Help! They Need Somebody

 

Vin Scully, right, with his mentor Red Barber, left. 
Connie Desmond is bookended by the legends

I just finished watching a broadcast online.

I tuned in to see the score.

Now, as much as I try to avoid hearing other broadcasters, I was curious if there were any voices on the call.

So I unmuted. And there were broadcasters.

Yes, there were.

They referred to the visiting team by numbers only. 

One broadcaster was too far off the mic.

The two talked over each other.

They referred to the home team as "we" and cheered their exploits (OK, so they're homers).

They were openly critical of the opposing team's fans.

They were also critical of the players.

And, at one point, they referred to the score as low score/high score.

Would it shock you if I said they were students? Kids?

No. Of course, it wouldn't.

What's needed is guidance.

Something I've offered to several schools, for what it's worth.

Anyone can start a broadcast these days. It takes some equipment and a place to host the broadcast online but, overall, it can be done at a reasonable price.

But there still needs to be a critique as the rough edges are smoothed out.

"They're kids" is always the response and yes, that is often the case. That doesn't mean they're immune to criticism.

But Chris Kaelin and Chris Erway and Dan Murphy and countless others were grown adults who just needed a little smoothing out to become solid broadcasters. 

Even now, Mike Hirn and I will each discuss the nuances of our own work.

OK, Erway never needed that. How can one do anything with perfection?

The first thing I will always stress is to remember that, while they're your classmates and friends, you should eliminate the use of "we" regarding your school. Yes, there are exceptions but it always sounds best to refer to the school by the name.

For me, it's "Brunswick" or "Bruins." I'll even use "Wick" or on rare occasions things like "Bears" or "B's." Even the team colors are correct to say.

For Greenwich, besides calling them the Cardinals, "Big Red" is always an appropriate name.

You can say this is my own hangup, but there are certain standards that I believe in.

And while emotion and reactions are good, they must be controlled to an extent. Simply yelling doesn't accomplish anything. Raising the level to meet the moment is my approach. It amplifies the event.

As for criticism, especially in younger sports, it has to be tempered and can not be personal. I often describe a shot that isn't good as "off the mark" or "wild." It serves the purpose.

The words and the tone all matter.

Oh, and for the love of Scully, say the higher score first unless we're talking about tennis.

Incidentally, our man Vin Scully needed a mentor as well, and it was Red Barber, of course. Red was a taskmaster who helped guide Vin to be even better than Red himself was.

There's a lot more, and going through a broadcast to break it down is the right way.

Find the highlights and praise them but also address what doesn't go as well.

From there, it's a matter of practice and work.

It's a wonderful craft that I adore. Obviously, I have a style that I believe in.

But, overall, I think there's a baseline that should be met.

Let's help them get there.