The New Voiceover Star

 

The pre-broadcast game faces of Shawn Sailer, me,
Sean Adams, Dan Murphy, and Chris Erway

The first Greenwich football game of 2023 is in the books and it ended just like the last game of last year.

Greenwich 35, Fairfield Prep 21. Different score but same result.

Greenwich's defense looked insane and their offense and special teams had a few hiccups but still played well. 

In short, the Cardinals look outstanding again.

If I had to guess, Chris and I better keep our calendars open for the playoffs but, let's be honest, it's one game.

But, finally, we got to take the wraps off of the theme to open the broadcast.

Now, understand that the music hasn't changed. It's what we've used since before I started at WGCH. It's become fairly iconic.

But the words change. Generally, sponsors have changed.

A few years ago, we started using game highlights and those have changed.

And the voice reading the sponsors and welcoming listeners has changed as well. Some years, it was Bob Small. Mike Hirn did it for a year. I'm sure my voice has been heard as well.

You can listen to the broadcast of today's game here. The opening is at the beginning of the audio.

Effective today, Sean Adams is the voice that welcomes listeners to Greenwich Cardinals football.

It was one of my ideas though I didn't think it would fly. Yet, when I suggested it to Bob, he was all for it.

I didn't think Sean would go for it but he was intrigued. So, with me sitting nearby, he read the script. I think he did it in two takes.

He says he'd like to re-record it but I'm not sure it will be necessary.

I told no one. Bob knew because I sent it to him. Sean and I obviously both knew. But no one else.

So with a wonderful booth of friends today, we prepared to listen to what I had for them.

Kudos to Dan Murphy and Shawn Sailer -- as well as Sean and Chris Erway, of course -- for making this opening day simply exceptional.

As a father, I can't be more proud than to have my son introducing me. It's been a special path that we have forged with him following me into a surprising media career. I'm astounded at my son -- who's not a sports fan -- participating like this as a cameraman, studio operator, and now voiceover talent.

I was exceedingly proud to hear that opening -- as well as the closing -- on these broadcasts that have been so important to my life.

The day had its ups and downs, with a weather delay making us scramble a bit for a half-hour. Whether I'm actually on the air or not, I'm still in "radio mode" for the entirety of the broadcast, delay included. So it was for 3.5 hours today. 

But I also represent WGCH and, in some ways, the school and town off the air, so I'm mindful of that when interacting with fans as we did at the pregame tailgate.

I also count the good fortune of having many people stop us to say hello and catch up as we walked around the stadium. We are anything but a big deal but these interactions allow us to believe that we actually matter and we're grateful.

That doesn't mean we'll always be agreed with. There was a penalty on a pretty fierce hit during the game and I expected blowback from someone over how Chris and I handled that moment. It comes with the territory and I doubt we'd change our approach but we all know how social media is.

It was a fairly long day but we're home and we'll be ready for game two. A quick turnaround awaits as Stamford comes to Cardinal Stadium on Thursday night. Assuming all is well, our pregame show begins at 5:50 p.m.

We'll be there.

Oh, and I have to go get my tire looked at. Again.

We'll deal with that in the morning.

Then, quite likely my last Renegades game of the year. The team mascot, Rascal (not my cat) got engaged to his friend Rosie the Skunk today. 

I'm a sucker for romance.

What Year is it?

 

It's Connecticut's turn.

There were a few football games in the state last night.

More are scheduled for tonight though the heat and thunderstorms are messing with those plans.

But I'm listening to Jeff Alterman and Sawyer Nicholas (and now Mike Buswell) on the TEN Network as they call Trumbull/Hamden and the season is rolling.

Here, it's almost time.

Roughly 16 hours.

Fairfield Prep at Greenwich.

I'm trying to figure out how to view this season, not that it matters. You see, my first Cardinals football broadcast was in late 1999 when I was a sideline reporter (against Fairfield Prep). Does that mean, if you do the math, that this is my 25th year?

Is it 24 because I became the lead play-by-play announcer in 2000?

But then, do we subtract 2020 due to COVID, even though I did do one of the 7-on-7 games that year?

And then, what about HAN Network? I did two years there, including some GHS games.

So, yeah. Twenty-five then?

I guess it's all in how you look at it. Either way, I suppose it's an achievement to have that kind of consistency though I often think it's held against me in that some think I'm "the Greenwich guy." That's why the state ignores the work that we've done on WGCH (and elsewhere).

Actually, I'm "the guy who will show up and call any game" but, yeah, Greenwich is home.

Greenwich High and Brunswick.

And I'll do both once again. 

But, in truth, if I can get other games in, I'd do it. 

I could do the game right now. Despite all of the calls to be as prepared as possible, I've done what I can do. I have rosters for both teams but do I trust them? Not really but I won't until the game starts.

Will I feel better before 1:50 tomorrow afternoon? I hope so.

I've talked to the people I want to talk to. I'll talk to more tomorrow at Cardinal Stadium.

I'll get there at a time that I hope isn't too early but is certainly early enough to set up and feel comfortable. That will then allow me to visit the field, maybe even walk out to the tailgate, and take a deep breath.

Chris Erway and I will call the hell out of it, in part because we both feel a little challenged, and that's not something to do to us.

But I know me. I can still remember that first game when it was mine to be lead broadcaster in 2000. It was Norwalk at Greenwich and I was nervous. I knew the legacy that I was stepping into and I wanted to be good.

Now, all these years later, I can only hope I've upheld my part of that legacy.

But, again, I know me. I'll be nervous tomorrow. I always am before the first Greenwich football game.

They're good nerves for sure. Why me, to be honest? Why am I the one who has driven this bus for years? I don't want to screw it all up. I do honestly have to remind myself that I've earned this position.

Am I ready? Is the equipment good? Does the audience enjoy us? Are we giving enough detail? How does it all sound?

All of this -- and more -- will roll through my skull tomorrow.

I feel a responsibility. I feel I have to be good. Or better.

Right around 12:49 p.m. will be a tsunami of emotions with nervousness evaporating into pride.

Then? Start talking.

I want kids to hear us and say "I want to be like that."

Heck, I just heard today how we've essentially intimidated others simply through our broadcasts. 

Honestly, it's not the first time I've heard this but I don't like when it impacts what we do.

Can you imagine? Intimidating? Me?!

But it just makes us stronger. It's why we jokingly say "1-2-3 dominate" sometimes before a broadcast.

It's why friends ask to shadow us to watch us work.

The stars, however, will be the kids on the field. Always.

The coaches as well.

The game leads the way. Chris and I -- along with Sean Kilkelly in the studio -- are going to try to make it sound professional.

Across the way will be friends from Fairfield Prep. I'd hope that would be a long relationship there but they've decided to bring their broadcasts in-house and they like using students to lead the way. I have thoughts on that because I believe students should be trained to sound good. After all, they wind up representing their school. 

Either way, Prep has my number.

While I don't work for Greenwich High School, I know how we're viewed, like it or not.

So we'll represent Greenwich and Fairfield Prep well tomorrow. Because that's what we do.

Be listening for the pregame show at 1:50. Please.

Our last year -- from Greenwich/Newtown on Sep 9, 2022, until softball on Staten Island a few weeks ago, produced a wonderful number of broadcasts that I'm so proud of. I want that momentum to roll into this school year.

It's time. Finally.

Talk to you tomorrow as year 25 (maybe?) begins.

Tournament Night One

 

I was on the call of the Fairfield Prep Holiday Classic basketball tournament last night in Fairfield.

Oh, the new Leo D. Mahoney Arena is absolutely beautiful. It has that "new arena smell" still. It's very intimate, as the crowd is so close to the action and there are nice little tributes to the building it replaced, Alumni Hall.

Even our broadcast perch was interactive, as we sat on a concourse level where fans could lean over our shoulders as we called the games.

I've often talked about chemistry in a broadcast. It's so crucial in the booth for the on-air team but it's also important for the entire crew. In this case, I was working with a crew that had a director, a producer, and a couple of camera operators. The producer is heading up Fairfield Prep's broadcasts moving forward while everyone else is a student.

