"Don't Talk To Me When I Have a Headset On"

 

The Podfather

I have no plans to write an autobiography.

Yet, if I did, tonight's posts title would be the title of my autobiography: "Don't Talk To Me When I Have a Headset On"

It happens every...single...time.

Yesterday it was to make the PA system louder.

Today?

- The stream was off the air.

- Did I have the rosters that they could look at?

- What was the address of the stream?

It happened today because Nyack High School doesn't have a press box with windows that open. That, frankly, is problematic. I could have worked from the booth but I had no way to run 1) a crowd mic and 2) my sound to Dave the videographer.

So, I called a great audible. I broke out the Sport Pod! My spidey senses (patent pending) were tingling that I should bring it with me this morning and I was quite right. Given I have two, either would have sufficed. In the end, it was brilliant, especially when a brief rain spurt broke out before the last (and longest) game.

Yes, it was a long game. Eighty minutes of regulation weren't enough. Twenty minutes of the first overtime didn't suffice. Ten minutes of student death didn't get the job done. No score after all of that. So, it took penalty kicks.

When it was all over, Clarkstown North had the win. Bronxville, Yonkers Montessori Academy, and Arlington were the other winners.

I won and lost. I won in that I called all of that and continue to improve a bit as a soccer broadcaster. At least there were no complaints to my knowledge.

I lost in that I'm in pain. My right hip hurt throughout the day. My right leg felt like it was tingling at times. Roughly 12 hours of standing on concrete (with breaks) will do that to you. That started when I did the same thing day after day at Brien McMahon High School for a Babe Ruth regional a few years back.

I'll sleep all of that off. When it was all over, Dave and I were the last two to leave the stadium. He produced a fairly brilliant broadcast, doubling as a director of replays and graphics.

I talked. Maybe not as much as usual but still a lot.

So, let's cut to the chase: when I have the headset on and especially when I'm talking into it, that means I'm working

Bring on Election Night, The Clubhouse, and everything else.

Oh, and Happy Halloween. Basically, I preferred calling four soccer games to being alone tonight. I wouldn't mind, basically, hyper jumping to roughly March 1st now.

So yeah I'm content to pass Thanksgiving and the other holidays. Want me to care about a new year? Make me believe 2022 will be worth thinking things will be different (read: calmer, consistent, and overall better) by the time it's over.

And, yes, that includes skipping my birthday.

Anyway, hello November. Like it or not.