Playmakers Reunite

 

Thanks to Chris Erway, we got football jerseys for Christmas.
From left, Ryan Demaria, Chris Erway, Terry Bradshaw, Chris Kaelin

My phone lit up a few minutes ago as the Rangers were about to lose in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.

We have a group chat with me, Chris Erway, Chris Kaelin, and Ryan Demaria.

Once upon a time, the four of us made up "The Playmakers," hosting "The Press Box" on WGCH. 

We did the show for roughly four years, logging an incredible amount of great guests with newsmakers from all around the northeast and beyond.

Basically, if it interested us, we had them on.

They ranged from high school and youth athletes to so many others that I can't remember them all. I recall we were actually close to having Mark Teixeira of the Yankees on at one point but we just couldn't work out the timing.

I specifically remember Steve Somers of WFAN being a particular highlight for us, as well as a night with Dave Rothenberg of ESPN, as he's a friend of mine.

Greenwich's own Steve Young was also a big highlight (thanks to Chris Hunt).

We also fought. We debated like crazy. It was a brotherhood and that was a strength. We argued. Fiercely.

Within seconds of going to break, we'd laugh.

Each one of us brought our personalities every night. The beauty of it was that we weren't all alike, save for our love of sports.

Ryan and I were Yankees fans. Kato was a Mets fan. Erway -- ErJuan to us -- a Dodgers fan.

Ryan and Kato were Giants football fans. ErJuan loves the Cowboys. I'm the Steelers.

And so on.

But the interviews were all on point. The debates were sharp and fair. They were fierce but I never felt they were vicious.

And it was all hysterical. 

We always said the best parts of the show were what wasn't on the air. We also believed in having an internet feed though we never could make it happen. But that's basically how the Facebook feed for "Doubleheader" eventually came to be.

We sat in the production studio one night to create a commercial promo for the night Steve Somers was scheduled to be on. I have the outtakes of what was probably 10 minutes of pure laughter.

It can never air. Take my word for it.

But it was also a labor of love. It was something we lost money doing every Monday night. Eventually, kids, marriage, and jobs all came to be too much.

We tried to keep it going. Oh, how we tried.

When I took the job with the Wilton Bulletin at Hersam Acorn, I was initially told that I could get to Greenwich every Monday night. Within the first few hours of my first day that Bulletin, that was rescinded by my editor.

She wanted me to cover the Board of Selectman.

So, I set up a recorder and stepped to the lobby of Wilton Town Hall, and called the show, where the boys were on the air. I'd pace the hallway, listen in where I could, and make sure the recording was still going on.

Then, I'd review the recording in full and write my story. I also made friends in the right places.

For the record, I was in on starting what became the HAN Network a few months later and was off the Bulletin in roughly a year.

In fact, Ryan, Chris, and Kato each made their way to HAN in one way or another.

But, as I said, time moved on and the show ended.

There was still a bond, initially beginning with a raucous Facebook message group that carried the name "The World's Greatest Facebook Group" or something like that. Admittedly, we'd each get fired up in there also.

In fact, those guys were essential in getting through the awful day of the horror at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was that Facebook group that first alerted me to the news and stayed in close touch all day. A few days later, we did a very somber edition of "The Press Box" and discussed what happened.

Like the show, the Facebook group eventually shut down.

So we text each other occasionally and, admittedly, we haven't all been together in some time.

With Chris Erway's time in Connecticut coming to a close, who knows when we'll all see each other again?

Like so many other things in life, we get to laugh at the memories and I suppose that has to be sufficient.

The four of us, in fact, made for one heck of a broadcast team, whether it was "The Press Box" or game broadcasts. 

We all had nicknames, besides "ErJuan." Kato had several, with "Tox" and "Tako" ultimately sticking. Ryan was "Kid" or "Demer." I was "Captain" and "Ron" for some reason.

Lives get busy but they're still brothers to me.

As always, all good things must come to an end but the memories are solid.