It's a fancy dance, walking in as the hired voice (I was also described as "the pro."). I got talked up as being "kind of a big deal" which embarrasses me but, among friends I'll lean into it and have fun. As Shawn Sailer and I walked up to where I'd call the game, I joked about "the GOAT" approaching to him.

Blech. I'm hardly "the GOAT."

While maintaining a calm demeanor and approach and calling the game as I've all called the previous 1600-plus, I was honestly inwardly awkward and nervous. It's a new scene. It's a new group. I don't want to screw it up. I know there are people constantly gunning to do what I do (some who were in the building!). 

New regimes do things differently and, as I alluded to recently, you have to approach every broadcast with gratitude as it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. So I certainly wanted to help produce broadcasts that people admire.

I called the games and eventually established a rhythm. Oh, I made mistakes (damn you, rosters) and the games were ... well, they were games.

You see, what is expected of me is to recognize that I'm not going to heavily criticize high school athletes. Yes, there certainly can be criticism but these aren't professional athletes. So when the first game has a nearly 40 point difference, all I can do is still focus on the action, give the score and time, and joke about dinner plans or something else.

While I don't keep shooting percentages in basketball, I'd love to know what that number was in the second game. There were a lot of misses but the audience gets that without me having to add much more.

Still, this is especially awkward when the son of a close friend is not having a good game.

"The pictures said it all," I said after the game. "I couldn't sugarcoat it."

No, I could not. But the choice of words matters. So, by saying, "He's having trouble finding it," it's critical without being harsh. It's fair and honest.

Also, the pictures. As a play-by-play announcer so used to working with a more descriptive "radio" call, a broadcast like last night shifts into more of a hybrid. The camera people are very raw so I can't just do a TV call but I really shouldn't go all-in with details because there are supposed to be pictures.

It's a dance.

This was a good atmosphere for me as a broadcaster in that I know some of the coaches. I know some of the families. I know a few of the players. I also know others connected to the evening. It was my own crew that I knew none of and, in the long run, it didn't impact the broadcasts. 

We got along fine and found a groove as the night moved along. I was able to joke with them a bit, hoping to release any tension (especially within me). I've been told I can be intimidating and it's always my goal to alleviate that.

I think the games looked pretty good for a first go-round. 

Nobody knew what to expect from the guy who would serve as the broadcaster and I guess I did OK.

Crews change. It might not be the same bunch tonight.

But I'll be back.

Oh, you bet I will.

Games to Call

 

Leo T. Mahoney Arena (Photo: Fairfield University)

So begins the final week of 2022. 

Games. Yes, lots of games. There's a question of how many but that will be resolved.

Two tonight.

Two tomorrow.

Maybe two Thursday? Three? One?

One Friday.

As many as eight total. 

Love it.

Without question, I'll do the most games I've ever done in a calendar year by the end of Friday and I'm beyond grateful. Yet the thing I always have to remind myself is that it's the quality that matters.

Was every broadcast good? Most? A few?

I'd like to believe they all were with some better than others. Despite whatever demons are swirling I try to believe that I'm ready and can do a quality job on each game.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The four New Jersey girls soccer state championships? I felt like an awkward fish out of water but I did my prep, gathered my notes, collected my rosters, and made sure to have adequate internet for any additional information on the fly.

The four New Jersey girls lacrosse championships? Those were mighty challenging but I still gave it my best.

I'm diving into boys basketball tonight for the Prep Holiday Classic in Fairfield. I could look at how many times I've called it (probably five or six) but it doesn't matter. I was lucky that, when Fairfield had one public high school in the late 90s, they needed one more team to fill out the four-team tournament.

Enter the Greenwich Cardinals.

And, thus, I got the call on WGCH of the games Greenwich played in.

So it was that I fell for Alumni Hall at Fairfield University. The place had charm and screamed of old-school athletics.

But time marches on and modern amenities are a beautiful thing. Thus, I'm heading to the new Leo T. Mahoney Arena tonight for four games (two tonight, two tomorrow).

It was March 1, 2021, when Shawn Sailer and I did the last high school game from Alumni Hall. Tonight, we'll both be back in the new place on the site of the old place.

Two games. Four teams.

6 p.m.: Notre Dame-Fairfield vs. Fairfield Ludlowe

8 p.m.: Fairfield Warde vs. Fairfield Prep

The winners play in the championship game tomorrow night at 8 p.m. while the consolation game is at 6 p.m.

I'm on the call and I'll share the link for the video feed when I get it. I'm also planning to air the audio on Robcasting.

Later in the week, I'm definitely calling at least one (and maybe two) Brunswick hockey games. It seems the Bruins were supposed to play in a tournament near Buffalo but, as you might know, they've been hit with awful snow and cold. 

Photo: NYSDOT Buffalo on Twitter

As a result, the Bruins are now hosting games on Thursday and Friday. 

The Friday game is at 10 a.m. and I'm all over that. I get a game to call and still get the rest of my day.

Oh, finding the energy to jump on a morning broadcast can be a trick but there's something about an early morning game that I like. I think my earliest game broadcast was 8 a.m. down near Philadelphia.

So I'll be in the Hartong Rink by 8:30 on Friday morning and on my way back home in the early afternoon. Perfect.

We'll head into 2023 not long after that.

No. Let's just focus on today.

Enjoy the journey.

New experience tonight.

First game at 6.

Champions

 

The clock had run out and the hugging had begun. Those hugs and the roar of the cheering could be heard back at The Cos Cobber and MacDuff's and Two Doors. They could be heard in Riverside, Byram, Glenville, OG, Chickahominy, backcountry, Pemberwick, and Bruce Park.

Greenwich 37, Fairfield Prep 17. 

For the Cardinals of Greenwich, the Jesuits had bedeviled them a bit over the years. Last year, Fairfield Prep won a hard-fought, emotional playoff game.

This year, the Cardinals left no doubt. They had six takeaways -- including five interceptions, one for a pick-six touchdown -- and never turned the ball over.

They ran more than they passed behind the thunder and lightning of George Vomvolakis (152 yards) and Jack Konigsburg (58). Quarterback Jack Wilson threw for 119 yards, completing 11 of 19 passes but he also snuck for two touchdowns. That was part of the Big Red bread and butter all year.

It's a night of so many things to remember. The ride to and from the stadium as well as the time in the stadium was filled with hysteria. Chris and I did (by my count) 21 football broadcasts this fall and I did 27 in total. That included Brunswick, Middletown NY, Port Jervis NY, and Greenwich.

That concludes 24 years that I've been involved in at least one Greenwich football broadcast whether on LocalLive, Robcasting, HAN, or WGCH. Remove the years we were at HAN and COVID year when I did a 7-on-7 broadcast on Robcasting, and the count is 20 years as the lead broadcaster for Greenwich football.

Wow. What a blessing it's been.

Photo courtesy of John Holt/CIAC Sports

What a crew to work with to finish the year. This works because of the steady hand of Sean Kilkelly manning things in the studio. Our technical problems, frankly, were minimal all year. Even if we had them we calmly fixed them and moved on. That's why Sean is the best.

Shawn Sailer couldn't join us at all during the season because of his duties in Fairfield at Ludlowe and Warde (#OneTown, of course). But when given the chance to take the ride, he jumped in. I know he's lamenting that his effort to do stats wasn't perfect but I don't think it hurt the broadcast at all.

In fact, any gripes I have about last night are so minimal that they're not worth discussing. They're literally nitpicks. The experience was so great -- from checking in to get our passes to our booth to the availability of water and a restroom nearby. It's easy to knock an organization like the CIAC because, well, that's the nature of the beast but wow did they get everything right.

Live stats would have been great and maybe that will happen. As I said, didn't hurt the broadcast.

