention I've been a broadcaster and a public address announcer for a team affiliated with the New York Yankees? Like, the boyhood dream basically had some reality to it? Beyond that, I get to watch the players who will play in Yankee Stadium.

So, yeah, despite anything, I'm planning to do it again next year, hopefully with a schedule that isn't as ridiculous as this one was. To be clear, I'm the reason the schedule was nuts. Between Brunswick, Trumbull, and whatever else, I was constantly adjusting. Special thanks to Zolz and Zach for putting up with me.

The worst part is the drive by far. I love the Hudson Valley. It will forever be my homeland. But when you drive it that much it gets a bit stale and those nights heading home from Wappingers Falls can be a drag. So, sure, that's a downside and I often think about staying up there sometimes. For now, we can put that to rest until 2024.

I could be back there next Sunday. Otherwise, thanks Gades. See you soon.

*****

The Great Tire Caper of 2023 has concluded. I got to the tire place early this morning and was their first customer. I was gone within two hours. They tried to fix the tire again but, ultimately, I needed a new one. So it goes. At least I felt safe driving in the rain that we had today.

*****

I will be on WGCH sometime after 8:30 tomorrow morning to host our coverage of the September 11 ceremony live from Cos Cob Park. It will be an emotional affair and I'm honored that Tony Savino has entrusted me with this. I hope you'll tune in.