Baseballbroadcastinginthedigitalage:
Theroleofnarrativestorytelling
StevenHenneberry
CAPSTONEPROJECT
UniversityofMinnesota
SchoolofJournalismandMassCommunication
June29,2016
TableofContents
AbouttheAuthor…………………………………………………………………………………
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………
ExecutiveSummary………………………………………………………………………………
Introduction/Background……………………………………………………………………
LiteratureReview…………………………………………………………………………………
PrimaryResearchStudies
StudyI:ContentAnalysis……………………………………………………………
StudyII:BroadcasterInterviews…………………………………………………
StudyIII:BaseballFanInterviews………………………………………………
Conclusion/Recommendations……………………………………………………………
References…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Appendix
(A) StudyI:BroadcasterBiographies
VinScully………………………………………………………………………
PatHughes……………………………………………………………………
RonCoomer……………………………………………………………………
CoryProvus……………………………………………………………………
DanGladden……………………………………………………………………
JonMiller…………………………………………………………………………
(B) StudyII:BroadcasterInterviewTranscripts
PatHughes……………………………………………………………………
CoryProvus……………………………………………………………………
JonMiller………………………………………………………………………
(C) StudyIII:BaseballFanInterviewTranscripts
DonnaMcAllister………………………………………………………………
RickMoore………………………………………………………………………
RowdyPyle………………………………………………………………………
SamKraemer……………………………………………………………………
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AbouttheAuthor
ThesoundofChicagoCubsbaseballhasbeenanearconstantpartofSteve
Henneberry’slife.Whetherinthecar,athomeornowontheiPhone,thehighsand
lowsofcountlessgameshavefilledinaroundtherestoflife’sevents.So,hedecided
it’sonlyfittingthisprojectincludesitaswell.
BythetimehehithighschoolinChicago,Henneberryrealizedhisdreamsof
actuallyplayingprofessionalbaseballwerenonexistent.So,heturnedhisfocusto
sportsbroadcasting.Thatledtocallingbasketballandfootballinhighschooland
baseballandsoftballincollege.Eventually,helandedajobintelevisionsportsin
Omaha,Nebraska.AfterafewyearsofHuskerfootball,Creightonbasketballand
highschoolsports,thelonghoursandweekendscaughtuptohim.Now,heworksas
theassistantdirectoroftheUniversityNewsServiceattheUniversityofMinnesota.
Inthatrole,hewasstruckbytheimpactstorieshaveonpeople’slives.Tell
someoneagoodstory,they’llrememberitandbebettersuitedtosupportyou.Few
professionsdostorytellingbetterthanradiobaseballbroadcasters,whichledtothe
genesisofthisproject.
Henneberryearnedabachelor’sdegreeinJournalism(NewsandPublic
Relationstracks)fromCreightonUniversityin2010.Afterswearingoffanymore
school,herelentedin2014,enrollingintheUniversityofMinnesota’sStrategic
Communicationsmaster’sprogramtostrengthenandadvancehiscommunications
skills.He’sgladhedid.
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Acknowledgements
Whenwebeganthisprogram,weweretold:don’tswitchjobs,getmarriedor
haveachild.I,andmanyothersinCohort10,didn’tlisten.
ThiscapstoneisdedicatedtoKelly,mywifeandthemostpatientpersonI
know,andmyson,Thomas,borninAugust2015.Attimes,thecombinationof
parenting,workingfulltimeandbothingraduateschool,wasoverwhelming.But,
wemadeit!WithoutKelly’sconstantsupportandencouragement,theselasttwo
yearswould’vebeenmuchmoredifficult.Thomas’manysmilesalsokeptmegoing.
Additionalthanksgoto:
•
Myin-laws,ChrisandCarolTangen,whowerealwayswillingtohelp.
Whetheritwas“TuesdayswithThomas,”weekendbabysittingortaking
Wrigleytothedogpark,theyallowedustosomehowhandleourlives.
•
Myimmediatefamily–Dad,MaryandMeredith–fortheirencouragement.
•
CarolZuegner,whotalkedthingsthrough,askedthoughtful,probing
questionsandhadasignificantimpactonthisproject.
•
Mycapstonecommittee–SteveWehrenberg,MichelleWoodandSid
Bedingfield.Theirguidance,feedbackandpatiencewasmosthelpful.
•
Mybossesandcoworkerswhoallowedmeflexibilitytocompletemy
coursework.
•
BrittneyGoodsen,whotranscribedmanyoftheinterviewsconductedforthis
project.Apologies,again,forthe90-minuterecordingofJonMiller.
•
ThebrilliantandhilariousmembersofCohort10.Ithoroughlyenjoyed
spendingeachTuesdayandThursdaynightwith–asJaredwouldsay–y’all.
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ExecutiveSummary
Thispaperexplorestheimpacta“digitalizedlifestyle”hasonsportsradio
broadcasting,specificallyMajorLeagueBaseball(MLB),andhowprofessional
baseballannouncersattempttokeeplistenersengaged.Onetoolusedisnarrative
storytelling,whichwasstudiedthroughouttheproject.
Threestudies—1)acontentanalysisofthreeMLBbroadcasts,2)in-depth
interviewswithprofessionalbaseballannouncersand3)in-depthinterviewswith
baseballfans—wereundertakentoaddressthosetopics.Additionalresearchareas
includedwhethertheageofthebroadcasterimpacteduseofnarrativestorytelling
andtheroleofthecoloranalyst.
Overall,findingsindicatethatthebiggestimpactoftheeaseofinformation
accesstodayisinthebroadcaster’spreparationprocess.Whilestorytellingis
utilizedandacknowledgedasnecessarybyannouncersandfans,thegameitselfis
themostimportantreasonforlisteningorbroadcasting.Announcersofvariedages
dobroadcastindifferentwaysandtheroleofthecoloranalystiscriticalintheeyes
ofthebroadcasters.Baseballontheradioelicitsstrongemotionsandmemories,
fromtheannouncersthemselvesandthelisteners.Theconclusionofthispaper
summarizesadditionalfindingsandoffersrecommendationsforbroadcasters.
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Introduction
AccordingtoNielsen’s2015YearinSportsMediareport,“thegrowing
influenceofNetflix,AmazonPrime,ondemand/timeshifting,streaming,andsocial
mediaareallhavingadramaticimpactonthewaypeopleareconsumingcontent…”
(Nielsen,2015,p.2).Livesportscontinuetobeanexception(Nielsen,2015,p.2-3).
In2015,“sportseventsonlymadeup1.4percentofTVprogramming[but]closeto
50percentofallTwitterTVconversation,”(Nielsen,2015,p.5).
Whilelivesportsoftenoccuroverthecourseofafewhours,consumers’
attentionspansareshort.A2015studyfromMicrosoftCorp.,asreportedbyTime,
foundpeoplenowtypicallyloseconcentrationaftereightseconds,“highlightingthe
effectsofanincreasinglydigitalizedlifestyleonthebrain,”(McSpadden,2015).
So,whatimpactdoesthis“digitalizedlifestyle”haveonsportsradio
broadcasting,specificallyMajorLeagueBaseball(MLB)?Andhowdobaseball
announcersattempttokeeplistenersengaged?Narrativestorytellingisonetool,
andwillbeexploredinthispaper.
Background
TheMLBAtBatapp,whichincludesvideoandaudioofallMLBgamesfrom
OpeningDaythroughtheWorldSeries,debutedin2008(Macworld,2008).Last
season,2015,itwasthetopgrossingsportsappintheU.S.fortheseventhstraight
year(MLBAdvancedMedia,2015).AnAtBatsubscriptioncosts$19.99peryear,or
$2.99permonth,andisincludedforthosewhopurchaseaMLB.TVsubscription
(MLBAdvancedMedia,2015).Downloadsexceeded13millionin2015,amorethan
20percentjumpyearoveryear(MLBAM,2015).Italsowasthetopgrossingsports
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appin97countries,withbaseballfansusingtheappfor8.4millionminutesin2015.
(MLBAM,2015)
RatingsforMLBgamesvarybymarket.However,ontelevision,in2015,10
teamswerethehighest-rated,most-viewedprogramminginprimetimewith
anothersixcominginatnumbertwo(Brown,2015).Ifbroadcaststationsare
excluded,25ofthe30MLBclubswererankedthenumberoneratedprogramon
cable(Brown,2015).
Currently,listenerstosportsradioarerising.Increaseshavebeenseenin
eachyearfrom2011to2015,withthe“AverageQuarter-Hour(AQH)sharenowat
4.6percent,”accordingtoNielsen’s2015YearinSportsMediareport(Nielsen,
2015,p.6).Winningbaseballteamscanalsoleadtomorelisteners.Forexample,in
2016,ChicagoCubs1gamesbeganairingonWSCR670-AMforthefirsttimeandthe
stationisalreadyseeingthebenefits.MediabloggerRobertFederreportedthatin
2016,thestation“movedupfrom18thplaceinMarchwitha2.5percentaudience
sharetoatieforninthinAprilwitha3.2shareallthewayuptofourthinMaywitha
4.2share,”accordingtoNielsenAudioratings(Feder,2016a).Federsaidtheratings
arethestation’shighest-evermarks.Intotal,Feder,citingNielsen,saidthestation’s
weeklycumulativeaudienceis535,200(Feder,2016b).
In2010,thetop15MLBteamsindividuallyaveragedover176,100listeners
pergameintheirhomemarket(Arbitron,2010).In2012,whiletheNewYork
Yankeescontinuedtohavethelargestaudience(297,200),thatfigurewasdownby
morethan150,000from2010(Broughton,2012).Itisunclearwhatthedropmay
1
asofthewritingofthispaperinJune2016,theCubshadthebestrecordinMajorLeagueBaseball
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beexactlyattributableto.Amongteamsinthetop10foraudiencesize,San
Francisco,Detroit,Chicago(WhiteSox),andSeattlesawincreasesbetween2010
and2012(Broughton,2012).LosAngeles(Dodgers)sawthebiggestsurgethatyear,
withnearly100,000listenersrepresentinga40percentincreasefrom2011
(Broughton,2012).Arbitron,nowownedbyNielsen,hasnotdoneacomprehensive
MLBradioreportsince2012(Nielsen,2016).
EachMLBteamhasaflagshipradiostationthatbroadcastseachgame.These
stationshaveshiftedthroughoutthehistoryofthefranchises(SABR,2012).Some
teamshavelong-standingrelationshipswithcertainstations.Forinstance,the
CincinnatiRedshavebeenonWLWsince1969,theSanFranciscoGiantshavecalled
KNBRhomesince1979andMilwaukeeBrewersgameshaveairedonWTMJsince
1972,whentheteambeganplayinginthecity(SABR,2012).Manyteamshaveseen
morerecentchanges.Forexample,asnotedpreviously,theChicagoCubsarenow
onWSCR670-AM.ThatcomesafteroneseasononWBBM780-AMand90seasons
onWGN720-AM(Sherman,2014).In2005,theSt.LouisCardinalsendeda51-year
runwithKMOX,onlytoreturnfiveyearslater(Caesar,2010).LosAngelesDodgers
gamesaironKLAC570-AMandtheMinnesotaTwinsflagshipisK-TWIN96.3-FM.
Additionally,teamshavesetupradionetworkssothegamesbroadcaston
affiliatestationsinaregion.ThelargestMLBnetworkisfortheAtlantaBraves,who
canbeheardonnearly140stationsacross10statesinthesoutheasternpartofthe
UnitedStates(atlantabraves.com,2016).Also,nearly100stationsacrossfivestates
broadcastMinnesotaTwinsgamesaspartoftheTreasureIslandBaseballNetwork
(twinsbaseball.com,2016).Therearealsonationalnetworksfanscanlistento,for
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gamesaswellascommentaryoutsidethegamesthemselves.ThisincludesESPN
Radio,FoxSportsRadioandMLBNetworkRadio.
ThemostcommonsetupforaMajorLeaguebroadcastboothtodayistohave
twoannouncers:onepersondoplay-by-playandasecondpersontoprovidecolor
analysisofthegame(mlb.com,2016).Someteamsuseathree-personboothonthe
air,withaprimaryplay-by-playannouncerjoinedbytwoanalystsorasecondplayby-playvoice(mlb.com,2016).Forexample,theMilwaukeeBrewersusetwoplayby-playannouncersinBobUeckerandJeffLeveringwhileVinScullyoftheLos
AngelesDodgersistheonlycurrentbroadcasterwhoworksalone.Teamsmayuse
multiplepersonalitiesonpre-andpost-gameshowsaswell(mlb.com,2016).
Currently,broadcasterscanbeemployedbythestationsthemselves,orthe
MLBteam.Forexample,currentMinnesotaTwinsbroadcasterCoryProvusisan
employeeoftheMinnesotaTwinsBaseballClub(Provus,personalinterview,2016).
Inpreviouspositions,withtheChicagoCubsandMilwaukeeBrewers,Provuswas
employedbytheradiostation’sholdingtherightstobroadcastthegames(Provus,
personalinterview,2016).
Acontentanalysisandin-depthinterviewsfocusedonradiobaseball
broadcastingandhowbroadcastersofdifferentagesworktofindholdinthis
clutteredenvironment,wherebaseballfanshavemyriadwaystofollowtheir
favoriteteam.Manynon-baseballmediaoptions,sports-relatedandnon,alsoexist,
asnotedpreviously.Thepredictionisthatonetoolbroadcastersuseisnarrative
storytelling.Inthenextsectionofthispaper,literaturepertainingtobaseball
broadcastingandnarrativestorytellingwillbeexploredtobuildafoundationfor
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discussingresultsofacontentanalysisofthreebaseballbroadcastsandin-depth
interviewswiththreeprofessionalbroadcastersandfourbaseballfans.
LiteratureReview
ThefirstbaseballgamebroadcastontheradiowasonAugust5,1921,by
PittsburghradiostationKDKA(Lindberg,2011,p.2).Justafewyearslater,in1924,
theChicagoCubsbecamethefirstteamtobroadcastregularlyscheduledgames
(Emrick,1976,p.4).Theintroductionoftelevisionin1939(Emrick,1976,p.8),
cableandsatelliteTV,satelliteradioandstreamingtechnologyassociatedwiththe
internet,haschangedbaseballbroadcastingsignificantly(Lindberg,2011,p.5).
Now,all30MajorLeaguebaseballteamsofferradioandtelevisionbroadcastsof
eachgame,ofteninmorethanonelanguage(Lindberg,2011,p.5).Thismeansthere
areatleasttworadiobroadcastsofeachgame,oneforeachteam.
Therehasbeenextensivewritingonbaseballbroadcasting,comprising
academicresearch,non-academicbooksaswellasbiographiesandautobiographies.