Photo courtesy of Shawn Sailer

And, of course, Chris Erway stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me for all of those games. All of those long rides. The trip to and from Trinity-Pawling when I thought my car might get wiped away in the pouring rain. The trip to Williston-Northampton when we didn't even know if we'd be allowed to call the game. The trip to Choate when we set up on the hill and might as well have worked from a different school.

The drives and belly-aching laughs. Like coming back from Choate or last night.

The season had an older-school feeling to it. There was once a time when WGCH would show up at a game and it was like we were emptying out of a clown car. We'd be a crew of four (or more) and you knew we were there.

Well, with just two (or three like last night) we had that old feeling. In truth, the rides together serve as de facto prep sessions, even if it's just to laugh. But, between the howls, there were also chats about the intricacies of the game itself and what we would do when we'd arrive at the site.

The praise (minus one person through all of those games, back in the second broadcast of the season) has been universal. I keep hearing the word "professionalism." Well, mission accomplished then. That's our goal. It's going to sound like a professional broadcast with bits of humor and our personality dropped into the stew. But it's also going to have detailed play-by-play and analysis.

I used to think anyone can do this. I'm wrong. Having the presence to remain focused as the game gets out of hand is another skill. When the score would get lopsided, we'd still do our thing while reaching for what we called "The 'B' material" of things to talk about.

Chris and I keep a high standard and we uphold it.

With Greenwich coach Tony Morello (Photo: Shawn Sailer)

So when people ask why we're not calling that game last night on the video broadcast or why we're just not calling college games or whatever else, there's a nuanced answer within.

There are politics and connections and all kinds of things going on. It's a crazy competitive world. Speaking specifically, Chris and I don't have a relationship with NFHS, the broadcaster who carried the video feed of the football championship games though we know people involved with the production. 

We think we should be involved with football and other sports and we'll see if we can change that. Obviously, calling baseball would bring me such joy.

None of that takes away from last night.

The support of our audience was phenomenal. The messages we got throughout the broadcast were incredible, though I have to be careful about reading all of it so that it doesn't take me away from the game itself.

Eventually, after laughing our way back home, we finished with a toast and some dinner.

To a successful broadcast!

To all of the successful broadcasts!

To Fairfield Prep! Also, to the memory of their fallen teammate Jimmy McGrath!

To Greenwich!

Because they are the champions.

It's Almost Go Time

 

It's late and I have a broadcast tomorrow.

As I've just returned from a family gathering, I'm short on time to write too much this evening and that's probably a good thing.

So let's do it like this:

Fairfield Prep vs. Greenwich

CIAC Class LL State Championship Football Game

Sat, Dec 9, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT

1490 am near Greenwich

wgch.com or robcasting.mixlr.com

I take this whole thing seriously.

There are two teams -- two towns -- who will be listening and relying on what Chris Erway and I present via the radio.

These are two teams -- again, two towns -- that I know fairly well.

At one time or another, I've been a play-by-play announcer for each school.

Some listeners will be happy and some won't.

I can't control any of that.

What I can control is myself. I can call the game as I've called state championship games since 2000.

Then 2001.

Then 2002.

Then 2004.

Then 2006 and 2007.

Then non-Greenwich state championship football games in 2013 and 2014.

Oh, and there were more Greenwich football championships in 2017 and 2018.

And allow me to say I did Greenwich and Fairfield Prep in hockey a few years ago.

So, yes, I've got some experience with title games. That doesn't mean I won't have some good nerves rolling around tomorrow.

I don't walk in with expectations. I don't throw titles around like "voice of the championships." No, I'm doing one game. I'm the lead play-by-play announcer and on-site engineer as well as a producer of the Class LL broadcast on WGCH Radio.

But I can tell you I'll feel a certain level of overwhelmed as the music begins around 5:20 tomorrow for the pregame.

Shawn Sailer will be along to do some stats and enjoy the journey.

Chris, Shawn, and I will laugh. A lot. On the air and off.

But the stars will be in red, white, and black with maybe some gold (depending on which uniforms the teams wear tomorrow).

The players. The coaches. They're the stars.

By probably 8:30 tomorrow night there will be a champion.

Sometime after that, we'll assess the broadcast and, I don't mind saying, might raise a toast as well to a remarkable season of football broadcasts.

But that's all for later.

Now?

Time for bed.

Then the final preparation.

Then into the car.

Football tomorrow.

We'll give you a good show regardless of who wins.

Join us on the radio and the internet for the broadcast.

Turkey Eve

Seniors and loved ones pose following the senior night ceremony

At the beginning of football season, I said three teams wanted me to be their broadcaster.

Of course, Greenwich and Brunswick are the first two. The third is Fairfield Prep, where I did a few games last year (though one was against Greenwich).

We were unable to work out the conflicts until tonight when I called their season finale against the undefeated West Haven Blue Devils, considered the top team in the state.

Final score: Fairfield Prep 21, West Haven 6. 

Knowing it was the day before Thanksgiving (as God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly), I had to get on the road well before Interstate 95 formed its annual parking lot*.

*Well, it's a daily parking lot but it's extra ugly on Thanksgiving Eve.

So I did what any rational soul would do! I left 6.5 hours before kickoff for a trip that should normally take far less.

My thinking was that I could shop in a few places. I could sit somewhere and eat lunch. I could pull into the Fairfield rest area and sleep! I could also use their wifi.

It took maybe an hour in total, including time to stop at Home Depot in Stamford, where Chris Kaelin suggested I could go to get a long internet cable for tomorrow's festivities at Staples High School (Greenwich/Staples, 10 a.m., WGCH).

I messaged Shawn Sailer (Fairfield's own purveyor of all things #OneTown) and we decided to grab lunch. Ah, that will do quite nicely! A buffalo chicken wrap and fries would do the job to hold me for the game.

We hung out, talked (we never struggle to do that), and soon departed.

As I drove away, I realized something was underneath my wiper blade. Yes, friends, your dumb-dumb writer had parked in a spot for cars with permits at the wrong hour of the day. I received a well-earned ticket for my efforts.

You're welcome, Fairfield.

Following a much-needed coffee purchase, I arrived at Rafferty Stadium, the soccer/lacrosse facility on the campus of Fairfield University. This is where Fairfield Prep plays football and, as such, lighter lines are drawn on the field for football to be played. It makes for a difficult visual but it works.

Dave Houghton -- producer, director, cameraman, and point person for the broadcasts -- had just started setting up. For the record, I arrived at the stadium an incredible three hours before kickoff. But, on the bright side, there was plenty of parking in the lot closest to the field. My friend (and senior football dad) Erick Wuchiski busted my chops for being so early.

For the record, I'll probably be roughly three hours early for kickoff tomorrow at Staples. It's part of being prepared (and also allows us to get to the tailgate).

Dave's setup of the computer and cameras took much longer than mine. In fact, I set up audio, realized I didn't need it and broke it down quickly. I was able to try out the new internet cable (it works fine). Then I could relax. Shawn eventually joined me to hang out for the evening.

Senior night ceremonies kicked things off. It was made more emotional by the acknowledgment of Jimmy McGrath, who died at a gathering in Shelton back in May. McGrath's parents and loved ones were on hand to receive a framed jersey on what should have been his senior night. A standing ovation and tears were parts of this moment.

Eventually, we got down to football between these two Thanksgiving (Eve) rivals. 

For what it's worth (zero) this is the first Thanksgiving Eve game I've called in 22 years. I did Greenwich at Danbury back in 2000. Every year since then (with the obvious exception of 2020) I've done a game on Thanksgiving Day (and, reminder, I'll do so tomorrow).

I called this one solo tonight, aware of the responsibility of being the hired gun brought in for the first time this season. It's a daunting task but one I was ready for. Sitting in the next room, my friend Eric Scholl made the music jump out of the sound system, nailing each particular moment where needed. His first song of the night was a little ditty called "The Power of Love" played for a broadcaster nearby.

In my opinion, that should now be a tradition, given Prep won. Or maybe it should just be when I'm there to call a game.

