Miles of Games and Smiles

 

Ethan Long shoots the ball (Brunswick School photo)
Note: I'm not sure which photographer took it

In the above picture, there's a figure on the far right in the background. Upon zooming in, you can see he's wearing a headset and glasses with a vest and a black sweater.

Yes, that's me.

And it's exactly where I belong.

I appreciate any picture that shows me at work. I'm thrilled by it. It's me in my element. It shows the grind of being omnipresent and telling the story.

But I'm only a conduit to the stars. I'm doing the talking and the players and coaches are doing what matters. They can do what they do without me.

This was taken yesterday during Brunswick's victory over The Masters School. The Bruins opened a big lead and held on. I'll be back with them next week for hockey and probably more basketball. But the days are counting down in the regular season. In fact, I got a look at the Brunswick lacrosse schedule and I'm comfortable in believing I'll be on quite a few of those broadcasts. 

I'm patiently (OK, impatiently) awaiting a Brunswick baseball schedule so I can start lining everything up. I'm sort of fond of calling baseball.

But I've also reached a great point of comfort with lacrosse, given I was utterly clueless when I called my first game roughly 20 years ago. But it allowed me to know that with even a basic knowledge I can make it work.

I love winter sports. I love spring weather.

And I love the rhythm of a baseball broadcast.

Soon.

After Brunswick, I went to Poughkeepsie for the second Hudson Valley Vipers regular season game in team history. I had the same setup as last time in the stands but I arrived too early to set up.

A Marist College hockey game was going on when I walked in. I sat down near their student broadcasters and even listened to their broadcast on YouTube.

I studied and made adjustments to my Vipers roster as I waited. There were quite a few, in fact. 

I got to watch the rink go through the quick change from college hockey to the Vipers and chatted with the Marist broadcasters for a few minutes. The advice, as always, is the same:

- Practice your craft.

- Grind. Take internships if you can. Don't say no to opportunities.

- Build your network of contacts.

By the way, neither asked to stay in touch. I'm not offended but given I just said "Build your network of contacts," well, there you go.

They took off and I set up. The Vipers played the Norfolk Mallards, who shared the broadcast via their social media accounts. That small thing produced a nice audience and a few kind comments. 

There are still kinks to work out there and that includes for me. For the next game, I don't have another job that day and that will help reduce a little stress.

I called this game without the moral support of the first game when I had family nearby. But I had extended family, as a group of my Renegdeas colleagues were in the house. A member of the Gades staff plays for the Vipers so that added to the fun of the evening.

Alas, the Vipers lost 6-2. I took my time to pack up and was actually the only person in the stands when I left.

I walked up to the pitch-black parking garage (nothing scary about that) and got out of Poughkeepsie. It was a long but uneventful ride back to Greenwich and I didn't get to bed until 1:30 this morning.

I fed the cat before I went to bed, thinking I'd be able to sleep through his usual morning nonsense. Nobody told him that schedule. He still tried to wake me up early.

Of course, I had to get up and go to WGCH for the second edition of "Meet the Beatles."

Today I began telling the history of the group, stretching from the birth of producer George Martin through John meeting Paul followed by George and introducing the audience to Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best as well as Andy White, Mal Evans, Brian Epstein, and others in the Beatles' orbit.

I was also able to play a few songs that inspired the Fabs. I laughed about it on the air but I'll stand by what I said: Tell me another American radio show or station playing "Rock Island Line," the skiffle version of a folk song written in 1929.

The version released by Lonnie Donegan in 1955 influenced The Quarrymen, the pre-Beatles band led by John Lennon. The Quarrymen were part of the skiffle revival in the United Kingdom in the 1950s.

I also played clips of "Twenty Flight Rock" and "Raunchy," the songs that Paul McCartney and George Harrison, respectively, played for John after meeting him.

But I backed out of both songs because I feared I was losing the audience. I know I should trust my gut on these things but I'm trying to create a show that is part history, a lot of music, and all fun and good.

I know I was energized by the end of the show to do it again next week.

That's a good feeling.

*****

Of course, I'll watch it but it will be the Insufferable Super Bowl.