Withanaveragegameofaboutthreehours,(BeyondtheBoxScore,2015)baseball
iswell-knownforhavingsignificantamountsofdowntime.AsNewtonandArdell
(2007)note,longgamesandseasonsnecessitatetheneedforstorytelling(p.79).“In
abaseballseason,you’vealwaysgotanothergame,”saidPatHughes,play-by-play
broadcasterfortheChicagoCubs,inhis34thseasonbroadcastingMLBgames
(Hughes,personalinterview,2016).
“Thesportingbroadcastisinstrumentalratherthanmerelyincidentaltothe
constructionoftheevent”(Watson,2010,p.226).Aneffectivebaseballbroadcaster
is“skilledatusingthegame’sgiftoftimeanditshistorytodrawthelistenerintothe
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gameathand”(NewtonandArdell,2007,p.80).FormerlongtimeDetroitTigers
announcerErnieHarwellarguesthat,“theannouncermattersmore[onradiothan
ontelevision]…”(Smith,1992,p.242).Harwell’scontentionstemsfromhisopinion
that“radioisthebestmediumforbaseball,”asthe“gameislinear”sothelistener
canimagineallaspectsoftheplaybasedonseeingonebaseballdiamond(Smith,
1992,p.242).
Throughtheyears,anumberofannouncershavebecomeaswellknown,and
insomecasesmoreso,thantheplayers.TheseincludeHarwell(DetroitTigers),
HarryCaray(St.LouisCardinals,ChicagoWhiteSox,ChicagoCubs),JackBuck(St.
LouisCardinals)andVinScully(Brooklyn,nowLosAngeles,Dodgers),justtoname
afew.
Announcers,accordingtoF.ScottRegan,ascitedbyNewtonandArdell
(2007),must“reportthegameaccurately,butdosothroughtheeyesofahistorian
andlikepoets,withanearfortheromanceofthegame”(p.80).Harwellsaidhe
followedtheapproachofformerDodgersannouncerRedBarber:givethescore
often,actasareporterratherthanacheerleader(Kaufman,2002).Further,ina
2005interviewaboutbaseballbroadcasting,asquotedbyMattBohnoftheSociety
forAmericanBaseballResearch(SABR),Harwellsaid,“Thegamehasgottobe
paramount.Peoplearegoingtolistentothegamenomatterwho’sannouncingit,
theywanttofindoutwho’swinningandwhatthescoreisandeverythingelseis
prettymuchsecondary,”(Bohn,2015).
NewtonandArdell(2007)comparedtheroleofaradiobaseballbroadcaster
tothatofagriot,atribalstorytellerinpartsofAfrica(p.80).Emrick(1976)found
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thatbroadcasterswere“salesmanwho,inadditiontodescribingthegames,
promotedthesaleofticketsandothercommodities”(p.66).
Itisimpossibletowriteaboutstorytellinginbaseballbroadcasting,orthe
professionitself,withoutpayingattentiontoScullyoftheDodgers.“Inhisstylish,
melodic,andunderstatedway,[Scully]hasreapedthemostextraordinarypraiseof
anybaseballbroadcasterinpost-WorldWarIIAmerica,”accordingtoCurtSmith
(1992),inhisacclaimedchronicleofbaseballbroadcasting,VoicesoftheGame(p.
484).ScullybeganhiscareerwiththeBrooklynDodgersbeforemovingwiththe
teamtoLosAngeles(Smith,1992,p.489).Onereasonherosetosuchstaturewas
thefirstCaliforniahomeoftheDodgers,theMemorialColiseum,waslargeandfans
wereseatedfarfromtheaction.So,theyallbroughttransistorradiostotheparkto
listentoScully’sbroadcast(Smith,1992,p.491).“Theybroughttheirradiostohear
metellthemabouttheplayers…I’vealwaysthoughtitwasstrangeknowingthat
thousandsofpeoplearelisteningtoyoudescribeaplaytheyarewatching,”Scully
toldSmith(1992,p.492).
IndescribingthebrillianceofScully,Smith(1992)quotesseveralbaseball
writerswhoattempttocapturewhyScullynearlydefinesthecraft:
•
LosAngelesTimescolumnistJimMurray:“Baseballisagameoflong,
laggingperiods,anditwasVinniemorethananybodywho[soldthe
DodgerstothecityofLosAngeles].Hepaintsclearword-pictures,
he’llseguewayintoastoryaboutDukeSniderthathappenedthirty
yearsago,andhe’lldoitsosmoothlyyou’dswearDukewasplaying
now.He’salmostlikeaCelticpoet-hekeepsyourattention”(p.490).
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•
Times’columnistRickReilly:“Scullyappealstothetruckdriverandthe
Englishlitprofessoralike.Heknowshiswayaroundhomersand
Homer,Shakespeareandstickball.IfScullysaysanerrantshortstopis
like‘theAncientMariner–hestoppethoneinthree,’oneminute,then
thenexthe’sdescribingachange-upthat‘squirtsoutlikeawetbarof
soap’”(p.490-91).
•
UnnamedLAcolumnist:“Theysayradioislikeskywriting.Thewords,
oncespoken,merelyfloatawaytothewinds,lostforever.Butonly
Scullycanstillthesky”(p.492).
Voiceandlanguageofsportsbroadcastshasbeenthefocusofmuch
academicresearchovertheyears.Ferguson(1983)studiedthediscourseofSports
AnnouncerTalk(SAT),notingthatsportsbroadcastingis“differentfromallother
typesofradiotalk”(p.153).Additionally,Ferguson(1983)pointsoutthat
broadcastshavedistinctfeatures,includingtempo,rhythm,loudness,intonation,
andothercharacteristicsofvoice(p.153).Hisanalysisfocusedonsyntactic
variationsofregister,focusingonvariousshortcutsusedduringabroadcast,given
thetimingdemandsinvolved(Ferguson,1983,p.168-70).
BuildingonthisworkwasReaser(2003),withaquantitativeanalysis
comparingradioandtelevisionbroadcastsofthesamecollegebasketballgame(p.
303).Reaser’s(2003)studyaddedthecommunicativefunctionofeachofthe
broadcasters’utterances(p.306)toFerguson’s(1983)analysis(p.153-172).
Watson(2010)alsoexploredlanguageuseinbroadcastsofTestMatchSpecial
cricket(p.226).InhisHandbookforLocalMajorLeaguebroadcasters,Lindberg
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outlinesimportantskillsbroadcastersneedtobesuccessful;thefirstisvoice
(Lindberg,2011,p.15).
Vacillationbetweenpast,presentandfuturewasthefocusofstudybyMarieLaureRyanin1993(p.139).Sheseparatednarrativeintothreedimensions:
chronicle,mimesisandemplotment.Simply,theserepresentthewhat,howand
why,respectively(Ryan,1993,p.139-40).
Ryan(1993)studiedthethreedimensionsofnarrativeviaananalysisofthe
1989radiobroadcastofaplayoffgamebetweentheChicagoCubsandSanFrancisco
Giants(p.139).Indescribingthebroadcastaschronicle(anaccountofthe
events/game),Ryanstatesthisdimensionismandatory,themostdominantandthe
audience’sprimarygoalduringabaseballbroadcast(p.140-43).However,Ryan
(1993)acknowledgesthe“rhythmofthegameisnotasteadyflow”(p.141)and
therefore,broadcastersmust“createappropriatereliefinthereportedactionby
compressingtimeduringeventsoflittleimportanceandexpandingtimeduringthe
decisiveevents.”(p.142).Ryanoffersthreesolutionsforthisproblem:1)staywith
thepresentandadjusttoslowingdownoftheaction;2)escapetowardthepastof
thegame;or3)thepastoftheplayers(1993,p.142).Thesestrategiesapplyto
othersportstoo(Reaser,2003andWatson,2010).
Ryan(1993)notesthatusingcasualconversationabout“baseballingeneral,
suchasgossip,reminiscenceofseasonspast,ordidacticexpositionsofthefiner
pointsofbaseballstrategyaredangerous,asactionmayresumebeforethe
conversationiscomplete”(p.143).ThisiswhyHarwell,accordingtoSanFrancisco
GiantsbroadcasterJonMiller,didn’ttellastoryunlessheknewhecouldfinishit
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(Miller,personalinterview,2016).Anotherpathavailabletobroadcastersduringa
gameareusingcounterfactuals,orthoughtsabout“whatmighthavebeen”(Sanna,
2003,p.457).Andonerecentadditioninthisrealmistheuseofadvancedstatistics
duringabroadcast(Nehm,2015,p.1).
Broadcastasmimesis(thehow)reliesonretrospectiveretellings.Ryan
(1993)positstheseretellingsservetwofunctionsforthelisteners:1)tosignalkey
eventsandprovidenarrativereliefand2)addingdetailstoallowtheaudienceto
visualizetheplay(p.143).Reaser(2003)agreeswithRyan’sbreakdown,codingfor
utterancesofevaluationandrecapsinhisquantitativeanalysis(p.306).
Finally,inexploringbroadcastasemplotment(thewhy),Ryan(1993)offers
threewaystherawfactsofaplaycanbecomeastorythroughitsretelling(p.144).
Theseare:1)identifyingaheroandopponent,focusingonthehero’sperspective;2)
focusingonaneventasthekeytotheplay;and3)suggestingathemesothefacts
becomea“meaningfulsequence”(Ryan,1993,p.144).Further,Ryan(1993)citesan
observationfromPaulRicoeur(1983),"Astoryshouldbemorethanan
enumerationofeventsinaserialorder,itshouldorganizetheseeventsintoan
intelligibletotality,soastomakeitalwayspossibletoask:whatisthethemeofthe
story,”(p.144).Morebroadly,Ryan(1993)argues“everygamesatisfiesthe
minimalconditionsofnarrativity,”(asdefinedbyGeraldPrince(1973):state,then
event,then,asaresult,terminationofinitialstate)(p.144).Ryan(1993)positsthat,
“asacompetitivegame,baseballinstanciatesthemostbasicnarrativepattern:the
fightoftheheroandtheanti-hero.Thestoryofthegametellshowoneteam
overcametheother.Whetherornotthegameisofthekindpeoplewanttotalk
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about,thereisalwaysameaningfuleventtoreport:thescoringofthego-aheadrun”
(p.144).
PriortoreviewingthestagesoftheCubs-Giantsgame,Ryan(1993)notes
thatwhileavailablethemesforliterarynarrativeare“asdiversifiedashuman
experience,”thegameofbaseballnarrowsthechoiceconsiderablytoinclude:
“…theIncredibleCome-From-BehindVictory,theFatalError,theHeroicFeat,
theLuckyBreakVictory,theUnlikelyHero,theInevitableCollapse,
OvercomingBadLuck,PersistenceThatPaysOff.Thesethemesacquire
existentialsignificancethroughthemetaphoricalassimilationofvictoryto
lifeanddefeattodeath.Thebroadcastisnarrativetotheextentthatit
configuresthegamebyactivatingascriptonthebasisofsomeevents,
therebymarkingtheseeventsaskeyplaysinthegame”(p.145).
Ryan(1993)identifies10distinctnarrativethemespresentintheCubsGiantsgame,includingseverallistedintheabovequotation(p.146-148).
Basedontheliteraturereviewedabove,thefollowingresearchquestionsand
predictionswillbestudied:
•
•
•
ResearchQuestion1:Howdobroadcastersemploynarrativestorytellingina
game?
o Prediction1:Broadcasterswillusenarrativeelementsprimarily
betweenliveactiondescription
RQ2:Doesuseofnarrativestorytellingvarybasedonabroadcaster’sage?
o P2:Therewillbedifferencesbasedonageinnarrativeuse,bothhow
andwhenitisusedduringagame
RQ3:Howdocoloranalystsimpactuseofnarrativeduringthegame?
o P3:Coloranalystswillprovideamajorityofthenarrative
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PRIMARYRESEARCHSTUDIES
Study1:Contentanalysis
Thisstudyusedgamebroadcaststogaininsightsthataddresstheresearch
questionssetforthinthispaper.Bycodingeachutteranceofagivenannouncer,it
couldbedeterminedwhattypesofinformationwerebeinggiventotheaudienceas
wellaswhatstyleeachbroadcasteremploys.Theexpectedoutcomewasthatthe
resultsofthisanalysiswouldinformtopicstobeexploredduringin-depthinterview
withprofessionalbroadcasters.
ExpectedOutcomes
Broadcasterswillusenarrativestorytellingduringthebroadcastandthe
announcersofdifferentageswillhavevaryingstylesofannouncinggames,including
amountofnarrativeusedandwhennarrativeisemployedduringthebroadcast.
Also,coloranalystswillprovidemuchofthestorytelling.
Method
Inordertostudytheresearchquestionslistedabove,fiveMajorLeague
Baseballannouncerswerechosenforreview.Eachoftheannouncersareof
differentagesandhavedifferentlevelsofbroadcastingexperience,inlinewithone
ofthegoalsofthisresearch.
Threeplay-by-playannouncerswerestudied:VinScullyoftheLosAngeles
Dodgers(age88,in66thseason),PatHughesoftheChicagoCubs(age60,in34th
season)andCoryProvusoftheMinnesotaTwins(age37,in10thseason,7thplay-byplay).WhileScullyworksbyhimself,HughesandProvusworkwithcoloranalysts.
RonCoomeroftheCubs(age49,in3rdseason)andDanGladdenoftheTwins(age
58,in16thseason,12thasfulltimeanalyst)arebothformerplayerswiththose
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respectiveteams.Thisistypically,butnotalways,thecase.Biographiesofeach
broadcaster,fromtheirteams’websites,areincludedinAppendixA.
ThisstudyreviewedtheradiobroadcastofthefirstinningoftheOpening
Daygameforeachteam.Therationaleforthisselectionwasthecleanslateanew
seasonbringsandingameone,therewouldbeamplenarrativeelementsthe
announcerscouldpullfromduringthebroadcast.TheCubs,DodgersandTwins
eachplayedastheroadteam.AllgamesoccurredonApril4,2016.
•
•
•
MinnesotaTwinsatBaltimoreOrioles(2:05p.m.CST)
LosAngelesDodgersatSanDiegoPadres(6:05p.m.CST)
ChicagoCubsatLosAngelesAngelsofAnaheim(9:05p.m.CST)
EveryutterancemadebythebroadcasterswascodedintoaMicrosoftExcel
spreadsheet(fullresultsavailableuponrequest)basedon:
• whowastalking
• whentheyspoke-toporbottomoftheinning
• gamesituation(betweenbatters,betweenpitchers,liveactionorgivingthe
count)
• transcriptofwhatwassaid
• communicativefunctionofwhatwassaid,usingReaser(2003)model(7-13)
andthenewfieldofadvertising(14):
7. liveaction(“heswingsandmissesatachange…”)
8. strategy(“themoredeepcountstheCubscanforceRichardsinto
earlierinthegame,thebetteroffyou'llbe.”)