Prep and West Haven were really playing for just seeding tonight, as neither team needed it to make the playoffs. The playoffs begin Tuesday and, as much as I'd love to call another game for Prep, you know I'll be on Greenwich's call that night.

So it could be "one and done" with Prep this season for football, though I'd say there's a fairly solid chance you'll hear me back there very soon.

It turned out to be a productive, low-stress night.

An early start awaits tomorrow morning.

I'm Not Waiting for Sunday Night

My view

 

There was football on Friday. Roughly five hours at the game site along with approximately 2.5 hours in the car.

There was more football yesterday. A long drive, the stress of finding a place to set up, break down, call the game, and so on.

It's more mentally taxing than physically taxing. Oh, sure, there's walking to and from, the car, standing and gesticulating during the broadcast, etc. But it's the mental side that is probably more exhausting. Still, my back and feet hurt when it was all over.

So, fortunately, I've had a low-key day today. We could have gone to the grocery store but we have enough in the apartment to be fine.

Basically, I've had a restful day of TV and doing laundry. It was a day of house stuff.

For as much as I love football (and I do) I simply don't have the fire for the NFL that I used to have. Oh, sure, I'm still a Steelers fan but I don't have the same passion for the league. That's been building for a few years, to be honest.

Oh, don't overanalyze that. What I'm saying is that I don't watch every game with the same intensity that I probably did as a teenager. Instead, I'm also reading or doing something else.

Our choices here in Greenwich didn't help fuel me. We had Lions/Giants and Jets/Patriots in the early window. Blech.

Then we had a godawful Cowboys/Vikings game on and it did nothing for me. For one thing, I'm among the many who see the Cowboys on national TV and yawn. Don't misunderstand me, I get why the Cowboys are on (same reason the Yankees are often on national TV). They're a national brand. They draw eyeballs. That doesn't minimize being tired of it.

But once that game was out of hand, CBS switched to their other game: Bengals/Steelers.

My head immediately popped up and I was engaged.

So, what's going on? Have I changed? Has the NFL changed?

Yes and yes and that's OK.

I've been mostly all-in on high school football since I started calling a game every week on WVIP Radio in 1999. So my college football intake has been minimized a lot. My NFL energy has just changed.

But, hey, the NFL itself has changed. But they laugh all the way to the bank every week.

And I still have the TV on here.

I also just muttered something about blanking bull bleep holding calls, so yeah, I still have the fire for it.

The Bengals just scored to go up 11 points and I heaved a big sigh. I repeat, so yeah.

Also, the Bengals' white uniforms are an atrocity.

PS, the Steelers lost. 

Anyway, now I move on to getting ready for three game broadcasts this week. First up, I'm heading to Fairfield on Wednesday night for West Haven/Fairfield Prep in an excellent matchup. Prep's broadcasts have featured a couple of alums but they're apparently unavailable this week. Since it's likely Chris Erway won't be at this one, they might have to roll with just me.

In the meantime, I'll be hoping someone from Staples High School responds to me to help with the abysmal internet situation at their school. 

As with many other places, I know Chris and I will be standing outside. I think we've done one or two broadcasts inside their booth. The internet is the bigger issue. Don't be surprised if that game is brought through via a cell phone connection. Chris and I have had rather epic issues there in the past, including having to pass a cell phone between us back in 2019.

I'm confident we won't have to do that this time but, barring an improvement in the internet there, I don't see it being smooth sailing otherwise.

That game is on Thanksgiving. I've been promised there is a pregame tailgate gathering.

We'll need it.

(Oh, and Carrie Underwood and that dopey Sunday Night Football song are so lame.)

Insanity

 

Bedlam

I've said "insanity" during a buzzer-beating shot before.

It was Dave McClure of Trinity Catholic on a layup at Greenwich High School in 2002.

"McClure with no time!" I exclaimed. "Insanity!"

I didn't love it but others did. My old hockey partner, John Spang, called it a favorite of his.

Insanity reappeared last night.

Fairfield Prep and Norwich Free Academy battled in the CIAC Div I quarterfinals at Fairfield Warde last night.

NFA built up a seven-point lead before the Jesuits began to come back.

The tension in the room was incredible. While Prep's "bomb squad" is always present, a strong showing made the drive from Norwich to support the Wildcats.

Things reached their crescendo as Prep mounted a late rally.

A one-and-one opportunity sat in the way of improving the NFA lead to three but the front end was missed.

It was now on Prep to go win it but, first, they needed the rebound.

Leave that to Ryan Preisano, who hauled it in and moved up the floor. NFA didn't initiate contact.

Preisano (I know I said "Pres-ee-ah-no" at least once, sorry) turned and set himself outside the arc.

He let it fly.

By this time, I stood on top of the riser that had been placed behind the scorer's table. I wanted to make sure I had a good view with no obstructions from the crowd, officials, or players.

The ball sailed.

Time stands still in that moment. You aren't as concerned with "nailing" the call as you are getting it right. You want to do it all justice.

The line towards the basket was good.

Then?

Swish.

The first thing, for me, was to report the obvious. Oh, it was good. That's for sure.

Prep 57, NFA 55.

The tide of red-clad Prep fans exploded out of the stands. PA announcer Eric Scholl stood no chance of keeping the bomb squad off the floor.

In that moment, I looked for words. No question I had Vin Scully in my mind telling me to lay out, or "shut up."

Still, I had one thing to add: "Ryan Preisano! It's insanity in here!"

It was.

My mind goes to, well, everything. Be good to the NFA kids. Win with dignity and enthusiasm and sportsmanship. Make sure nobody gets hurt!

It was all good and I stood and watched -- Scully-style -- for 38 seconds before I finally opened my mouth again.

"One for the ages. At the buzzer. Ryan Preisano -- the 6-4 junior -- with nerves of steel drains a three-pointer to win 57 to 55 and put Fairfield Prep in the semifinals."

I finished. I listened to the call a few times. I played it for a few people, including Shawn Sailer.

I watched as Preisano emerged from the locker room to applause some 10 minutes after everything had ended.

That's when I walked out to the car. Then it hit me. I texted Kevin Devaney Jr to make sure the Local Live coverage made sure it went out on social media.

Then I went and grabbed dinner where the concept of it being sent to ESPN comes up. Personally, I thought nothing of it, but thought it would be great for everyone involved. Still, as history has shown, I had no expectation of hearing my voice. My experience with the YES Network taught me that.

As a side note, I did the game (and the Berlin/Kolbe Cathedral game before it, not to mention two games last week) as a favor. I did it for fun. I like Eric and his family and the people around Fairfield have been kind to me. Beyond that, Eric bought me dinner which I greatly appreciated.

While at dinner, a request showed up from ESPN on Twitter to use the video that Kevin had posted.

I drove home. It was time to edit the insanity.

Then Eric Scholl texted me.

Not only did he see the shot on "SportsCenter" but it was the number one play in their top 10. It was just past midnight when I found out.

Today has been a whirlwind of texts, tweets, and personal messages. The response has been incredible. The experience has been humbling.

Still, at the end of the day, Ryan Preisano shot the ball. Fairfield Prep won. Justin DeVellis and Dan Gardella and Local Live shot video. So did the social media account for Fairfield Prep.

I talked. That's all.

To that end, Kevin's KDJ Media account was credited and so were News 12 (Justin) and Dan. In the first airing on ESPN, I was called the PA announcer (full disclosure, Eric did PA and he's incredible at it). By the time I saw it live at 8 am I was no longer that. 

Here it is.

It was insanity. That was really it.

Just insane.

Editing the Highlights

 

I have a process that I do after each broadcast.

I publish the game on Robcasting via Mixlr so that it stays in their showreel archive. Then I open the audio in an editor and do some basic cleanup, including changing the file's bit rate so that I'm not filling up hard drives.

Then, before uploading each broadcast to Mixcloud and Archive.org, I pull out any highlights.

Obviously, highlights can accumulate over the year, especially if you want to do a year-end collection.

Well, we're at the end of the year and I just reviewed all 167 highlights.

