Matter of Fact It's All Dark

 

It was right around 2:49 when I pressed play.

I had read that if you started Pink Floyd's The Side of the Moon at the appropriate time, the final words of the song "Eclipse" would hit at the darkest moment.

So, I figured it would be fun to have a soundtrack for the moment.

I set up my mobile studio on the deck, grabbed the one pair of eclipse glasses we had, and settled in to enjoy the show.

Now, the thing to know -- as if you didn't know -- was that it really happened quickly.

It's astounding to me to consider the number of miles many traveled to have a prime space to view the eclipse.

Sean and I stepped onto our deck. I suppose we were fortunate.

We were dazzled.

Yes, we. Sean seemed to really like it and we used the protective eyewear.

The music played on a set of portable speakers in the meantime, as my Bluetooth speaker was charging up.

I know. I wasn't prepared, so the speaker wasn't charged. Last-minute decisions aren't tolerated in such situations.

Now, we were never going to see a total eclipse. I'd heard we'd get somewhere into the 90s percentage wise and that seems fair.

So, right around 3:30, we reached the peak eclipse, basically just as the song "Eclipse" was reaching that final line.

And everything under the sun is in tune

But the sun is eclipsed by the moon

Regardless of whether or not I had timed it right, I thought it was a pretty cool moment.

With that, I turned toward doing "Doubleheader" from the Bruce Park Eclipse Studio.

*****

It's also the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth for most home runs at that time.

There are three broadcasters who were on the call that night: Curt Gowdy, who called it on NBC; Milo Hamilton, who called it on Atlanta Braves radio; and the incomparable Vin Scully, calling it on Dodgers radio.

They're all sharp, professional calls, but Vinny's is pure perfection. I've used it for so many of my students as an example of calling a big moment.

Part of the exception is recognizing the voice control. The voice is a powerful instrument and it's not necessary to blast away to the outer reaches of what microphones can handle.

So, when Mike Hirn (for instance) rips away at "call of the week" types for their effervescent calls, this is what he's talking about. Scully's call on Apr 8, 1974, is a perfect example.

Vin sets the stage by presenting "the confrontation" and reminding the audience that Aaron means the tying run before Aaron takes a low pitch from Al Downing. 

Then he reminds listeners that Downing has to "ignore the sound effects" of the crowd booing.

Then the moment happens. In comes a fastball and Aaron crushes it.

"There's a high drive into deep left center field," he said. "Buckner goes back ...  to the FENCE ... it is gone!"

And then, he did what a professional does. He did what one who doesn't think the game is about him does.

He stayed quiet. In fact, he went and got a drink of water.

He watched what was playing out in front of him before finally returning to the air, recognizing the social importance of the moment.

"What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country of the world. 

"A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol."

He then became a journalist, noting the presence of Aaron's parents, particularly how Hank's mother "kissed him for all he was worth."

He also noted Aaron smiling for the first time in quite a while, remarking on the strain Aaron had felt.

But again, without anything particularly prophetic, Vin knew how to sum it up.

"It is over," he said, "at ten minutes after nine in Atlanta, Georgia, Henry Aaron has eclipsed the mark set by Babe Ruth."

Use your voice as the instrument that it is.

Use your knowledge to fill in the spaces.

But know you're the conduit.

This is a Master Class of play-by-play.

Class is dismissed.