9. report(“Seagerwaitingondeck”)
10. recap(“Santanastrikesouttwo.Baltimoreleavestwo.Afterone,no
scoreonyourhomeforTwinsbaseball.”)
11. hypothetical(“Iwouldthink,withtwostrikes,you'relookingatahard
sliderfromRoss.”)
12. evaluation(“HeckofastartfortheCubs.”)
13. background(“[TheDodgershave]won6inarowagainstSanDiego.”)
14. advertising(“maketheVillageofBedfordParkawinninghomefor
yourbusiness.”)
• durationofeachutterance
TheMLBmediaarchiveatMLB.comwasusedtoaccessrecordings.Thisservice
isonlyavailabletoMLB.TV/Gamedaymembers,ofwhichtheauthoris,thus
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enablingaccess.EachinningwasthenrecordedontheiPhone6VoiceMemo
application.Therecordingswerethenemailedtotheauthoranddownloadedfor
playingonalaptopcomputerviaiTunes.Thedurationofeachutterancewas
recordedaccordingtothetimerontheiTunesfile.Asecondcoderanalyzedthetop
ofthefirstinningintheTwins-Oriolesgameandthebottomofthefirstinningofthe
Cubs-Angelsgame.Therewasagreementonallcodingentries.
Results
Combined,thebroadcastershad607utterancesacrossthethreegames.That
numberisnearlydoubletheanalyzableutterancescodedinthefirst10minutesand
17secondsoftheradiobroadcastofacollegebasketballgamestudiedbyReaser
(2003,p.305).Totalduration,combiningthethreegamesandnotincludingthe
commercialbreakbetweenthetopandbottomoftheinning,was41minutesand55
seconds.Thetopofthefirstinning,combinedforthethreegames,took23minutes
and25secondswhilethecombinedtimeforthebottomhalfofthefirstwas18
minutesand30seconds.
TheDodgers’Scullyhad233utterances,themostamongthesetof
broadcastersreviewed.ThisisnotsurprisinggivenScullyworksalone,providing
bothplay-by-playandcoloranalysisduringthebroadcast.Totalutterancesfromthe
othertwoplay-by-playannouncers,HughesoftheCubsandProvusoftheTwins,
weremuchcloser.Despitenorunsbeingscoredinthefirstinningofthegame,
Provushad163analyzableutteranceswhileHugheshad22less,at141,withthe
Cubsscoringaruninthefirst.Forthetwocoloranalysts,GladdenoftheTwinshad
12moreutterancesthantheCubs’Coomer,41to29.Table1belowprovidesthe
breakdowndescribed.
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Table1:Announcerutterances
Announcer
Totalutterances Scully(Play-by-play,Dodgers)
233
Provus(Play-by-play,Twins)
163
Gladden(Color,Twins)
41
Provus+Gladden(Twins)
204
Hughes(Play-by-play,Cubs)
141
Coomer(Color,Cubs)
29
Hughes+Coomer(Cubs)
170
GrandTotal
607
Eachgamefeatureddifferentactionduringthefirstinning,meaningthetotal
durationoftheinningvaried.TheTwinsandOrioleswerescorelessafterthefirst
inning.WhiletheTwinstookjustunderfourminutes(3:49)toberetiredinthetop
halfoftheinning,theOriolesgottworunnersonbase,stretchingthebottomofthe
firstintoa10-minuteplus(10:06)affair.TheDodgersjumpedouttoa2-0leadin
thetopofthefirstinning,enroutetoa15-0win.Inrealtime,thetopofthefirst
inningtooknearly12minutes(11:49)tocompletewhilethebottomhalf,inwhich
thePadresthreebattersallmadeouts,wascompleteinunderfiveminutes(4:42).
TheCubsscoredaruninthetophalfofthefirst,usingabouteightminutes(7:47)of
realtimetosendfivebatterstotheplate.WiththeAngelsgoingdown1-2-3,the
bottomofthefirstendedinunderfourminutes(3:49).
Withinabaseballgame,manydifferentgamesituationsoccur.Forthe
purposesofthisstudy,threespecificsituationswerecoded.Theseare:Between
Batters(BB),BetweenPitches(BP)andLiveAction(LA).Giventheimportancefor
listenersofknowingthecount(ballsandstrikes),theutteranceofgivingthecount
(C)wascodedseparately.
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Thedatashowthateachgamewasapproximatelysplitintothirds:one-third
‘betweenbatters,’one-third‘betweenpitches’andone-thirddescribing‘liveaction.’
Justoversixpercentofthetimewasspentgivingthecount.Figure1belowvisually
showsthisbreakdown.
Figure1:Gamesituationpercentage
GameSituationPercentage
Between
Batters
33%
LiveAction
30%
Count
6%
Between
Pitches
31%
Afurtherbreakdownofthedatashowsinwhichgamesituationeach
announcerspoke.Scully,whilerepresentedinFigure2,shouldbeignoredfor
analysisashehadtospeakduringallgamesituationsastheonlyannouncerinthe
booth.FortheCubsbroadcastteamofHughes(play-by-play)andCoomer(color),
thedatarevealsthatCoomeralmostalwaysofferedcommentarybetweenbatters
andonlylimitedcommentarybetweenpitches.ThisdiffersfromtheTwins
broadcastingteamofProvus(play-by-play)andGladden(color).Anear50/50split
ofcommentaryfromGladdenwasgivenbetweenbattersandbetweenpitches.
WhencomparingProvusandHughes,Hughesofferedmorebetweenbatterswhile
Provusdidsobetweenpitches.
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Figure2:Utterancebybroadcasterandgamesituation
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
BB
50%
BP
40%
C
30%
LA
20%
10%
0%
Coomer
(CHC)
Hughes
(CHC)
Gladden
(MNT)
Provus
(MNT)
Scully(LAD)
Themostpopularcommunicativefunctionofutteranceswasdescribinglive
action,accountingforabout28percentofthebroadcasts.Providingreportsofsome
kindwerethenextmostpopularfunction,comprisingroughly26percentofthe
broadcasts.Discussingbackgroundinformation,includingnarrative,wasnearly15
percentoftheutterances.Offeringevaluations,ofplayersorsituations,tookalmost
thesamepercentageofthebroadcasts.Otherfunctionswere:recap(11percent),
hypothetical(3percent),strategy(lessthan2percent),andadvertising(lessthan1
percent).Figure3visuallyshowsthisbreakdown:
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Figure3:Communicativefunctionofbroadcasterutterance
CommunicativeFunction
#ofutterances
200
150
100
50
0
LiveAction
Report
170
162
Background Evaluation
90
89
Recap
Hypothetical
Strategy
Ad
66
20
12
1
CommunicativeFunction
ThemajorityofScully’sutteranceswereeitherdescribingliveactionor
givingreports.Insum,thesefunctionsaccountformorethan55percentofthe
broadcast.Healsospentnearly20percentofthetimeofferingbackground
information,includingstories.Figure4showsutterancesbyfunction
Figure4:Scullyutterancesbyfunction
Scully(LAD)
UtterancesbyFunction
9%
3%
12%
1%
29%
18%
28%
Report(67)
LiveAction(66)
Background(41)
Recap(20)
Hypothetical(8)
Strategy(2)
Evaluation(29)
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FortypercentofHughes’utterancesweremadeduringliveaction.Another
thirdofthetimecomprisedprovidingreportsandrecaps.Coomerspent40percent
ofhistimeevaluatingtheactiononthefield.Figure6showsutterancesbyfunction
forHughesandCoomer.
Figure6:HughesandCoomerutterancesbyfunction
Hughes(CHC)
UtterancesbyFunction
2%
1%
1%
11%
40%
11%
14%
18%
LiveAction(57)
Report(26)
Recap(20)
Background(16)
Evaluation(16)
Strategy(3)
Hypothetical(2)
Ad(1)
Coomer(CHC)
UtterancesbyFunction
10% 3%
14%
41%
14%
17%
Evaluation(12)
Report(5)
Strategy(4)
Hypothetical(4)
Recap(3)
Background(1)
LikeCoomer,Gladdenalsoevaluatedmorethananyotherfunction,44
percentofthetime.ForProvus,35percentofhisutteranceswerereports,followed
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closelybydescriptionofliveaction(28percent).Provususedbackground
information,includingstories,morethan13percentofthetime.Figure7showsthe
utterancesbyfunctionforProvusandGladden.
Figure7:ProvusandGladdenutterancesbyfunction
Coomer(CHC)
UtterancesbyFunction
10% 3%
14%
41%
14%
17%
Evaluation(12)
Report(5)
Strategy(4)
Hypothetical(4)
Recap(3)
Background(1)
Gladden(MIN)
UtterancesbyFunction
5% 2%
12%
44%
17%
20%
Evaluation(18)
Background(8)
Report(7)
Hypothetical(5)
Strategy(2)
Recap(1)
Ofthetotal607utterances,nearly65percentoccurredeitherbetween
batters(~34percent)orbetweenpitches(~31percent).Thesegamesituationsare
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uniquetobaseballandrepresentanaturaltimeforstorytellinginthebroadcast.The
announcersheredemonstratedthattobetrue.
Thestoriestheannouncerstold,however,variedintopicandlength.Scully
usedmorenarrativethantheotherannouncers,tellingsixstoriesduringthefirst
inning.Anexampleisthis28-secondexcerptaboutSanDiegostartingpitcherTyson
Ross,offeredbetweenpitches:
“Infact,lastyear,TysonRosspitchedagameandbeatCincinnatiatnight
thenaskedforpermission,wasgranted,at4o'clockinthemorning,gotup,
wenttotheairport,andflewtoWashingtontoseehisyoungerbrothermake
theMajorLeaguestart.AndforTyson,sadtosee,hisbrotherpitchedpretty
wellbutWashingtonlost.Thehegotbackonaplaneandjoinedhisteam.”
AnecdoteslikethisflowseamlesslythroughoutScully’sbroadcast.Duringthe
firstat-batofDodgers’infielderJustinTurner,Scullyhelpedthelistenerappreciate
howTurnergottothisstageofhiscareer:
“Bytheway,talkingaboutJustinTurner,whenhewasafreshman,CalState
Fullerton,hewashitinthefacewhilesquaringtobuntonapitchagainst
Stanford.Healsobrokehisankleontheplay.Pointofitbeingthatit'snot
beeneasyforhimatalltobecomeoneofthetophittersnowintheMajor
Leagues.”
Inthebottomoftheinning,Scullyshowcasedhisattentiontodetailwhen
talkingaboutSanDiegooutfielderJonJay,whowasplayinginhisfirstgamesince
beingtradedtothePadresintheoffseason:
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“JonJay,youmayremember,withtheSaintLouisCardinals,theylovedhim
there.Hestruggledwithalotofinjurieslastyear,hit.210…Infact,whenJon
Jaycamebackfromhissecondinjury,theytellmetheballpark,itwasa
standingovationashewascomingup.Andhadtheorganistnotbuttedin
andbegantoplay,thecrowdwould'veroaredalotlonger.”
DuringtheCubs’firstinning,Hughesdidweaveintwostories.TheCubs
werebroadcastingtheirfirstgameonanewstation,soHughesspentaconsiderable
amountofthetimeatthebeginningofthebottomofthefirstinningdiscussingthe
“historicday.”Theotherstorywasa14-secondmemoryaboutCubs’playerAnthony
Rizzo:
“Irememberacoupleofyearsago,Anthony,onOpeningDayinPittsburgh,
onaverycolddaygame,homeredonthefirstpitchhesawduringtheseason
offofAJBurnett.AndIbelievethatwasafterhehadgonehomerlessall
duringSpringTraining.”
Coomerdidn’tofferanystoriesduringtheinninganalyzed.
ForProvusandGladden,thebroadcastcontainedonlyonetruestory,a24
secondrecountingofthebigleaguejourneyofBaltimorehitterMattWieters,astold
byProvus:
“TherewassomeconcernaboutwhetherornotWieterscouldplaytoday.He
injuredhisrightelbowwhilemakingathrowinaSpringTraininggame
againsttheTwinsbackonMarch12.Didcomebackandgotafewgamesin
towardtheendofGrapefruitleagueseason.Thatsurgicallyrepairedelbow
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certainlyascareforWietersandBaltimorefansandstaff.Wietersclearedto
starttoday.”
Discussion
Thedataanalysiscompletedintheprevioussection,combinedwiththe
literaturereview,providesanswerstoeachofthethreeresearchquestionsposedat
thebeginningofthispaper.Thesequestionswere:
•
RQ1:Howdobroadcastersemploynarrativestorytellinginagame?
•
RQ2:Doesuseofnarrativestorytellingvarybasedonabroadcaster’sage?
•
RQ3:Howdocoloranalystsimpactuseofnarrativeduringthegame?
First,PredictionOnewassupportedbythedata.Narrativeelementswerenot
usedduringtheliveactiondescription,insteadofferedbothbetweenbatterand/or
betweenpitches.Giventheone-third/one-third/one-thirdsplitofthebroadcast,
thisshowsthatnearlytwo-thirdsoftimeisopenforacommunicativefunctionaside
fromdescribingtheplayonthefield.Theamountoftimeforstorytellingvaries
dependingonthecontestbetweenpitcherandbatter.Inthebottomofthefirst
inning,Baltimore’sMattWietersat-battooknearly5minutesofrealtimeashe
battledtheTwins’ErvinSantana.Thatlengthy,10-pitch,atbatprovidedProvus
ampleopportunitytooffernarrativeonbothpitcherandbatter.
Second,thedatarevealedvariationinstorytellingbasedontheageofthe
announcer.Thissupportspredictiontwo.Theoldestannouncerstudied,88-year-old
VinScully,spentthemosttimeofferingnarrativetothelisteners.Surprisingly,the
37-year-oldProvusand60-year-oldHughesspentaboutthesameamountoftime
tellingstories.
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Finally,PredictionThree,whichsaidcoloranalystswouldprovideamajority
ofthenarrativetothebroadcast,wasnotsupported.Asmentionedearlier,both
CoomerandGladdenusedthevastmajorityoftheirspeakingtimeevaluatingplays
andplayers.