From there, I tried to edit down to just pertinent stretches of audio, meaning most of my moments of shutting up and letting crowd noise take over is removed. That also means there are limited appearances by analysts (don't worry, Chris Erway, you made it).

And? When I was finished, it was a monster file at 14:33.

Yes, fourteen minutes and thirty-three seconds.

So, back to the drawing board I'll go. I'll listen to the whole file and pull more highlights out. There is no magic time I'm trying to get down to but over 14 minutes of highlights just seems obnoxious.

I'm always trying to represent everything and everyone. I'm trying to get so many names into the collection. Kyle McDonald and Derek Craft and James Nelson and Anthony Volpe and Josh Breaux and Oswald Peraza share space with Michael Salandra and John Scarlata and Jack Wilson and James Iarapoli and Thomas Foster and Danny Lauter and Chris Gaine and a lot of others.

I try to find the laughs, like when I called John Scarlata's pick-six against Trumbull while trying to put a hoodie on. Or when, after snacking on candy, I broke out, "Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar" following a big play.

I don't normally have a "call of the year" (I leave that to those begging for approval from STAA) but I'll gladly submit both the walk-off home runs by Breaux and Volpe.

But I try to catch all of it. Jake and Jomboy? Yup. Trumbull winning the Babe Ruth Tourney? It's in there. Delaware Valley Youth Sports? Yes.

Not everything can make it. Not every name can be represented. Realistically, there's probably a lot I can slice off of that.

Yet it does highlight (blech, bad pun) how special all of it was. I didn't call a game in January and was pretty quiet for most of March yet I stayed as busy as ever.

Still, I didn't have any highlights in the package of Brunswick baseball or lacrosse. I don't have anything from Section 1 soccer. 

My guess is I might have had other things on my mind as the highlight system isn't always perfect.

Or, and this is likely, I told myself I was terrible and there was nothing worth keeping.

I wanted to find a better segment of the 100th-anniversary baseball broadcast we did in August but it was a bit too cumbersome.

So I'll chop and cut, and hope to play it this week on "Doubleheader." Short of that, I'll post it somewhere, regardless of how narcissistic that feels.

It's no secret I am protective of this industry because I just hear so much bad (the past 24 hours alone have me on alert for my well-being). I realize it often makes me look bad. I also realize I often lack a filter and call out garbage.

In the long run, I'm trying to give tough love but I don't think many will ever understand that. In truth, I'm a teacher and think I can help (which I realize is foolish). Many don't watch to be taught and/or think they're "too good" for some small-time broadcaster like me.

But I'd like to see people get better and the sports broadcasting business improve as a result. We're in this troubling time where basically anyone thinks they can do it.

They can't.

I'm not saying there's a course they have to pass but sometimes I wish there was something to gain a license!

Silly me, caring about quality.

So, I'll go back to editing now.

A Response Isn't Necessary But I'll Explain

 

Looking up at the press box at Rafferty Stadium

The Greenwich football season came to an end last night. For me, that meant the end of my 23rd season associated with Big Red.

I was their sideline reporter for one game in 1999. I was with HAN in 2014 and 2015. Other than that I've been the play-by-play announcer for the Greenwich Cardinals.

I knew last night was one of those "can't win" type of nights for me. I know people at Fairfield Prep and the game was at their stadium. Of course, emotions were high.

Thus I was accused of auditioning for being Prep's announcer.

It's a ridiculous notion; one that doesn't need to be addressed yet here we are.

Admittedly I made a vague note of it last night when I posted from the Stop & Shop parking lot. I needed a quick post and that was it.

Criticism is part of the gig. Coaches deal with it. Players (in high school) to a lesser, more passive/aggressive extent. 

In my case, if I wasn't waving Greenwich pom-poms, I was going to be considered pro-Prep. This is exactly what the Joe Bucks of the world hear on a daily basis.

OFF WITH HIS HEAD! He dared to be excited for a score by the other squad!

No. He dared to do his job as he always has.

Another thing to remember is that Chris and I were there not as the Greenwich broadcasters but as the state broadcasters on the NFHS/CIAC broadcast produced by Fairfield Prep. That broadcast also happened to air on WGCH radio (in Greenwich). Of course, it was our job to be prepared to give Prep their due as we literally always do.

"Nobody can call you a homer," someone said to me after we got off the air (it might have been Shawn Sailer...OK, it was). 

Of course, they will.

Let me be clear though. The reviews were 99.5% kind.

It's easy to blame us or Pete Paguaga or Sean Patrick Bowley or Dave Fierro or literally any media member. We're frequently the villains these days.

I've protected all athletes -- Greenwich included -- since I became a studio host for game broadcasts in late 1998. I report honestly but also know they're high school students.

Late in the game, I addressed the fact that Greenwich had lost their quarterback, Jack Wilson, to a head injury and that the Cardinals -- and maybe I could have phrased it better -- needed to maintain their composure. Of course, they did keep said composure, given they have excellent coaches who drill that into their brains.

Folks, these aren't professional athletes and each broadcast has been carefully cultivated to that extent. Frankly, I know what I'm doing.

Still, it was a playoff game and tensions were high. I figured the losing squad wouldn't be happy and, for once, it spilled marginally onto the interwebs.

So now you basically know what I was saying last night.

As for my "audition," I passed that a long time ago when I began calling some Prep basketball games. There's a solid chance that I'll be back at Prep on Sunday for the game against Shelton and I'll call that game the exact same way.

You know the drill with me by now. I love calling games. Any game. I also potentially picked up a remote hockey broadcast this Saturday.

Have headset...no need to travel!

If I do those two games this weekend it will surpass my record for most games in a year. Not bad, given I didn't call my first game of 2021 until Feb. 3, snapping a 74-day break between game broadcasts.

The winter schedule is already coming together and one game actually began to formulate on Facebook tonight. Two friends -- John Dailey of Ludlowe and Garrett Hickey of Norwalk -- will face off on Jan 13, 2022. That seemed like a perfect excuse to offer a broadcast. Nothing is in stone but it feels like it could happen.

Oh, I love it when a plan comes together. John and Garrett have both advocated for me broadcasting games for their teams at one time or another and this is a perfect fit.

I suspect I'll be heavily into a Brunswick schedule again very soon so my dance card will begin to fill up again. While I'm no fan of winter weather or the shorter days, I do enjoy hockey and basketball calls. 

Plus that moment of sticking my toe into wrestling -- especially if I'm with Chris since he loves it. I'm more of a lead broadcaster in terms of guiding things for those calls.

I guess the big takeaway is that, despite a few critics, our work is well-received and I'm truly grateful. 

No rest for the weary. Onto the next call. Onto the next parking lot for a late-night post!

At the Stop & Shop

 

I'm on my way home from calling Greenwich/Fairfield Prep and I've stopped in a parking lot in North White Plains.

And, honestly, at 11:18 p.m., I have nothing to say.

I thought Chris Erway and I called a good game and, for once, I actually sat with Chris and Shawn Sailer at dinner and remarked that I thought our broadcast was good under unique circumstances.

Not everyone thinks so.

And that's fine.

Chris and I gave it our all.

I was really happy to have WGCH with us and work with a phenomenal setup at Prep that involved me juggling and creating answers.

You can't please everyone. So be it.

Maybe I'll address it tomorrow. Maybe I won't.

But this is all I have for tonight.

Friday Night Fright

 

Current view

We've hit one of those sad nights in my world.

It's a fall Friday night and I don't have a game. Greenwich plays tomorrow and Brunswick is on the road at Salisbury so I'll be with the Cardinals.

More specifically, I'll be with Chris Erway tomorrow at 2:20 at Cardinal Stadium on Local Live and Robcasting.

Wait, Cardinal Stadium, you say? Why yes, the new bleachers and press box will get their first workout tomorrow. I'm nervous and excited to see how it all goes. Plus the Cardinals are playing a really good Fairfield Prep team so I suggest you join us on Robcasting or Local Live (assuming everything works).

So here I sit, in my chair in the living room. Rascal is here also and he makes his presence known.

To almost any other person, it would be a great night to check out some high school football.

But...yeah...

I checked out a few broadcasts while I watched the Yankees. It didn't go well and I quickly stopped. The thing is if you can't say the name of one of the teams participating, well, that's a problem. I'll also always struggle with listening to other broadcasters. I'm wired to where I want to be calling a game so I'm better off not listening.

Yet even when I try to get away I get messages from others telling me to listen to various broadcasts for a variety of reasons -- mostly critical ones to get my reaction. Sometimes I listen. Tonight, I didn't. 

Inevitably the conversation turns to how I should be training broadcasters. Let's put it this way: I'd love to and I've offered help. I can only offer to lead the horses to water.

Even then I still see some influence and I appreciate that (I'm not blind).

Now, the truth is I could be calling a game somewhere but I decided to work today and my case didn't wind up until close to 6pm. That wouldn't have allowed me enough time to get anywhere tonight.

So here I sit. Oh, wait, doesn't that mean I should be doing eight hours of game prep (or whatever ridiculousness I read online today)?

Look, there's no formula. I created some rosters while I worked earlier and did some of my prep but each broadcaster is going to do what's best for themselves. I react and dig up nuggets as needed. To each their own.

Unless you're Mr. Scully, your reams of notes don't impress me.

What so many lack is the ability to react and tell stories. With the Renegades, I had a stat pack that had basics. From there I utilized MLB/MiLB's stats system to fill in any blanks. Then, if I had questions, I went to Google. I could discover a player's college bio page or something about their hometown or some other fact.

We overthink things and focus too much on stats. 

Or pithy one-liners and exaggeration.

So I wound up listening to Mike Hirn.

In Ohio.

With two teams I've never heard of and know nothing about.

Teams that he still wants me to drive out and call one day.

But, for now, I'm ready for Greenwich and Fairfield Prep at the refurbished Cardinal Stadium.

It's like Yankee Stadium, circa 1976.

The necessities of the booth

 

Currently, everything I need to call a game fits in there. 

Normally around this time of year, I begin thinking about opening up the equipment bags and getting ready for football season. I've used the equipment a lot more in the summer the last few years, especially last summer when I was handling faux-American Legion games and Little League games.

You know, COVID games.

In other years, August had been fairly quiet for games. This year, of course, is not like that, given I have a schedule that keeps me buzzing with the Gades.

Still, I decided it was time to look things over (and I'll likely do so again soon). Armed with a new adidas duffle bag I got at Marshall's today, I began checking things to see what HAS* to go into a stadium with me.

*The thing is, what has to go can be somewhat negligible. For instance, there's already a mixer and headsets that I leave at Dutchess Stadium. There's also a headphone amp and mics and so on. That will (likely) get broken down in September but we haven't crossed that bridge yet (though I'd love to leave most of it intact and visit it during the offseason!).

But, OK, without being pedantic, what does one really need? 

- Mixer. It starts with a mixer, in my opinion, because even if you're going straight into a computer, you need to somehow mix multiple sounds together. It's just a question of which mixer. Lately, I'm all about my Zoom PodTrak P4, which allows me at least two mic inputs, a phone input (or another mic), and a computer connection (or still another mic). Plus it's really small. A backup mixer can come into play to expand the setup or I can go to a bigger mixer as needed.

- Headsets. This helps in terms of how many inputs you need on the mixer. Four mic inputs is always a nice sweet spot but you can always go with more. Still, my way of thinking is there's one for me (or whoever the lead broadcaster is), one for the lead analyst, and then input for a handheld crowd mic. From there, add as needed. Of course, given I've come to "Scully" so many games (work alone) I often need fewer inputs. At Dutchess Stadium, I have me, a second headset (if necessary), a handheld crowd mic, and a "shotgun" mic for the crack of the bat. I bring an extra headset in just in case (such as when Mark Jeffers and Dave Torromeo visited).

Storing the mixer and headsets is always a headache. To put them into a better case creates more to carry so that's also a consideration in all of this. Crushing either one can obviously damage them.

- Microphones. I sort of broke that down above. I try to carry two handheld mics. While I'd love to own a shotgun mic, I normally rely on trusty Shure mics and the like. Basically, just quality handheld vocal mics that will hopefully catch the buzz of the crowd. It's not perfect but it's fairly affordable.

- Cables. Can't have mics without them (unless they're wireless). So I try to carry a couple of different lengths. Maybe three. If necessary, I have extras that I keep in my car.

- A headphone amp. While my Zoom PodTrak P4 has headphone inputs I still like having an amp available. My preference is one that has both 1/4 inch and 3.5mm inputs but that's not always easy to have. I have an amp from Behringer that has 1/4 inputs and that works nicely.

- An extension cord. I keep a few available in case I have to string them together to reach an outlet but I normally keep one in the bag. I also have a long run of cord for certain situations (such as being 50-100 feet from where I'm calling the game). Don't laugh. It's all happened. However, I've also gotten better at certain circumstances where I can run off battery or computer battery. That is definitely not ideal.

- A power strip. Sean and I still laugh about an old HAN Network story where we couldn't find any power stripes in Cooperstown back in 2015. He wasn't even there but I guess the way I told the story brought it into being its own meme. "Everyone STOP. Where are the power strips?" Anyway, one that allows for several inputs is nice. Again, just if necessary.

- Tape. Preferably some kind of a "gray" or "gaffers" tape but also painter's tape is good for hanging notes.

- Now, how do you get all of this to the outlet broadcasting the game? Well if I'm putting it on Robcasting then I need a USB cable to go from the mixer to the computer. However sometimes it's not that simple, so I have a converter that will take audio from the mixer and convert it to USB as needed. In other cases, I need a 1/4 inch cable to convert over to XLR (mic cable) with a male end. Or it might need to be 3/5mm to XLR male.

What I'm saying here is I have a collection of various cables and adaptors, which is where I tend to become "MacGyver" with my ability to (hopefully) make sure the show still goes off without a hitch.

I'm sure I should probably give you even more detail than I have already but I'm hoping you get the idea. Sure, I can walk in with minimal items and make it work but I like to have a bit more in my bag of tricks (#Preparation, amirite?). Yet that being said, I've really tried to back down on just how much I carry due to it not truly being necessary. I've hurt my back enough dragging so much into various facilities.

It's nice -- especially with Local Live -- to make sure I have the right mixer, headset, and adaptors to do a minimal setup for the ease of everything. Yet, given how I am, you can probably see why I like to do my own setup and breakdown. It's a time of peace for me and I've gotten pretty proficient at wrapping up and getting out of the facility. I know where everything goes.

It's from this point that the kit can expand. For instance, what about the weather? To that end, I keep a few towels in the bag for spills and anything else. Those also come in handy when it's super hot and I'm roasting. I mop my face with them. Additionally, I've added a small tarp for when I need coverage. Now that's not as necessary if I'm using my pod or if I'm indoors. Also, I can utilize my Pelican case as necessary. But those are all considerations.

Of course, there are also banners if I'm hanging one for either WGCH or Robcasting or someone else. But now we're expanding the limits of what we need.

So what did I miss? There's probably something I forgot to mention or perhaps you have a better idea. I'm always looking to get better at this but, at the same time, I like my system also. Still, my system constantly evolves and I guarantee I will unpack and examine it all next month when baseball season is over.

A deep dive

 

Is Dropbox the answer?

I'm in the process of trying to figure out the best way to archive old digital files.

You might recall I had a bit of a scare when I couldn't access files on an old external hard drive. Well, I finally bought a device to help me and, today, got around to emptying the hard drive off (thanks, Marc Ducret!).

Now it's a question of where and how I store all of these old game broadcasts and other files. Sure, Dropbox is nice but it's also not cheap. But is another external drive the answer? Or some other service?

As always, I've been reading and researching and overwhelming my brain.

But this process meant diving into the rabbit hole of broadcasts from the Gades, HAN, WGCH, Local Live, and more.