Thereareafewimplicationsofthesefindings.First,coloranalystsshould
attempttooffermorenarrativestoriesduringthebroadcast.Theevaluation
utterancesofferedbyCoomerandGladdencertainlyaddtothebroadcastandallow
thelistenertoget“insidebaseball”information.However,byidentifyingspecific
storiesthathelpmakeapoint,thecoloranalystscanenhancethebroadcasteven
more.Nextisthatplay-by-playannouncersoughttoemulateScully’sabilityto
weaveinlongandshortanecdotesinthebroadcast.Heisunique,yes,buthisstyle
stilloffersmuchforbroadcastersofallagestolearnfrom.Lastly,itisrecommended
broadcastersspendmoretimeonstrategy.Thislikelihoodofusingthisfunction
likelyincreasesasthegameprogresses,however,momentsearlyinthegamecanbe
pivotal.Hughes’notionthat“themoredeepcountstheCubscanforceRichardsinto
earlierinthegame,thebetteroffyou'llbe,”wasprescient.Richards,thepitcher,left
thegameafterthrowing97pitchesinfiveinnings,trailing3-0.
Limitationsandfutureresearch
Thelimitationsofthisstudyincludethesamplesizeofoneinningforeach
broadcaster.Whilearationalapproach,thefirstinningrequires“scene-setting”and
otherreportsnotneededlaterinthegame.Itispossibleotherinningsduringthe
gamewouldprovetobemoreapplicableforstorytelling.Also,thereare162
scheduledgamesintheregularseason,sobroadcastersdoneedtoshowpatienceso
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astonotusealloftheirgoodstoriesrightaway.Ananalysisofafullgameorseason
wouldrevealtrendsthatcannotbedrawnbasedonthefirstinningofOpeningDay.
Therearemanypossibleavenuesforfutureresearchonthistopic.
•
Analyzethepre-gameshow.Eachofthethreebroadcastsstudiedherehad
extensivepre-gameshows.Ingeneral,apre-gameshowallowsthe
broadcasterstosetupthegame,weekorseason,providingvaluablecontext
forthelistener.Whilesomeofthisoccursduringthegameaswell,an
analysisofthepre-gameshowmayrevealadditionalnarrativestorytelling
uses.
•
ReplicateRyan’s(1993)study.Exploringonebroadcastforthethree
narrativedimensions-chronicle,mimesis,emplotment–mayuncover
similaritiesanddifferencesbetweenabroadcastin1989and2016.
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STUDYII:IN-DEPTHBROADCASTERINTERVIEWS
Thejobofprofessional,MajorLeagueBaseballbroadcastersistobroadcast
eachgameoftheteamtheycover.Theseannouncershavetheexperience,
perspectiveandinsightthehistoryofthecraftandcurrentpractices.Thegoalofthis
studywastoascertainthoseperspectivestoseewhetherthereisagreementamong
broadcastersofdifferentagesontopicsrelatedtotheresearchquestionsofthis
paper.Throughone-on-one,in-depthinterviews,broadcastersareabletooffer
insightsandcommentaryontheircareersandthecurrentstateoftheprofession.
ExpectedOutcomes
Broadcasterswillhavechildhoodexperiencesrelatedtobaseballand/or
baseballbroadcastingthatinfluencedtheircareerpath.Whilethepreparation
processhaschangedduetothepreviouslydiscussedadvancesintechnologyand
availabilityofinformation,theindividualbroadcastersstylehasnot.Storiescanbe
collectedandtoldindifferentways.
Method
Threecurrently-employedMajorLeagueBaseballannouncersofdifferent
agesandexperiencelevelswereinterviewedbetweenMay20–June1,2016.Each
interviewwasconductedoverthephone,withanaudiorecordingmade.Full
transcriptsoftheseinterviewsareavailableinAppendixB.Theinterviewsranged
from30minutestomorethan90.
Theintervieweeswere:
•
PatHughes,61,play-by-play,ChicagoCubs,WSCR670-AM;
•
CoryProvus,37,play-by-play,MinnesotaTwins,K-TWIN96.3-FM;
and
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•
JonMiller,64,play-by-play,SanFranciscoGiants,KNBR610-AM.
TheauthordidrequesttointerviewtheDodgers’VinScully.However,the
Dodgers’mediarelationsstaffrespondedthatScullywasunabletoassistwiththis
project.Eachbroadcasterwasaskedaboutwhytheywantedtobecameabaseball
announcer,influencesontheircareers,howtheydealwiththelongevityofthe
baseballseason,howtheyprepareforabroadcast,iftheirstylehaschangedgiven
near-universalaccesstoinformation(forbroadcastersandfans),howtheywork
withcoloranalysts,theissueofhomerism(openlyrootingfortheteamyouare
announcingfor),theirrelationshipwithplayers,coachesandmanagersandwhat
advicetheywouldgiveanaspiringbroadcaster.Followupquestionswereaskedas
needed.
ResultsandDiscussion
BroadcasterInterview:PatHughes,play-by-playvoiceoftheChicagoCubsonWSCR
670-AM
BecomingaprofessionalathletewasPatHughes’dreamjobgrowingup.By
college,Hughesrealizedthatwasn’tinthecardssohedecidedthenextbestthing
wouldbetotryand“becomethevoiceofafamousAmericansportsfranchise.”
Hugheshasdonejustthat.Heiscurrentlyinhis21stseasoncallingChicagoCubs
gamesandhasbeenbroadcastingbigleaguegamesfor34years.
AnativeoftheBayAreainCalifornia,HughespointedtoformerSan
FranciscoGiants’announcersRussHodgesandLonSimmonsasbiginfluenceson
hisstyleaswellasBillKing,whodidplay-by-playfortheNationalFootballLeague’s
OaklandRaiders,NationalBasketballAssociation’sGoldenStateWarriorsandMLB’s
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OaklandA’s.ForHughes,alongwithLosAngelesDodgersbroadcasterVinScullyand
NBCsportscasterBobCostas,Kingisa“GrandMaster.”
“[King]hadarapidfiredelivery.Vocabularyoutofthisworld.Theclarity.
Thedrama,buildingofdrama…IwouldsayBillKingisthegreatestradioplay
byplaymanofthethreemajorsports…he’sthebestinAmericanhistoryand
nooneelseisevenclose.”
Intheinterview,HughescalledouttheexhaustingaspectofaMLBseason,
with162regularseasongamesplustheplayoffsandSpringTraining,meaning
countlesshoursontheairandneedingstaminatostayatyourbest.Toillustratethe
point,Hughesdescribeda48-hourperiodwherehecalledfourhoursand45
minutesofafivehour,13-inningCubswininMilwaukeethatendedaftermidnight
beforereturningtotheparkthenextdayforadaygamethatlastedthreehours.
Immediatelyfollowingthatgame,theteamflewfromMilwaukeetoSanFranciscoto
playagainthefollowingday.
“Sometimes…ifyoulookataschedule,therewillbe33gamesina34-day
period.Now,IlovebaseballandIlovemyjob,butwouldyouevenwanttodo
somethingyouenjoy33outof34days?Wouldyouwanttogotothecircus,
orgotothepicnic,orgototheopera,orwhateveritisyouliketodo,would
youreallywanttodothat33daysoutof34?”
Inordertobepreparedandathisbestforeachbroadcast,Hugheshas
developedaroutineongamedays.
“Igetupandgetsomecoffee.Iimmediatelyfindthelocalnewspaperinthe
townwhereweare.AndthenIfindaUSATodaypaper…Ipridemyselfon
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tryingtobeprepared.AndwhatI’vealwaysdone,Ireadeverysingleword
thatisprintedinthelocalpaperaboutbaseball.Everyword.It’sadiscipline.
Ihavearedpen;IcirclethingsImaywanttobringuponthebroadcast…I’m
alwayslookingforsomethingunusualthatcanleadtoafunnystoryorsome
laughsontheair.”
Hughessaidheusesanongoingpreparationprocesseachseasontogather
informationtouseontheair.Heseestheroleofaplay-by-playmanlikeareporter,
namingaccuracy,preparationandfairnessaskeyattributes.Thatphilosophymeans
Hughesseeshimselfasan“outsidertotheballplayersandtheteam”whotriestobe
“friendlyandprofessionalandcourteous,”but“outofthewayforthemostpart.”
Thatsaid,onabroadcast,Hughestriesto“use[his]bestvocabulary…entertain
people…[andhave]theaudiencetoshareajokeortwowithyoualongtheway.”
Currently,HughesisworkingwithformerCubsplayerRonCoomerasacolor
analyst.Whileontheair,Hughessaidhewantsfindasmanywayspossibletolet
Coomer“dohisthing.”
“[Coomer]bringsacertainknowledgethatIwillneverhaveandthat’sthe
knowledgeofaformerbigleagueplayer.Hemadethoseplays.Hehitthose
balls.Hefacedguysthrowing96milesperhour.Ineverdid.So,hecan
provideinsightthatInevercan.”
Withsomuchinformationavailabletoday,Hughessaidhischallengeistosift
throughitallforthegoodstuff.“It’salmostlikeadetectivelookingforthebestclues
andthenjustdisregardingeverythingelse,”hesaid.WhilehereadsTwitter,andhas
ahandle,Hughesadmitteditisn’tamajorinformationsourceduetothetime
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neededtofindanaccuratepieceofinformationhecanuseduringagame.That
proliferationofinformationhasn’tchangedthewayhebroadcasts,Hughessaid.In
fact,hethinksbaseballontheradioisrisinginpopularitywhenyouconsider
sponsorshipdollarsandbroadcastrightsfees.
“Baseballontheradioisamatchmadeinheaven,itreallyis...Ithinkitwill
alwaysbearound.Ithinkradiobaseballsellsthegamebetterstillthan
televisiondoes.It’sbecausewedoeverysinglegameonthesamestationand
there’ssomethingtobesaidforthat.Consistency.Andalsotheradio
announcershavetodomoretalking.Theyhavetokeepa[steadier]streamof
aconversationalflowgoingthanaTVannouncerdoes.TheTVannouncerhas
videoandtheydon’tneedtobetalking.ButIthinkthere’sacertain
companionshipelementthattheaudiencefeelswiththeradioannouncer
becausethereisthesteadystreamofchatterandconversation.I’vehadalot
ofpeoplesay,‘youknow,sometimesIjustneedtoturnonthegame.Iwantto
hearyoucalling20or30minutesofthegame,ormaybe10or15minutesa
day,Ijustwanttogetawayfrommytroubles,turnontheCubsgame.Iwant
tolistentoyou.Andyouknow,it’snotabigdeal,Idon’twanttolistentothe
wholegame,Ijustneedthatlittlebreakduringtheday.’Idon’tknowifyou
candothatwithtelevision.Maybeyoucan.ButI’mflatteredbythatandIfeel
it’sabigresponsibilityasaradioannouncer.Baseballandradio.It’sstill
goingstrongandIthinkitwillbefortheforeseeablefuture.Ifithasn’tdied
yet,Idon’tseeitdyinganytimesoon.”
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Broadcasterinterview:CoryProvus,37,play-by-playvoiceoftheMinnesotaTwins
onK-TWIN96.3-FM
CoryProvus’interestinabroadcastingcareerwasinfluencedbytwothings:
growingupabigCubsfaninChicago,listeningtotheiconicHarryCaraycallgames,
andhavingacousinwhocallsgamesforaliving-BradSham,theradiovoiceofthe
DallasCowboys(dallascowboys.com,2016).
OnemajorimpactonProvusisCubsradioannouncerPatHughes.Provus’
firstjobinthebigleagueswasworkingwithHughesonCubsbroadcasts.
“Iadmired[Hughes’]voice.Iadmiredhisknowledgeofthegame.Andthen
whenyoustartstudyingbroadcasting,youstarttodoitforalittlebit,whatI
marvelatwithPattothisdayis,whenitcomestothetechnique,ishis
inflection.Ijustthinkheinflectstherightwords…Itwasalwayspeakingat
thesametimeassay,thecrowd.Andthat’snotaneasythingtomaster.”
Inhis10thmajorleagueseason,5thwiththeTwins,Provussaidhehas
developedaroutinetohandlethelongevityoftheseasonandmakesureheistaking
abreakwithfromthegrindofaseason.Withawifeandtwoyoungchildren,Provus
saidhisroutineismoreflexiblewhenathome,butontheroadisprettyconsistent.
HebeginsbyreadingcoveragefromtheTwinsgamethenightbefore,bothfrom
Minnesotasourcesandthosecoveringtheopponent.Thegoalistorefreshhis
memoryandensurehedidn’tmissanyinjuries,rostermovesorimportantdecisions
inthegame.Afteralitebreakfast,Provuswillcheckinwithhisfamilyandthen
workout.Afterdressingfortheday,hewillreadwithafocusonthenational
perspectivetoseewhathappenedacrossthegamethenightbefore.Nextinthe
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routineiswhathecallsa‘Provuspowernap’of20-30minutes.Afterwards,he
preparesforthatnight’sgamebyfocusingonthestartingpitchersandtheir
tendencies.
At37,Provusiscloseinagetomanyoftheplayersandsaidhewilltalkto
themalotaboutnon-baseballtopics.
“DoIgooutandhangoutwiththeplayersalot?No.ButdoIseethemina
hotelbarandhaveadrinkwiththem?Allthetime,absolutely.I'lldothat.
But,IthinktheyallknowwhereIstand.I'mnotonetogettoocriticalofthem
justtobecritical…Butiftheymakeamentalerror,thentheyhavetobe
accountable.Thisisprofessionalsports,they'renotamateursanymore,and
mynumberonegoalistoneverlosecredibilitywiththefans.”
Currently,Provus’partneriscoloranalystDanGladden,aformerTwinspitcher.
Provushandlesplay-by-playdutiesforinnings1-3and7-9whileGladdentakesthe
middlethreeinnings(4-6).ProvussaidhewantsGladdeninsightsandperspective
tobeheardthroughoutthebroadcast.That’sespeciallytruewhenitcomestogame
strategyinthelateinnings,Provussaid.
“That'swhenIthinkananalystcanreallyshine…gettingintothewhy'sand
whynot'sandwho'sinvolvedandwhytheinfielderisplayinginhere,why
they'replayingback,whytheyneedtobringina5thinfielder,howtheypitch
thisguy.Myjobistocallthegame,buttheanalystshinesastowhyit
worked,whyitdidn'twork,whataresomeofthedifferentplaysthatcould
makethisthingworkorwhyitwon'twork.”
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ProvusdoesoperateaTwitteraccount,butseesitasawaytointeractwith
fans,shareinformationfromothersorpromotesomethingcomingupinthe
broadcast,notbreaknews.Forexample,Provussaidhelearnedastartingpitcher
wasmovingtothebullpenwhiletapinghispregameshowwiththemanager.So,he
hadtheinformationbeforeanyoftheteam’sbeatwriters.“Butthere'snothinginmy
bodythatsaid‘hey,Ineedtotweetthisout,it'sagreatnewsstory,’it'snotmy
job…I'mnotabeatreporter.”