Remember the Georgian Court basketball games I called in a snowstorm and wound up stranded at Post University? Those broadcasts are there.

The long, hot summer baseball tourneys? Got 'em.

The first lacrosse game I called -- back in 2005? Yes.

And all kinds of wacky Hersam Acorn audio when I was literally the only person who knew what we were doing (thus...Robcasting). 

Some of the files might be bad or weren't complete for one reason or another. That highlights a huge bummer for me. When HAN went primarily to video, we initially talked about keeping the audio element.

Then, we didn't and the audio came to an end so it was on me to create an audio recording if I wanted one.

Eventually, HAN made a business decision to put many of the game broadcasts -- including games that I called -- behind a paywall.

So, at this point, I don't have access to them and that's a shame. I recorded the audio of some but not all.

There are certainly a few I'm quite proud of, such as the 50th FCIAC Championship football game. Chris Erway and I were on fire for that one. I mean, there are so many others.

Hopefully, I'll get that audio one day (even if it's video).

Of course in those files are stories -- good and bad. There's blood and sweat and tears. There are a lot of long nights and exhausting drives home. There are a lot of late-night conversations to give me the energy to make those exhausting drives home.

This is true of every stop I've made along the way.

There are a lot of great memories.

And yet...

My eye drifted to Sep 11, 2015. John Jay of Cross River at Yorktown football. The internet was terrible. We struggled all night. The broadcast felt like a complete disaster on multiple levels. I had to go to the athletic director's office to sign a waiver for us to broadcast the game.

The next day we held our breath at Notre Dame of West Haven for football as we lost power a few times and nerves were raw.

Those are just a couple of the horror stories.

But the triumphs. That 2015 FCIAC Championship. The Cooperstown game between McMahon and Norwalk. The long stretches of hockey and basketball championship runs.

Broadcasting at Webster Bank Arena and Ingalls Rink and Mohegan Sun.

I could go on but I sense you're getting the idea.

These are files that are important to me so I have to find the right place to keep them safe. With those files comes even more memories.

It really could be a book but I don't know that anyone would ever care to read it.

The cross-ice pass

 

I lost one hockey game this weekend. It's the world of making a schedule during a pandemic.

Still, I'll begin a run of four games in five days tomorrow, armed with a new mask and a new podcast mixer. I'm looking forward to getting to the rink and trying it all out.

The shame of it is that I've never figured out how to split myself or even clone myself.

I say that because my friends at Fairfield Prep asked me to call a game this week. I thought Alumni Hall would be closed but, low and behold, a quick check of the schedule indicates there's still basketball to be played there.

Alumni Hall means a lot to me, having called my first games there 20 years ago. I've enjoyed many trips to it where the crowds had few people and too many people. I got to call games from multiple angles and corners and saw as much of it as I could.

I'll always treasure it from calling games for WGCH, HAN, and Robcasting.

There is at least one more game there and I would have been honored to have helped turn out the lights. I'm profoundly grateful to the parents of Fairfield Prep basketball for asking.

However, I'm just as happy to have Brunswick hockey throughout the week. Of course, COVID has taught us all to be prepared for changes and there have been several.

But I'll happily be at Hartong Rink tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday calling the Bruins. As of now, these are the final games of the season for them.

There's still plenty of conference tournament action around Connecticut and I hope to jump on some of that. If not, then I'll await baseball and softball and lacrosse.

I'll start tomorrow by pulling whatever I can together about the game and get ready for a busy week.

I'll also work on my cloning device.

March 1

 

Let me start with an apology to my son.

I'm so glad February is over.

Sorry, Sean. I know that's your birthday month but those are 28 (or 29) long days of the depths of winter and minimal sports. 

However, I have a love/hate thing with March.

I love the promise of spring as it approaches.

I hate the unpredictability of the month and can feel impatient with it -- especially as the temperatures remain cold and the March snowstorms come around.

I love that we're that close to March Madness and baseball.

I hate that it's normally around the middle of the month before March Madness begins and the barrage of spring training baseball games features mostly unheard of players.

I love how we're starting to feel alive.

I hate the days that remind me of loved ones lost, with the target of course on the 17th.

As for the 17th itself? That's its own special love/hate with the whole "everyone is Irish" approach that has its own stereotype attached to it that nobody seems to complain about.

I took a different approach to March last year, opting to not worry about it.

Of course, March 2020 was its own unforgettable world, with a worldwide pandemic shutting us down.

So, come March 17th, I was sitting home watching "The Quiet Man" for probably the first time in 30 years.

That was the movie my father was watching when he died. Yet, in 2020, I didn't write much about him or that.

Like the weather, I can't predict any of this. I can't predict how my brain will process things. I try sometimes but it doesn't work. I promise myself that I won't do or feel things but stuff happens.

March 1st came in like the lion, originally with five podcasting recording sessions, along with "Doubleheader." Instead, it came in hot with three podcast sessions and a basketball game (or two, you never know with me). One podcast is now set for tomorrow night and the other is Wednesday.

My schedule is bonkers and I'm just trying to juggle it. Isn't that fitting? Juggle it all. Survive today and get to tomorrow.

And so, we hit March, seeing the glass as half-full. Seeing it as part of the process of getting to warmer temperatures and spring sports. We see it as the clothes gradually getting lighter and the days getting brighter. We'll honor the losses quietly but a story could prompt some writing.

Like I said, it's unpredictable.

There are 65 days until first pitch.

(Tonight's game between Notre Dame of West Haven and Fairfield Prep can be heard here.)

Tell your friends to listen and watch!

Alumni Hall, Dec 2017

As I've said in recent times, I go where I'm wanted.

Brunswick wants me, so I've already called four games for their hockey team and there are six more beginning next Saturday.

Fairfield Prep wants me, at least for basketball, so the headset (and other necessary equipment) will head to Alumni Hall tomorrow night.

It's only because it came together so late that I can't do more, as they asked for a few other games this week.

East Texas Baptist University hockey is interested in having me come to Texas (!) and if it works out, I'll go.

And, of course, there's that baseball team in May.

And I know Mahopac baseball wants me (and so did their hockey team) but some of this stuff is also out of the control of those who would like to make those decisions.

But, let's circle back to Fairfield Prep. The thing is they asked, so I'm making it work. Part of my goal is to demonstrate how much better a game sounds and looks, especially with a voice that is on-site. There's a value to it, as people from Brunswick have said to me.

Hopefully, they'll view it as sounding professional also.

There's still a job like that for me out there. I still believe that. Call the games and teach the students how to do it (and other duties).

I popped on a game before I started writing. Having recently turned over a new leaf I will offer that the individual could use a mentor. I'm here, as I've said.

If it works out, I'll be at Trumbull on Friday for basketball.

But I've got a good one tomorrow in the SCC between Prep and Notre Dame of West Haven and I look forward to it. ND is perfect on the year and Prep has looked good also.

Thanks to Eric Scholl and Garrett Hickey for being fans of my work and pushing to make this happen. I'm pleased to do it for them.

With that said, I'll be rolling in with a computer that has a new hard drive in it.

You see, I don't consider myself very handy. I can "MacGyver" stuff and I try to fix things but in reality, my big ideas are often just that. My trusty MacBook had become anything but. I first tried to give it new life with a memory boost roughly a year ago. It helped but it certainly didn't stop the constant "rainbow spinning wheel of death."

I read that it likely could use a new hard drive.

Again, I did my usual obsessive research. I talked to people.

Then, the other night, I purchased one on a whim.

As I alluded to last night, the first installation didn't exactly go well. I needed to be able to reboot with a new installation of the operating system. Plus there's a specific tool for some Apple screws.

As I wrote, I decided to sleep on it.

I started early this morning. Things didn't quite seem right. 

So, I ran to Kohl's and returned the incorrect power cable I bought (super easy to do!), stopped at Home Depot to pick up the right tool for the Apple Screws ($6), and came home. Then I got to work.

It took some trial. Error. Patience.