Withtheamountofinformationavailable,Provussaidit’spossiblefora
broadcastertoneverleavetheboothtobeinformedaboutateamandthegame.
But,hesaidthat’snotfairtotheteam,listeners,sponsorsandthebroadcasting
profession.
“Istillthinkyouhavetogoonthefield,youhavetogoontheclubhouse,you
haveto,kinda,makeyourselfknown,andyouhavetobeseenandyouhave
tolettheplayersknowthatyou'renotjustupthereinyourboothandyou're
preparedtowork…Ihavethreegoalseverynightasabroadcaster:Inform.
Educate.Entertain.Thosearethethreethingsthatwe,asateam,wetrytodo
everynight.Wecan’tcontrolthewinsandlosses,that’soutofourhands,but
wecancontroltheinformation.Wecancontroltheentertainment.Andwe
cancontroltheeducation.AndthosearethreeelementsItrytonailevery
singlenight.”
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BroadcasterInterview:JonMiller,play-by-playvoiceoftheSanFranciscoGiantson
KNBR610-AM
SanFranciscoGiantsbaseballwasastapleofJonMiller’schildhood,withthe
radiooftentunedtogamescalledbyLonSimmonsandRussHodges.Thatinspired
Millertotrybroadcastinghimself,narratinghisStrat-o-maticgamesintoatape
recorderinthebackyard.InadditiontoHodgesandSimmons,MillerpointstoLos
AngelesDodgersbroadcasterVinScullyandformerA’s,WarriorsandRaidersplayby-playmanBillKingasmajorinfluences.
Miller’scareer,whichincludesworkonlocalandnationalradioand
television,startedjustbeforewhathecallsa“seachange”insportsbroadcastingin
the1980s,whenthecoloranalystbecame“king.”HepointstotherolesofJohn
Madden,HowardCosellandDonMeredithintheNFL,BillyPackerandAlMcGuirein
collegebasketballandTimMcCarverinbaseball.WhenMillerbroadcastsaGiants
gametoday,hesaid,“ourstyleistogivethefansthegame,”withtheanalyst
responsibleformaintainingthatfocus.That’smorechallengingwhenitcomesto
baseballonnationaltelevision,withthetimeinbetweenpitches,battersand
innings.
Millerreflectedonmajorchangestohispreparationprocessthathave
occurredsincehiscareerbegan.Beforetheinternet,Millerdescribedgatheringas
manyaseight,printedcopiesoflocalorregionalnewspaperstoreadthrougheach
day.Withhistravels,hescoutedoutnewsstandsineachcitytopurchasethepapers.
WhenMillergothomeaccesstodialupandthenhighspeedinternet,hesaidthe
processchanged,forcinghimtoadapt.
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“Ireallydidn’tknowwhattodoatfirst…Imightgoonlineatnineo’clockin
themorning,andit’dbethreeo’clockintheafternoonandI’mstillgoing
throughallthesedifferentarticles.Therewasnoendtoit.AndIremember
thinking,‘JesusI’vegottofigurethisout,becauseit’sallI'mdoing.’…Ididn’t
reallyknowhowtohandleit.Tohaveaccesstothatmuchinformationatmy
fingertipswhenI’dbeenrunningaroundtownandgrabbingupallthese
newspapersandwhatnotforallthoseyears,andnowit’sjustrightthere,I
cangetiteverysingledaywithouteverevenleavingmyhome.”
Whileacknowledgingthateveryonehasadifferentwayofpreparing,
generally,Miller’sgamedayroutineincludes“go[ing]onthecomputerand
access[ing]newspaperarticles,nationalstoriesandget[ting]allthelatestinfo
regardingtheteamthatyou’replayingthatnightfromoutoftown,get[ting]upto
speedonwho’shotandwho’snotandwho’shurtandthatsortofthing.”Afterthat,
Millerwillheadtotheballparkforpregameconversationswiththemanagersanda
fewplayersforeachteam.
Duringagame,Millerdoesn’tdiscussadvancedstatisticsbecausehefeels
liketheydon’taddtothebroadcast.Instead,heusesmoretraditionalmetricslike
battingaverageandon-basepercentagetopointoutnumbersthatare“especially
goodorespeciallypoor.”
Despitethemanychangesintheavailabilityandaccessibilityofinformation,
Millerthinks“storytellinghasbeenandalwayswillbeamajorpartofbroadcasting
abaseballgame.”Inhisopinion,thisisparticularlytrueforaradiobroadcastsince
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thestory“engagesthelistenerwhoistranslating[the]descriptionintoimagesin
[their]mind.”
“Nowyoucouldtellthatsamestoryonatelecastaboutsomethingthat
happenedtothisguywhenhewenthomefortheAll-Starbreak,and[former
player]ReneLachemannwentupintheattictoresettheantennaofthisnew
TV…andwhilehewasupthere,hefellthroughtheceilingrightintohisown
livingroom.And,well,that’sagreatstory.Except,whenyoutellitonTV,
they’reshowingpicturesofthemanagerspittingtobaccojuice,apitcher
warmingupinthebullpen...thepicturesdon’tmatchyourstory.Agameon
televisionismoreofapassiveexercise.”
MillerquotedformerDetroitTigersannouncerErnieHarwellassaying,“the
telecastisthemovieandtheradiobroadcastisthebook.”ForMiller,Harwell“wasa
geniusoftheradiomedium”becauseheservedtheaudienceatalltimes.Thiscame
mainlyfromgivingthescoreoften,ahabitMillerhastriedtofollow.Harwellalso
toldMillerhewouldnottellastoryunlesshecouldtelltheentirestory,startto
finish,betweenpitchesorbetweenbatters.
“AndIsaidtohim,‘Ernie,speakingonbehalfofbaseballfanseverywhere,
don’tdothat!Wewanttohearallofyourstories!Howeverlongtheytake.’
Hesays,‘no,peopletuneinforthegameandIfeellikeyou’vegottostay
mindfulofthatandgivethemwhattheytunedinfor.Andthenworkthe
storiesinandaroundthegame.’”
Bytalkingtoandgettingtoknowtheplayersandcoachingstaff,a
broadcasterisabletouncovernewstorylines.Millerrecalledthefirstplayerhe
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trulybefriended,inthelate1970s,wasTexasRangerscatcherJimSundberg.Both
menwereintheirmid-20satthetime.
“AndsoIwasthenewbroadcaster,andIwenttohimtogetsome
informationaboutthepitchingstaff…wedidn’thavethewealthofTVgamesand
networkTVgamesandMLB.comandalloftheseplaceswhereyoucanseevideo
andreallygetagoodfeelforwhataguy’sthrowing,so…Ineededtogetitfromhim…
So,therewasapointwherehegothemorrhoids,whichwasverypainful,andsoI
knewallaboutit.AndIcan'trememberexactlywhathappenedinthegame,buta
ballgotbyhim-andballsnevergotbyhim,aballinthedirt-…AndsoIbroughtup
thathe’shadthesehemorrhoidsanditcouldbethathe’snotmovingaswellashe
normallywouldbecauseofthat,and…wehadthisformercatcheronthetelecast,
andhetalkedaboutit,‘ohyeah,that’sterrible,it’shardenoughtoblockaball,but
thatcouldreallyaffectyourability.Idon’tknowhowhe’seveninthegame,asmuch
painashemustbein.’Well,nowasaresultofthat,allthewritersareaskinghim
aboutitafterthegame,andthey’rewritingaboutit,andthenhe’sgotallthese
peoplesendinghimtelegramsforremedies.Hiswifecalledhimandshesaid,‘Jon
Millerstartedtalkingaboutitrightduringthetelecast,’andIsaid,‘well,youweren’t
abletogettothatball,andIknowsomethingthatmightbeareason,whywouldn’tI
sayit?’Andhesaid,‘well,alright,Iunderstandwhyyou’dsayit,butnowit’slikemy
assholeiseverybody’sbusiness,itseemslikethey’reintimatelyfamiliarwithit.It’s
kindofembarrassing,that’sall.’Therewasanothertimewheretheystoleabase
againsthimandhemadekindofaweakthrow,andIknewthathisarmwasalittle
bitsorecausehetoldmethat,youknow...Well,youknow,Ihadlaterthatyearor
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thenextyear,ascoutfortheYankees,Inoticedhewassittingdownbehindthe
backstopwithearphonesin.AndIaskedhimwhathewaslisteningtoandhesaid,
‘I’mlisteningtoyou.Ialwayslistentothelocalbroadcasters,causemaybetheyhave
someinformationabouttheirteamthatIwouldn’totherwiseknowthatcouldbe
partofmyreport.’Isaid,‘well,youmeanyou’regettingintelligenceonourteam
fromme?’Hesays,‘well,Iwouldn’tlookatitthatway.Buteveryonceinawhile,I
dogetsomething.LikeonetimeIheardaboutacatcherwhosearmwasreallysore
andhewasn’treallythrowingwellatthattime.{Thescout]saidlater,‘weplayed
thatteam,andstoleacoupleofkeybasesagainstthatteam,andwonagame
becauseweknewthat,whereweprobablywouldn’thavestolenagainsthimbefore.’
AndIthought,‘Jesus!That’sme!He’stalkingaboutme!’So,thenIstartthinking,
‘Jeez,Imayhavecostourteamagame.’So,Ineverreallyallowedmyselftogetthat
closetoaplayeragain,becauseIjustthoughtit’satoddswithwhatwe'reactually
doingoutthere.
Nomatterhowthelandscapechanges,Millersaidthebroadcastshould
alwaysbeabouttherelationshipwiththeaudience.
“Thethingthathasneverchangedwiththetechnology,withtheaccessto
informationandallthatkindofstuff,isbeingaccurate,beingclear,and
generatingthetrustinyourlistenersorviewersthatthey'realwaysgetting
theabsolutetruestoryfromyou.Thatyou’renothidinganythingthatmight
begoingagainstyourteam,oralibiforsomebodywhomadeabadplay.
That’syourfirstjob,togeneratetrustinyourselffromthem,thatthey’re
gettingtherealstoryfromyouatalltimes.”
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Interviewthemes
Severalcommonthemesemergedfromtheseinterviewsofprofessional
broadcasters.
First,eachbroadcastergrewupwithsports-filledchildhoodsandbefore
college,hadambitionsofacareerinbroadcasting.Thiswasinlargepartduetothe
broadcastpersonalitiestheywereexposedtoaschildren.HughesandMillerwere
bornandraisedintheBayAreaduringthe1950sand60s,andbothmenlistformer
SanFranciscoGiantsannouncersLonSimmonsandRussHodgesaswellasbaseball,
footballandbasketballplay-by-playmanBillKingasmajorinfluences.Provus’
childhoodcoincidedwiththeriseofHarryCaraycallingCubsgamesonWGN-TV.It
isduringtheseearly,formativeyears,thateachofthemeninterviewedformedthe
foundationfortheirfuturecareers.
Asplay-by-playannouncers,Hughes,ProvusandMillerareresponsiblefor
callingthemajorityoftheliveactionduringagame.However,eachmanstatedthat
itwascriticalthatthecoloranalystplayaleadingroleinthebroadcast.Whilemuch
haschangedovertheyears,thatattitudelargelyexistedinthelate1970saswell.
Emrick(1976)foundthat32of36(89percent)announcerssurveyedconsidered
thecolormanas“essential”tothebroadcast(p.178).AsProvusputit,“Myjobisto
callthegame,buttheanalystshinesastowhyitworked,whyitdidn'twork,what
aresomeofthedifferentplaysthatcouldmakethisthingworkorwhyitwon't
work.”Further,eachfeltlikethegameactionisparamount.Thestorytelling,while
necessaryandoftenwarranted,mustaddto,andnotdistractfrom,whatis
happeningonthefield.
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Inpreparingforagame,eachbroadcasterfollowsaroutineofactivities.
Whiletheseactivitiessomewhatvary,theyessentiallyinvolvethesametasksof
readinglocalandnationalcoverageabouttheteamsinvolvedinthatday’sgameas
wellasthenationallandscapeofthegame,talkingtoplayersandmanagersbefore
thegameandincludingtimetotakeabreakfromtheworktoexercise,eatorcheckinwithfamily.HughesandProvusbothdiscussedhowkeepingaroutineverymuch
helpsthemstayattheirbestoverthecourseoftheseason.
Duringthegame,thethreebroadcastersallnotedtheyneversay‘we’when
referringtotheteamthey’recallingfor.Infact,despiteitbeingasubjectivetopic,
eacheschewedexcessive‘homerism’inthebroadcast.SaidHughes:“Ifaguyon
anotherteammakesasensationalplay,I’mtheretoreportit.AndI’mtheretotell
the[audience]aboutit.Now,ifit’saCubthatdoesit,willIgetalittlemoreexcited?
Yes.IwanttheCubstowin.IwouldlovetoseetheCubsgoallthewaytotheWorld
Series.”Provus:“IwantthefanstoknowwhoIwanttowinbasedonmyinflection,
notbasedonwords.”HughesandMilleragreedonthedangerofusingtoomany
advancedstatisticsduringthebroadcast.Bothprefertouseastatisticthataddsto
thelistener’sunderstandingoftheplayer’sperformanceorvalue(orlackof)tothe
teamatthatmoment.AsHughesputit,“Itrytotellastorywithstats.”
Inadditiontoreadingcoverageandreviewingstatistics,anotheravenueto
gainstoriesforuseonthebroadcastcomesfromtalkingtoplayersandmanagers.
Generally,eachbroadcastersaidtheyapproachtheirrelationshipwithplayersand
managersasfriendlybutprofessional.However,Provussaidhisage(37)allowshim
tobetterrelatetosomeoftheplayerswhoarelikeliertobeinthesamestageoflife.
Henneberry45
ForHughes,bykeepinghisdistance,hisgoalistonotaddpressureordistract
playerswhoalreadyoperatewithmillionsofeyeballsandahundredsofmedia
memberswatching.Millerlearnedearlyinhiscareerthatbefriendingaplayerhas
positivesaswellasnegatives.Followingthetwoincidentsdescribedearlier
involvingformercatcherJimSundberg,Millerhasn’tgottenthatclosetoanother
player.HealsorecountedoncetellingformerBaltimoreOriolesstarCalRipken,Jr.,
“Ifthere’ssomethingyouwanttoconfideinme,goahead.ButIjustwannamakeit
clearthatifthere’ssomethingyoudon’twantontheair,thenmaybeit’sbestifI
don’tknowaboutitsothere’snotgonnabeanyconfusionaboutwhetherI’mgonna
endupputtingitontheairornot.”
Notsurprisingly,broadcastingbaseballontheradioissomethingeachsees
continuingforalongtime.Miller’sdescriptionofthedifferencebetweenastoryon
radioversustelevisionperfectlyillustratedwhybaseballontheradioworkssowell.
Hughes’chalkspartofituptoconsistency–everygameisbroadcastonthesame
stationbythesameannouncers.“Baseballandradio.It’sstillgoingstrongandI
thinkitwillbefortheforeseeablefuture.Ifithasn’tdiedyet,Idon’tseeitdying
anytimesoon.”
Limitationsandfutureresearch
Onelimitationtothisstudyisthatonlythreeprofessionalbroadcasterswere
interviewed.Asmentionedpreviously,anattemptwasmadetoreachVinScullyof
theDodgers,buthewasunavailable.Itshouldbenotedthattheintervieweesalone
donotspeakforallintheirrespectiveagesorforallintheprofession.By
conductingadditionalinterviewswithprofessionalbroadcasters,moreinformation
Henneberry46
aboutcareeraspirations,broadcastpreparationandtheroleofbaseballontheradio
couldbeuncovered.
Areasoffutureresearchincludelookingintochildhoodexposuretoradio
broadcaststodetermineifthatisamaindriverofabroadcastingcareer,workingto
determinewhysofewwomenhavecalledMLBgamesontheradioandhow
statisticscanbestbeusedduringthegame.
Henneberry47
STUDYIII:IN-DEPTHBASEBALLFANINTERVIEWS
Baseballfansmakeupthelistenershiptothebroadcastsofbaseballgames.
Thesefans,therefore,havetheexperience,perspectiveandinsightintowhatmakes
themlistentoaradiobroadcastversusotherchoices(e.g.,televisionbroadcast)
availabletoday.Thegoalofthisstudywastoascertaintheseperspectivestosee
whetherthereisagreementamongfansofdifferentagesontopicsrelatedtothe
researchquestionsofthispaperaswellaswiththebroadcasters’thoughts,as
detailedintheprevioussection.Throughone-on-one,in-depthinterviews,fansare
abletoofferinsightsandcommentaryontheirlisteninghabitsandthecurrentstate
ofradiobaseballbroadcasting.
ExpectedOutcomes
Fanswillhavebegunlisteningtobaseballgamesintheirchildhood,an
exposurethatwouldkeepthemlisteningthroughadulthood–inparttore-live
thoseexperiencesfromgrowingup.Thepersonalityandstyleoftheradio
broadcasterwouldhaveanimpactonthelistener’swillingnesstotunein.
Method
FourinterviewswereconductedbetweenJune2-6,2016.Eachinterviewwas
conductedoverthephone,withaudiorecordingsmadefortwoofthefour
interviews(duetothetechnologyavailableatthetimeoftheinterviews).Full
transcriptsoftheseinterviewsareavailableinAppendixC.Theinterviewsranged
from10-20minutes.Thosechosenforinterviewswereknowntotheresearcheras
baseballfanspriortothisstudy.
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Theintervieweeswere:
•
DonnaMcAllister,86,ChicagoCubsfan,Roselle,Illinois
•
RickMoore,51,MinnesotaTwinsfan,Minneapolis,Minnesota
•
RowdyPyle,38,KansasCityRoyalsfan,KansasCity,Missouri;and
•
SamKraemer,21,MilwaukeeBrewersfan,RapidCity,SouthDakota.
Eachfanwasaskedabouthowtheybecameafanoftheteamtheycheerfor,
whethertheylistenedtotheradiobroadcastofgamesasachild,whethertheystill
listentoradiobroadcasts,whytheylistentothosebroadcasts,theirthoughtsonthe
broadcastersfortheirteams,howtheygetnewsabouttheirteamandwhattheir
preferenceisfortakinginagame.Followupquestionswereaskedasneeded.
ResultsandDiscussion
FanInterview:DonnaMcAllister,86,ChicagoCubsfan,Roselle,Illinois
ForDonnaMcAllister,theChicagoCubshavebeena“lifelongloveaffair.”In
fact,theinterviewforthisstudytookplaceduringaCubsgame,whichshehadon
hertelevisionwhilewetalked.
The86-year-oldMcAllisterrecountedhowshewenttoherfirstgameat
WrigleyField,theCubshomeballpark,inhighschoolwithafewfriends.Thegroup
satintheoutfieldbleachersandMcAllisterwashookedontheCubs.
Betweenthe1940s-60s,McAllisterwouldfollownearlyeverygametheCubs
played,nomatterwhereshewasortheywere.Shediscussedhowroadgamesused
tobebroadcastviatickertape,withbroadcasterslocatedinChicagorelayingthe
gamethetickerreceivedtheinformation.McAllisterwouldthenscorethegamesas
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shelistened.ReturningtotheChicagoareainthe1970s,McAllisterattended25
straightCubshomeopeners.
HerfavoriteCubsbroadcastersareLouBoudreauandVinceLloyd,whocould
beheardonWGN720-AMformorethan20years(SABR,2012)inthe1960s,70s
and80s(WGN,2014).“Ilovedhearingalloftheinformationtheyhadandthe
knowledgetheyhadofthegame,”McAllistersaidoftheLloyd-Boudreaubooth.
Further,shecallslisteningtoabaseballgameontheradioan“intimate”experience,
withtheannouncersplayingakeyroleinbringingthegametolife.
“Theybroughtintheplayers,sotheybecamerealtoyou.Theyjustweren’t
thenametheywereannouncing...they’llsay,“he’s250pounds,sixfeet,two
inches””orsomething.So,youknow,youcanenvisionthem,also.Theradio
guysalways…tellyouwhattheplayersarewearing-theblueshoes,blue
hats…itjustmakesthegamemoreinteresting,morereal.”
McAllistercontendsthatbaseballannouncinghaschangedoverheryearsof
listening.Primarily,shepointstochangesinthegameitself.Forexample,McAllister
mentionsthereseemstobemoreinterestinwhattypesofpitchesarebeingthrown
andanexpectationtheannouncerwilltellthelistenerifit’safastballoracurveball.
Also,therearemorepitchingchanges,lengtheninggametimes,andallowingfor
morecoloranalysis.Shecallstheroleoftheanalysta“fascinating”one.
“Theytellmoreaboutthehistoryofthegameandtheplayersthemselves-
wheretheywerebornandwheretheywenttoschool,anditjusthasbecome
more...intimate,youknow.Yougettoknowtheseplayers.AndIdon’trecall
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thateverhappeningintheearlydays,whichIlike.There’smorecommentary
nowthentherewas30yearsago.”
Currently,McAllisterlistenstoHughesandCoomerbroadcastCubsgames,a
partnershipsheenjoysbecauseofamixoflightheartedcommentaryandstrategic
baseballdiscussion.“Pat[Hughes]isgreatforsayingtoRon[Coomer],“Well,what
doyouthink,Ron?Doyouthinkhe’llstealatthistime?”…andRonismostoften
right;he’sveryknowledgeable.”
McAllisterappreciatesthestorytellingaspectofthebroadcast,butsaidthe
actioninthegameitselfiswhyshelistens.Herpreferredwaytotakeinagameisto
havethetelevisiononmutewiththeradiobroadcastplaying.
At86,McAllisteristheoldestpersoninterviewedforthisstudy.Sheadmits
tobeingan“intense”fanandofferedthatnoonesheknowsofherageisasadamant
aboutfollowingtheCubsassheis.Aself-described“radio-a-holic,”McAllistergets
muchofherCubsnewsfromlocalstationsinChicago.
FanInterview:RickMoore,51,MinnesotaTwinsfan,Minneapolis,Minnesota
AMinnesotanative,RickMoorecallsbeingaTwinsfana“birthright.”He
attendedhisfirstgamein1969andbecauseonlyafewgameswereontelevision,
listenedtoradiobroadcastsformuchofhischildhood.
“Itwasjustkindofbackgroundnoise.Iremember,especiallyonweekends,
I’dbringatransistorradioalongwhileIwasridingonmybike…AndIdon’t
knowthatitwasenchantingbackthenformetolistentothem[theTwins]
ontheradio,butthere'salwaysbeensomethingspecialaboutlisteningto
baseballontheradio,inmyopinion.”
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Aself-described“baseballjunkie”asakid,Moorerecalled“layingonthe
couchatnightinthedarkwith[atransistorradio],justslowlyturningthefrequency
dialamillimeteratatimeallthewaydowntheAMdial,tryingtofindgamesin
othermarkets.You’dbeabletopickupgames,whetherthey’reinSt.Louisor
KansasCityorwhatever,andheardifferent,exoticannouncers.”
MooregrewuplisteningtoHerbCarneal,whocalledTwinsgamesfor45
seasons,from1962-2006(AssociatedPress,2007).MooresaidCarnealbecamea
“familiarvoice”witha“soothingbaritone”whowas“oneofyou.”Further,Moore
stated,“therewasnothingoutrageousoracerbicabout[Carneal].Hewasjustkind
ofagoodoldguy.”
AccordingtoMoore,thereis“anicebuildup…sortofanexcitement…inthe
intro[duction]toabaseballgameontheradio.”Forhim,theradiobroadcast
remainsapowerfulwayforpeopletoexperiencebaseballbecausethelistener
envisionsthescenesintheirmind.
“[When]youhearthevariousdescriptorsalongthewayfromtheradio
broadcasters,whetherit’s,‘thewind’sblowingoutalittlebittoday’,youcan
picturethestadiumandtheflagsmightblowing…Radiobroadcasting[has]
morevisual,sensualdescriptionstoo,suchas,‘stepsbackintothebox,
adjustshisleftbattingglove’,youknow,‘toesthedirtalittlebitandsteps
backin’,sothosekindofdescriptionsofactuallywhat’shappeningthatyou
can’tseeonTV…Butit’sessentialthatyougivemoredetail…Ifthere’safly
balldownthelineorit’stowardthecorner,youcan’tjustwaituntiltheplay
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isover;youhavetosayalittlebitmore,like,‘he’srunningoutofroom,’or
youknow,‘willhehaveroomtomaketheplay,he’sinfoulgroundnow.’
StrategydiscussionisalsoanaspectofthegameMoorefindsimportant.He
wantsthecoloranalysttobring“freshperspectivestovarioussituations”andthinks
thatisdonebetteronradiothantelevision.Forexample,Moorediscusseda
scenariofromtheTwinsgamethenightbeforetheinterviewwhereradiocolor
analystDanGladdendescribedwhyMattMoore,theleft-handedpitcherfor
opposingTampaBay,hadagoodmovetofirstbase,(otherthanjustthefactthathe
wasaleft-hander)afterbeingpromptedbyplay-by-playmanCoryProvus.
“Gladdenwentintogreatdetailaboutallthethings[Moore]does:whether
it’svaryingtheamountoftimeheholdsit,hisvariousstepstotheplateor
whatever,andjustthewhole,thelittledelayrightwhenyou’reatthe90degreeanglewiththerubberanddoingthatreallywell,justliftinguptheleg
slowlyandnotlettingtherunnerknowwhetherornothe’sgoingtofirstor
goingtohome.”
Now,MooresaidhemostoftenwatchesTwinsgamesontelevision.But,he
saidbelievesbaseballontheradioisheretostay,despitethemyriadwaysyoucan
keepupontheteamintoday’sage.
“Istillhavesuchstrongmemoriesofthewaythingswereandthewayyou
keptupwiththeTwinsbackwhenIwasakidversushowyoucandoitnow.
It’sthesamereasonwhyIcangetmyboxscoreandmygamesummary
onlinefirstthinginthemorning,butIstillprefertoreadthenewspaper,still
prefertoreadTwinsnewscapsandthenewsandnotesarticleintheprint
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newsratherthanreadingitonline....it’samoresensualexperiencehearinga
voiceontheradiothanitischeckingyourphone.”
FanInterview:RowdyPyle,38,KansasCityRoyalsfan,KansasCity,Missouri
GrowingupinsouthwesternMissouri,RowdyPylehadachoicetomake.
CheerfortheKansasCityRoyalsortheSt.LouisCardinals,thestate’stwoMLB
teams.Pyle’sfathercheeredfortheRoyalsandRowdyfollowedsuit.Thefamily
attendedgamesatKauffmanStadium,theRoyalshomepark,andlistenedtoradio
broadcastsmuchmorethanwatchingtheteamontelevision.ForPyle,childhood
memoriesoftenincludeaRoyalsgameontheradio.
“I’dlistenathome,sittingonthetractor,manydifferentplaces.Itreallywas
backgroundnoise.”
Nowafathertoyoungchildren,Pylesaidhecontinuestolistentoradio
broadcastsofRoyalsgames,butrarelyisabletotakeinanentiregame.“Itryto
listentohalfofthegameinsomeform.Itrytogetitinsomeway.”Hispreferred
waytotakeinagameistohavetheTVonmuteandlistentotheradiobroadcast.
UsingtheMLBAtBatapptolistentotheradiobroadcastonhisphone,Pylesaidhe
oftenkeepsthephoneinhispocketoroutsidewhiledoingyardwork.
AnotherreasonPylelistenstotheradiobroadcastisbecauseoftheRoyals
broadcastingteam:DennyMatthews,StevePhysiocandSteveStewart.Matthews
hasbeentheplay-by-playvoiceoftheRoyalsforthepast48seasons(royals.com,
2016)andthereforeistheonlyvoicePylehaseverknowncallingRoyalsgames.
“[Listeningtothem]bringsbackchildhoodmemories.DennyMatthewsisa
familiarvoice.Igrewupwithhimand[Cardinalsannouncer]JoeBuck.
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Matthewsissodetailedinthewayhetalksaboutthegame.Heisdetailed
enoughtomakeyoufeellikeyou’rethere.That’swhatIlike,not[being]
captainobvious,like[formerTVcoloranalyst]JoeMorganonESPN.”
AskedifMatthewsbroadcastingstylehaschangedatallfromhischildhood
tonow,Pylesaidno.“Tome,itsoundssimilar.[Getting]new[coloranalyst]
partnersisbasicallytheonlychange.”
PylesaidhegetsallofhisnewsabouttheRoyalsbyfollowingteambeat
writersonTwitter.Hedoesn’trelyonanyothersources.
FanInterview:SamKraemer,21,MilwaukeeBrewersfan,RapidsCity,SouthDakota
KraemergrewupinMilwaukeeandsaiditwas“almostinevitable”hewould
becomeafanoftheBrewers.Hisfirstexposuretotheteamwasamemorableone.