I watched this thing called YANKEE BASEBALL (WOOOOOOO!) as I worked. I did laundry. The Cat continued to make sure I didn't throw him out (we're good -- I promise).

There was more trial and error and fear that this would be a bust. Maybe I'd have to get help.

And then it all seemed to come together. The laptop is sitting right next to me, humming away.

All of the files that I backed up have been reinstalled. A brand-new solid-state drive is working, installed by me. What that means is, anyone can do it.

Should it all be OK, it will be the means that I bring you Fairfield Prep and ND-West Haven tomorrow night.

And, me being me, I'll have backups with me in case it doesn't work.

Game time is 7:00 p.m. There is a video stream and, of course, you can hear the audio at mixlr.com/robcasting-radio.

On The Air at Any Cost

I wrote yesterday about how I was taking a stab at seeing if I could get some sponsors for game broadcasts on WGCH.

If you don't know, WGCH doesn't run on good will. They -- we -- operate as a business, needing to pay for the usual operations.

A tweet just a few minutes after I published what I wrote last night seemed to refer to what I wrote and took an opposite view without mentioning the post.

It raised a few eyebrows.

So, let's climb into this.

WGCH, as I said, is a business. To an extent, as much as I don't want it to be, so is Robcasting.

However, do you know exactly how many things I've done "for love of the game?"

A lot. I just don't really boast about it. In some circles, people get mad at "free labor" but I have my reasons. So, let me give you a few a few examples...

Remember that Bottom of the 9th tournament I did at Dutchess Stadium last week? It earned me a hot dog, a bottle of water, and a bag of chips.

The work with Mahopac baseball? I got a (great) sweatshirt (and have made friends who want me to be their lead broadcaster for the school district).

The Babe Ruth tourneys? A program and a t-shirt. Maybe a sandwich and a drink. Then, families brought me a t-shirt from Maine and a hat from Norwalk and Rhode Island. I got Del's lemonade from Rhode Island also. Plus a sign that says "KEENE" from New Hampshire.

The Babe Ruth tourney in Stamford? I almost got heat stroke from it. That's about it.

The two girls state hockey championships Mick and I called? We barely got a "thank you" but it was about giving the girls the play-by-play coverage they deserved, and I stand firm on that.

Or TEN (the Trumbull Eagles Network)? I helped Jeff Alterman build it and he bought me dinner and had me join him at the THS football banquet.

Mahopac vs. Carmel hockey brought me a sweatshirt and a hat. Plus, again, friends and relationships, which evolved into helping out with working for them as a public address announcer.

I did boys basketball at Fairfield Ludlowe, where my friend John Dailey would have me call every game. He gave me a gift card.

Greens Farms Academy basketball? King School football and basketball?

Remember the Greenwich Winter Classic games on WGCH? Or a lot of other (non-football) WGCH broadcasts? Or the Greenwich Town Party? Or the Greenwich St. Pat's Parade? Or Doubleheader?

It's an honor to just be there, I guess.

But people remember. I'll get the occasional message, asking me to cover something.

I've built a friendship with former Waterford, CT coach Dave Laffey because of it.

Same with Mike Buswell in Trumbull, who gave me a hat.

I'm no hero. No statues or Halls of Fame are necessary. I love calling game. It's my happy place.

So don't be fooled. Not everything I do is that way. There are bills to pay. Child support. A car. And more.

I had an arrangement with the Greenwich Cannons and then just started doing games for fun, because the team and their fans deserved it.

And I love what I had with Fairfield American Little League Baseball. In fact, they (and the league) wanted more this year and they took great care of me.

There are reasons for all of this. While I certainly want my value, I also realize I'm building those friendships and business relationships. Personally, I get to keep myself fresh. I get to use new equipment and try different things.

I often get to spend time with friends (Jake Zimmer, Dan Gardella, Shawn Sailer, AJ, Kato, etc). They've been a huge part of these broadcasts. Not everyone wants to do it for free, and I completely get that, but many do because of the experiences and the fun of what we do.

And, perhaps most of all, I'm able to get out of the house. Sometimes, it's the closest I have to a social life.

That, however, doesn't mean I shouldn't be compensated. I'm not a kid. That would have been all fine and dandy in my teens when I would have happily interned and kept practicing to get better. Those opportunities weren't as rich as they are now. I love seeing what New Canaan and Darien have done. I want Greenwich, Brunswick, Greenwich Country Day, and more to do it and would love to be the leader of one.

I want people to say, "Wow. That's good. Really good. You shouldn't do this for free," and, in some cases, that's worked.

But things have paid off in helping to build Robcasting and getting WGCH whatever prominence I can get them. And I try to do the same for every group I'm involved in -- from TEN to Local Live to the Renegades. I have a reputation as a play-by-play announcer and sports journalist that I'm proud of.

Sadly, even in the middle of a pandemic, things must go on for WGCH. Personally, nobody will take much pity on me.

Thus, the post last night.

But, I appreciate the wonderful feedback I did get (and all that I got personally was positive). There could be things happening (Fairfield/Trumbull/Greenwich/elsewhere) but we know the virus is boss. So, we could once again be looking at some grass roots ideas.

I guess we all just have to stay tuned.

Love of the game, the craft, or otherwise.

The Archive

Fairfield Prep wins Div I 3/22/14

One of my favorite, most challenging days in broadcasting was six years ago today and I was combing through my collection of old games to look it all over.

It started in Shelton, CT where I was staying at the Hampton Inn. I was allowed to stay there during that time to avoid driving back and forth from home to go cover games in New Haven at Ingalls Rink.

So, I was in New Haven that Saturday morning for the first of four games to air on HAN Radio. But that was part of a great week that began with Greenwich/New Britain basketball on Monday followed by hockey semifinal games on Tuesday and Wednesday (two each night). On Friday, we called the D-II hockey championship between Daniel Hand and Amity.

The total was ten games between Monday and Saturday, with me on the call for nine of them.

Saturday started with the Newtown against Smith-Tolland (the Bucks co-op) in the D-III hockey championship. We cranked through a gut-wrenching game that went to overtime before the Nighthawks won the state title. It served as a forerunner of the celebration that exploded when Newtown won the football title last December.

Darien and Fairfield Prep also gave us a great show before the Jesuits won in OT.

We aired a girls basketball championship, won by Laurelton Hall and called by John Kovach at Mohegan Sun while I drove from New Haven to Uncasville. I had a hotel room near Groton but felt like I didn't have enough time to check in so I flew to the casino.

It was weird to be listening to HAN as I drove. This thing -- my baby -- had been my obsession for roughly a year and this day was a triumph for us.

I got booted from joining that Laurelton Hall game and sat outside the arena sipping a cup of Krispy Kreme coffee like a wayward child who was too sick to join the other kids at recess. That night, I got back on the air and called a classic boys basketball game as Bridgeport Central came from behind to beat Fairfield Prep.

Oh, what a night indeed.

Since we're all (basically) quarantined, I thought it might be nice to start playing some old games, including these. So I combed through the HAN games. For the most part, they're straight audio broadcasts (until we switched to video) with little editing to be done.

But I discovered some off-air banter (clean and mostly harmless) in the video/audio simulcast games as well as the games in which I still recorded audio. There's a little editing to be done so that nobody is embarrassed.

I wish I recorded audio for all of them but I didn't.

That's where I'd love to see HAN return the games that they put in private back to being public on YouTube. It would be perfect for all of us to watch, especially during this time.

Sadly, there are games that I don't even have in the archive, like the 2015 FCIAC Championship/Turkey Bowl football game between Darien and New Canaan.

So, while I didn't air those games that took place six years ago today, I'm going through to see what can run. There are plenty of games that I can choose from!

They brought back a flood of memories for me. Some good. Some bad. Some...ugh.

I listened to part of a baseball game I called in 2015 in Norwich. My analyst (when he felt like joining me)? Sean. That's right -- my hasn't-a-clue-really-about-sports son. It was absolutely priceless.

I look forward to sharing all of these memories with you.

I hope you want to hear them.