“Irememberbeingthreeorfour[yearsold],onmybirthday,whichisinJuly,
wewenttogameat[theBrewersformerhomepark]CountyStadiumwith
familyfriends.Wetailgatedbeforeitstarted.I’mguessingitwasplanned,
stilldon’tknowhowithappened,butthewholestadiumsanghappybirthday
tome.So,safetosaymyfandomstartedthatnight.”
ListeningtotheBrewersonWTMJ620-AMwithBobUeckercallingplay-by
playbecameastapleofcarridestoandfromLittleLeaguegamesthroughout
Kraemer’schildhood,herecalled.Asnotedearlier,theBrewershaveairedonthe
samestationsincethefranchisemovedtoMilwaukeein1970.CallingUeckeran
“icon,”Kraemersaidanytimehelistenstothelongtimeannouncerheiscomforted
andtheexposurebringsbackchildhoodmemories.
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[Uecker]alwayshashadgreatexcitement.[Hissignaturehomerun
call]‘Getup,getup,getoutofhere,gone’isprintedinthestadium
now.[KraemerthenofferedhisimpressionofUecker’scall]Kidsin
LittleLeaguewouldimitatehiscalls.Iwoulddotheminneighborhood
fromtimetotime.”
Kraemersaidthat,inhisopinion,Uecker’sbroadcastingstylehasn’tchanged
overtheyears.But,hebelievesUeckerhasdoneagoodjobof“modernizing”and
suspectsanychangesarelikelymoreevidentinUecker’spreparationthaningame
delivery.Also,KraemerdiscussedhowUecker’slongtenureinMilwaukee–
currentlyworkinginhis46thseason(brewers.com,2016)-hasallowedhimto
achievesignificantnotorietyinthecityandstateofWisconsin.
“Formy21years,heisasclosetoaVinScullyontheradiosidethatis
stilldoingit.TheCityofMilwaukeecanbackthatup.[Uecker]has
alwaysbeenthere.[Heisa]stapleinthecommunityandreally
representsmorethanbaseball.”
At21-years-old,Kraemerwastheyoungestfaninterviewedforthisproject.
However,hepreferstowatchaBrewersgamewiththeTVmutedandlistentothe
radiobroadcast.
“Mythoughtprocessisthattheradioannouncersareprofessionallytrained
andknowtheydon’thaveapicture.So,it’simperativeforthemtodescribe
everythingasbesttheycan.Whereas,withtelevision,theannouncerscan
relyonthepicturetodoit.IfeelliketheradioguysaddbetterdetailthanTV
guys.”
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Recently,Kraemer,aUniversityofMinnesotaSchoolofJournalismandMass
Communicationgraduate,tookajobintelevisionnewsinRapidsCity,SouthDakota.
So,hereliesmostlyonTwittertokeepupwiththeBrewers.Agroupoffriendsfrom
highschoolcontinuetotextabouttheteam,Kraemersaid,andhedoeswhathecan
tofindfreewaystowatchorlistentogames.
Interviewthemes
Amongthefourinterviews,therearemanysimilarities,despitetheage
differences.Mostevidentistheimpactofearlyexposuretoradiobroadcastsof
games.Eachofthefourintervieweesrecountedspecificmemoriesfromgrowingup
inwhichtheylistenedtotheirfavoriteteamontheradio.Kraemer,PyleandMoore
allspokeabouttheradiobroadcastsbeing“backgroundnoise”intheirchildhood.
McAllister,whobeganlisteninginearneststartinginhighschool,recalledamore
intensefollowing,trackingthegamesbyfillingoutherownscorecard.Shared
memoriesandnostalgiaisacriticalreasonwhyfan’slistentogamesonradio.
Theimportanceoftheannouncersalsocameupineachinterview.Nomatter
theageofthelistenerinterviewed,theyallhadstrongopinionsaboutthelocal
announcerswhohandletheirteam’sgames.McAllisterhadafavoriteduoinLou
BoudreauandVinceLloyd,andofferedseveralcomplimentsaboutthecurrent
boothofPatHughesandRonCoomer.Also,shepointedoutthatshewasn’ttoofond
ofawell-knownformerCubsannouncerHarryCaray,whopassedawayin1998
(Sandomir,1998).His“bravado”tookawayfromthebaseballitself,accordingto
McAllister.Similarly,Pyleofferedthatonereasonhelistenstoradiobroadcastsis
becausehedoesn’tlikecurrentRoyalsTVanalystRexHudler.HealsosaidRoyals
play-by-playmanDennyMatthewsdetailaboutthegamewassomethingheenjoyed
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listeningto.MooreandKraemerhadfondmemoriesoflisteningtoHerbCarnealand
BobUecker,respectively.AlongwithPyle,thethreeintervieweesreflectedonthe
longevityoftheannouncersfortheirteam,thusbecomingfamiliarandcomforting.
Carneal,UeckerandMatthewsallcalled40plusseasonsofgamesfortheirteams.
Therewerealsodifferencesamongtheintervieweesincertainareas
includingthewayinwhicheachconsumesnewsabouttheirteam.Theyoungest
fans,21-year-oldKraemerand38-year-oldPyle,bothuseTwitterastheirprimary
channelforkeepingupwiththelatestdevelopmentsoftheirteam.The51-year-old
Mooreusesmultiplesources,somedigitalandsometraditionalprint,forTwins
coverage.TheradioismostimportantnewssourceforMcAllister,86.“Firstthingin
themorning,Iputiton,andIthinkit’slikethelastthingatnightIturnoff.”
Mooreillustratedonechangenewtechnologyhasmadeforlisteners.Earlier
inthispaper,Moorediscussedturningthedialonatransistorradiototuneinto
gamesindifferentmarkets.Oncehecaughtaclearsignal,hethenwould“haveto
listentoittotrytofindaplayerthatyourecognizedtoknowwhatgameitwas,and
thentofigureoutwhotheopponentwas.”Now,withtheAtBatappandother
channels,youcaninstantlyknownotonlywhoisplaying,butwhatthescoreis,
whatinningitis,who’sbatting,who’spitching,who’sonbase,thecountandmore.
MooreandPyleidentifiedfavoriteplayershavinganimpactonwhythey
listened.DuringMoore’sfirstgame,herecalledplayerGeorgeMitterwaldhitting
twohomeruns,thisbecominghisfavoriteplayer.So,throughouthischildhood,
MoorewouldlistentohearMitterwaldbat.ForPyle,hetalkedaboutenjoying
watchingformerRoyalsBoJackson,BretSaberhagenandDannyTartabull.
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McAllisterandKraemerdidnotspecificallymentionanyplayerstheylikedor
mentionthatasareasonforlistening.
MooreandMcAllisterdiscussedintenselyfollowingtheirteamsatsome
pointintheirlives.ForMcAllister,thatcameinyoungadulthoodwhenshewas
keepingscorebasedonthegamebroadcastortrackingtheCubswhenshedidn’t
liveintheChicagoarea.ForMoore,itwasintohisteenageyearsthathewasreally
intobaseballstatistics.Hesaidthathewould“poreover”newspaperboxscores
fromgamesaroundtheMLBandhadasubscriptiontoSportingNews,whichhe
referredtoasahalf-inchthick“baseballbible.”Comparatively,PyleandKraemer’s
followinghasbeenmorepassive.
Surprisingly,noneoftheintervieweesidentifiedstorytellingasanimportant
aspectforwhytheylisten.Nopromptforstorytellingwasofferedastheauthor
didn’twanttointroducethetopiciftheintervieweechosenotto.
Limitationsandfutureresearch
Onelimitationtothisstudyisthatonlyfourpeoplewereinterviewed,dueto
timeconstraints.Witheachintervieweebeingofadifferentage,theythusbecamea
“token”fortheirrespectiveagegroup.Byconductingadditionalinterviewsmore
informationaboutlisteninghabits,opinionsonthebroadcastersandcurrentnews
consumptioneffortscouldbeuncovered.
Futureresearchincludefurtherexplorationofchildhoodexposuretoradio
broadcasts,whattraitsofbroadcastersmakelistenerscontinuetotunein,andthe
roleofsocialmediawithinthebroadcastandbytheannouncersthemselves(who
maybeconsideredcelebrities.)
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Conclusionandrecommendations
Thispapersetouttoaddresstwomainquestions:
•
Whatimpactdoesa“digitalizedlifestyle”haveonsportsradiobroadcasting,
specificallyMajorLeagueBaseball(MLB);and
•
Howdobaseballannouncersattempttokeeplistenersengaged?
Threestudies—1)acontentanalysisofthreeMLBbroadcasts,2)in-depth
interviewswithprofessionalbaseballannouncersand3)in-depthinterviewswith
baseballfans—wereundertakentoexplorethesequestions.Additionalresearch
questions,alsoaddressedbythesestudies,included:
•
Howdobroadcastersemploynarrativestorytellinginagame?
•
Doesuseofnarrativestorytellingvarybasedonabroadcaster’sage?
•
Howdocoloranalystsimpactuseofnarrativeduringthegame?
Thefindingssuggestthata“digitalizedlifestyle,”witheaseofaccesstomuch
informationtoday,hassignificantlychangedthebroadcastingpreparationprocess
buthasn’timpactedtheimportanceofbaseballontheradio.Whilenarrative
storytellingisusedbybroadcastersofdifferentagesbetweenpitchesandbetween
batters,theactionofthegameitselfremainsapriorityforannouncersandlisteners.
Thecoloranalyst’srolemaintainsthatfocusongameevents.
Thecontentanalysisrevealedthatabroadcastisgenerallysplitevenlyinto
threeparts:liveactiondescription,conversationbetweenpitchesandconversation
betweenbatters.Describingliveactionandgivingreportswerethetoptwo
categoriesofutterancesforallthreeplay-by-playmen.However,storytellinguse
didvarybasedonage.TheDodgers’VinScully,88,used20percentofthebroadcast
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timeinthesampletoofferbackgroundinformation(includingstories).Thetwo
otherplay-by-playmen,theCubs’PatHughes,64,andtheTwins’CoryProvus,37,
eachspentlessthan15percentofthebroadcastforthatcategory.Thecolor
analystsstudied,whileservingsimilarroles,differedintheirapproachesduringthe
inning.Bothmenprimarilyofferedevaluationofpreviousplaysorplayersbutthe
Cubs’CoomerspokemainlybetweenpitcheswhileGladdenoftheTwinsspoke
evenlybetweenpitchesandbatters.
In-depthinterviewswiththreeprofessionalbroadcastersrevealedmajor
changesinthewayeachpreparesforabroadcast.Forexample,JonMillercannow
readanearlyinfinitenumberofnewspapersonhiscomputerorphoneinsteadof
goingaroundeachcityhetraveledtoinordertocollectthecorrectpapers.All
broadcastersnotedthatwhiletheaccesstothisinformationishelpful,theyremain
insearchoftherightinformationtouseonabroadcast.Theyarecarefultonotrely
onitmorethanconversationsandprofessionalrelationshipswithplayers,coaches
andmanagers.Also,advancedstatisticsarenotfavoredbyanyofthethree
announcers.Eachannouncer,inlinewiththeliteraturereview,feltthataradio
broadcastbettersellsthegamebecauseitallowsthelistenertocreateimagesin
theirmind.
Thethreeannouncerspointedtochildhoodexposuretobaseballbroadcasts
asafactorfortheircareerchoice.Listeningtobaseballontheradiowhilegrowing
upwasalsoacommon,andimportant,experienceforbaseballfansinterviewed.
Whatbeganaschildhood“backgroundnoise”turnedintoalifelonghabitforthe
interviewees.Manyofthefansresonatedwithannouncerswhocalledgamesfor
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theirfavoriteteamsforalongtime.Thepersonalityandstyleofthebroadcasters
wasanimportantfactorinwhetherfanspreferredaradiobroadcastoveratelecast.
Whilethefansuseddigitalplatformstofollowtheirteam,thatdidnotdetractfrom
thedrawtotheradiobroadcast.
Theseandotherfindingsdescribedinthispaperpointtothecontinued
importanceofnostalgia,narrativestorytellingandcharacterdevelopmentforthe
consumer.Theabilitytoinstantlytransportsomeonebacktotheirchildhoodisa
powerfulone.Bydrawingonhistoryandprovidingconsistency,baseballbroadcasts
havebeenabletostayrelevant.Forwritersandstorytellers,ingeneral,today,the
resultsofthispaperprovideevidencethatusingnostalgiaisanimportantwayto
captureaconsumer’sattention.
Expandingfromthebaseballbroadcast,millionsofpeople,includingmany
millennials,areconsuminglong-formstories,thankstoNetflix,Hulu,AmazonPrime
andmore.Theseplatformshavemade“binge-watching”showseasy.It’sfairly
commonformillennialstospendanentireweekendbinge-watchingashow.Recent
examplesincludeGameofThrones,HouseofCardsandBreakingBad,justtonamea
few.Likebaseballbroadcasts,thesetelevisionseries,(ormoviesand/orbook
chapters)developarchetypalcharacters,usenarrativedevicestobuilddramaand
ultimately,tellagoodstory.Whileattentionspansareonlyeightseconds,by
employingthetechniqueslistedabove,consumershaveshownawillingnesstogive
largeamountsoftheirtime.Duringthecourseoftheseason,baseballannouncers
createarchetypesforplayersonboththeteamtheyannounceforandtheopponent.
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SimilartowhatGeorgeLucasdidwithStarWars,broadcastersslotplayersin
traditionalarchetypestocreateaseason-longnarrativeforlisteners.
ThefollowingrecommendationsaresuggestedforMLBbroadcastersand
radioandteamexecutives:
•
Focusmoreonstrategydiscussion.Eachofthefansinterviewedmentioned
listeningbecausetheywanttoknowabouttheteam’splayonthefield.
Similarly,thebroadcastersintervieweddiscussedtheirdesireforthecolor
analysttoplayaleadingrolethroughoutthegame.Also,thecontentanalysis
resultsshowedutterancesofstrategywerelow,comparedtoother
categories.Thismaybetheresultofthechosensample(firstinningof
OpeningDay),however,combined,resultspointtoanopportunityfor
strategydiscussionthroughoutthebroadcast.Byreviewingvarious
strategiesavailableinagivengame,broadcasterswouldgivefanssomething
theywantandallowthecoloranalysttotakealeadingrole.
•
Tellmorestoriesrelatedtothegame.Atthesametime,narrative
storytellingremainsanimportantpartofthebroadcast.Baseball’smany
periodsofinactionnecessitatestories.There’sampleopportunityto,as
Hughessaid,‘tellastorywithstats,’aswellasmodelwhatScullydoesin
recountingintimatedetailsofeventsinaplayer’sormanager’slife.These
storiesopenupwindowsintotheplayersthatfosteraconnectionwiththat
playerandalsotheannouncer.Usingstoriesthatillustratethetypicaltraits
ofthearchetypeembodiedbytheplayermayleadtofurtherengagement
fromthelistenerthroughouttheseasontoo.
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•
Continuebeingdetectives.Everyoneisatriskofinformationoverload.In
additiontotheinfiniteofferingsofNetflix,Hulu,AmazonPrimeandmore,
informationisaclickawayontheinternetandofcourse,withlivetelevision.
Anannouncerwhoisabletoefficientlyhuntdownthebestinformationto
relayonabroadcastisservingthelistenerandfurtherbuildingtheirtrust
withtheaudience.Thisischallenging,butthebetteranannouncerdoesit,
thebetteroffthey’llbe.
•
Leveragethebroadcasters’personalities.Eachfaninterviewedhadstrong
opinionsabouttheannouncersandstations/teamscandoabetterjobof
showcasingthebroadcastersaspeople.Thiscanbedonequicklyand
efficientlyviasocialmedia,especiallyTwitter,providedtheannouncer
understandsthechosenmedium(s)andisonboard.WhileallMLBteamsand
manystationshavesocialmediaaccounts,notallbroadcastersdo.Withlarge
numbersofmillennialsusingsocialmedia,broadcastersmaybemissinga
primechannelforengagement.Byansweringfanquestionsorproviding
behind-the-scenesinformation,announcerscanbecomego-tosourcesfor
fans.Someonewhoenjoysfollowinganannounceronsocialmediaismore
likelytotuneintotheactualbroadcast.However,therearerisksthatmust
beaddressed.Theseincludemakingtheannouncersactiveparticipantsin
thetwo-wayconversationsocialmediademands.Ifabroadcasterisn’t
willingtoengage—andalwaysdosoprofessionally—otheravenuesforfan
engagementshouldbepursued.Acontentplanmustbedevelopedbefore
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launchinganewchannel,withagreementsofhowoperationofthemedium
willbehandled.
•
Speaktochildrenlistening.Basedonthefaninterviews,listeningtoradio
broadcastsduringtheirchildhood,itwouldmakesenseforbroadcastersto
intentionallyspeaktochildrenduringthegame.Thiscouldbeaboutproper
technique,strategicdecisionsortipsformakingittothebigleagues.If
parentsknowaradioannounceristryingtoconnectwiththeirchild,there’s
abetterlikelihoodofthemtuningin.
Harwell,theformerDetroitradioannouncer,summarizedwhybaseballand
radioworksowellinapoemaboutthegame:“Baseballiscontinuity.Pitchto
pitch.Inningtoinning.Gametogame.Seriestoseries.Seasontoseason…
Baseball?It’sjustagame–assimpleasaballandbat.Yet,ascomplexasthe
Americanspirititsymbolizes.It’sasport,business–andsometimesevena
religion…Fornineinnings,baseballisthestoryofDavidandGoliath,ofSamson,
Cinderella,PaulBunyon,Homer’sIliadandtheCountofMonteCristo”(Smith,
1992,p.235-236).
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AppendixA:Broadcasterbio’s
VinScully
(Fromdodgers.com)
OnJuly29,2014duringagameagainsttheAtlantaBraves,avideomessage
featuringseveralDodgerplayersbeganonDodgerVisionwithoutmuchfanfareand
thensuddenlybecamecauseforaraucouscelebrationatDodgerStadiumasYasiel
Puig,Hyun-JinRyuandJustinTurnerexplainedinSpanish,KoreanandEnglishthat
DodgerHallofFamebroadcasterVinScullywouldreturnforanunprecedented
66thseasonwiththeorganizationin2015.SaidScully:"Itisverydifficulttosay
goodbye.OvertheyearsIhavebeenblessedtohavesomanyfriendsincludingthose
thatsitinthestandsandlistenaswellasthoseathome,wholistenandwatch.Itis
justtoohardtosaygoodbyetoallthesefriends.Naturallytherewillcomeatime,
whenIwillhavetosaygoodbye,butI'vesoul-searchedandthisisnotthetime."
TheHallofFamer's65yearsofconsecutiveservicewiththeDodgersisthelongest
ofanysportsbroadcasterwithoneteam.Thisseason,ScullywillcallallDodger
homegamesandroadgamesinSanFranciscoforSportsNetLAaswellasDodger
radiopartnerAM570LASports.
LastSeptember,ScullywaspresentedwiththeCommissioner'sHistoric
AchievementAward,whichwascreatedin1998torecognizeaccomplishmentsand
contributionsofhistoricalsignificance.TheDodgerbroadcasterwasjustthesecond
non-playertobereceivethehonor,joiningRachelRobinson.Saidoutgoing
CommissionerAllanH."Bud"Selig:"Heis,tomeandtomany,theembodimentof
thegoodwillthatourgameinspires,andeverydayheremindsmewhythisgameis
foreverthenationalpastime."
Scullycontinuestorewritetherecordbookofhistradeeachandeverytimehegoes
ontheair.Withawardsandaccoladesbeyondcomprehension,Scullyadded"Grand
Marshal"tohisresumethispastJanuary2014whenheservedastheGrandMarshal
ofthe125thRoseParadeonNewYear'sDay.Scullyremarkedontheexperience:
"It'sbeenabsolutelythrillingandheartwarming.OneofthegreatthingsaboutitisI
wasabletoshareitwithmywife,withourgrandchildren,mostofthem,and
children.SothethoughtthattheywereenjoyingitasmuchasImademefeeleven
better."
AlsoinJanuaryof2014,ScullywontheSouthernCaliforniaSportsBroadcasters
Association'sbestPlay-By-PlayawardforbothTVandRadio.Hehasnowwonthe
award11and15times,respectively.
InJanuary2013,hewasbestowedwiththeAllanH."Bud"SeligExecutive
LeadershipAwardattheannualProfessionalBaseballScoutsFoundationdinner,
whichisgiventothosewhohavemadegreatcontributionstothegameofbaseball.
In2010,theAmericanSportscastersAssociation(ASA),puthisnameatopthelistof
the50greatesttoeversitbehindamicrophone.TheASAalsoelectedScullyasthe
topsportscasterofthe20thcenturyinavotebymorethan500nationalmembers
oftheorganizationin2000,toppingsuchbroadcastingiconsasHowardCosell,Mel
Henneberry69
Allenandothers.Inthe2005book"VoicesofSummer,"Scullywasnamedas
baseball'sall-timebestbroadcasterbasedon"longevity,continuity,network
coverage,kudos,language,popularity,persona,voiceknowledgeandmiscellany."
Eachcriterionwasratedfrom1-10,withtheperfectscorebeing100.Scullywasthe
onlybroadcastertoreachthatnumber.
Scully,whosevividyetsimplisticdescriptionofabaseballgamehasthrilledfansfor
years,joinedHallofFameannouncerRedBarberandConnieDesmondaspartofthe
BrooklynDodgers'broadcastteamin1950,justayearaftergraduatingfrom
FordhamUniversity.Scully,whoplayedoutfieldfortwoseasonsonFordham's
baseballteam,calledbaseball,basketballandfootballgamesfortheUniversity's
radiostation.In1982,32yearsafterhecalledhisfirstDodgergame,hereachedthe
pinnacleofhiscareerinbaseballwhenhewasinductedintotheBroadcaster'swing
oftheNationalBaseballHallofFameastheFordC.FrickAwardrecipient.
In2009,ScullywasinductedintotheNationalAssociationofBroadcastersHallof
Fame,whichrecognizesindividualsandprogramsthathavemadeasignificantand
lastingcontributiontothebroadcastingindustry.Aplaqueinhishonoris
permanentlydisplayedattheNABbuildinginWashington,DC.Previousinductees
totheNABRadioHallofFameincludeMelAllen,GeneAutry,RedBarber,JackBuck,
GeorgeBurns,HarryCaray,BingCrosby,BobHope,CaseyKasem,LarryKing,Rush
Limbaugh,EdwardMurrowandRonaldReagan.
Alsoin2009,TheAmericanSportscastersAssociationselectedScullyastheTop
SportscasterofAll-Time.ThesameorganizationpreviouslyhonoredhimastheTop
Sportscasterofthe20thcenturyin2000andinductedhimintotheAmerican
SportscastersAssociation'sHallofFamein1992.Duringthe2008calendaryear,
ScullywasinductedintotheSportsBroadcastingHallofFameinNewYorkCityas
wellastheCaliforniaSportsHallofFame.HewashonoredonthefieldattheLos
AngelesMemorialColiseumbeforetheteam'srecord-settinggameinMarchanda
plaquewasunveiledinhishonoratthehistoricvenue.HereceivedtheArtGilmore
CareerAchievementAwardfromPacificPioneersBroadcastingandwashonoredby
WFUV,theradiostationhehelpedformathisalmamaterFordham,duringits60th
anniversarycelebration.ScullyalsoreceivedanhonoraryDoctor'sofLawdegree
fromPepperdine,theuniversity'shighesthonor.
WhenScullyfirstbeganbroadcastingin1950,theDodgershadyettowinasingle
WorldSeriesandwereknownaffectionatelyas"DemBums."Gasolinecost27cents
agallon,apostagestampwasjustthreecentsandtheminimumwagewasonly75
centsperhour.Threeyearslater,attheageof25,hebecametheyoungestpersonto
everbroadcastaWorldSeriesgameandin1955,hehadhismostmemorable
momentbehindthemicrophone,ashecalledtheDodgers'firstandonly
championshipinBrooklyn.Thefollowingseason,Scullyonceagainfoundhimselfin
theenviablepositionofcallingwhathewouldlatersaywasthegreatestindividual
performancehehadseen-DonLarsen'sperfectgameintheWorldSeries-a
broadcastthatmadenationalnewsagainin2009whentheMLBNetworklaunched
withtherarefootageofthatgame.
Henneberry70
Thoughhecuthisproverbialteethonradio,Scullyisoftenknownforlettingthe
picturestellthestoryontelevision.HismostmemorablecallforDodgerfanslikely
cameinGame1ofthe1988WorldSeries,whenahobbledKirkGibson'stwo-out,
two-strike,two-runhomergavetheDodgersavictoryoverthehighly-favored
OaklandA's."Highflyballintorightfield,sheisgone,"Scullysaidbeforeremaining
silentformorethanaminute.Thenextwordshespokecontinuetobereplayed
almostnightlyatDodgerStadium."Inayearthathasbeensoimprobable,the
impossiblehashappened."
Scully'svoiceisoftendubbedthe"soundtracktosummer"inLosAngeles,where
generationsoffanshavegrownuplisteningtohimcallDodgergames.Hecontinues
tocallallDodgerhomegamesandroadgamesinCaliforniaandArizona.While
Scullyhandlesallnineinningsoftheteam'stelevisionbroadcasts,thefirstthree
inningsofeachofhisgamesissimulcastonradio.
Assuch,in2005,USATodayrankedtheDodgers'radiobroadcastteamasMLB's
best,basedonatechnicalrating,afanratingandanentertainmentrating.Scullyand
hiscolleagues,RickMondayandCharleySteiner,earned28.5pointsoutofa
possible30.
OnApril21,2001,thepressboxatDodgerStadiumwasnamedinScully'shonor.In
additiontohisDodgerbroadcasts,thelegendarybroadcasterhascalledplay-byplayforNFLgamesandPGAToureventsonCBS-TVfrom1975-82andplay-by-play
forMajorLeagueBaseball'sGameoftheWeek,threeWorldSeriesandfourAll-Star
GamesonNBC-TVfrom1983-89.Scullyalsocalledplay-by-playfortheWorldSeries
onCBSRadiofrom1990-97.Inall,hehascalled25WorldSeriesand12All-Star
Games.
In2009,Scullyhosted"Scully&WoodenfortheKids"alongsideUCLAcoaching
legendJohnWooden.Theonce-in-a-lifetimeeventfeaturedScullyandWooden
sharinginsights,philosophies,memoriesandwisdombeforeasold-outaudienceof
morethan7,000people.ProceedsfromtheeventbenefitedMattelChildren's
HospitalUCLA,Children'sHospitalLosAngelesandCityofHopethrough
ThinkCure!,theofficialcharityoftheLosAngelesDodgers.
Scullyportrayedhimselfin"ForLoveoftheGame,"the1999UniversalPictures
releasestarringKevinCostner.Duringthe1999WorldSeries,Scullyservedas
masterofceremoniesatMajorLeagueBaseball'sAll-CenturyTeamunveilingat
Atlanta'sTurnerField.HewasnamedbestofthecenturyinLosAngelesSports
broadcastingbytheLongBeachPress-Telegramandthepoetlaureateofbaseballby
USAToday.HehasalsolenthisvoicetoSonyPlaystation'sMLBvideogame.
Heandhiswife,Sandra,resideinLosAngeles.
Henneberry71
PatHughes
(fromcubs.com)
Patisinhis21stseasonastheradioplay-by-playvoiceoftheCubs.HejoinedCubs
radiobroadcastsin1996afterspendingtheprevious12yearsteamingwithBob
UeckerontheMilwaukeeBrewersRadioNetwork.
Hughesbeganhisbaseballplay-by-playcareerintheminorleagues,callingaction
fortheSanJoseMissions(1978-1981)andtheColumbusClippers(1982).He
workedasaplay-by-playvoiceforMarquetteUniversity'sbasketballteamfrom
1988-2004,includingworkingwithAlMcGuireduringthe1996-2000seasons.
Hughes'collegiateplay-by-playcareeralsoincludesstintswithNorthwestern
University,SanJoseStateUniversity,theUniversityofWisconsinandESPN.He
workedinMinnesotain1983astheTVvoiceoftheTwinsandasthehockey
host/intervieweronNorthStarstelecasts.HugheswasnamedtheIllinois
SportscasteroftheYearin2015,2014,2009,2007,2006,1999and1996.Heearned
WisconsinSportscasteroftheYearAwardhonorsthreetimes(1990-1992).
Hughesistheproducerof"BaseballVoices:HallofFameSeries,"compactdiscsthat
commemorateandpaytributetofamousannouncersofthepast.Hehasproduced
diskshonoringHarryCarayandJackBuck,aswellasMartyBrennaman.
HughesisagraduateofSanJoseStateUniversity.HugheswasbornonMay27,
1955,inTucson,Ariz.Hughesandhiswife,Trish,havetwochildren:Janelland
Amber.
RonCoomer
(fromcubs.com)
The2016seasonmarksRon'sthirdyearalongsidePatHughesastheanalyston
Cubsradiobroadcasts.
CoomerplayedfortheCubsin2001,batting.261(91-for-349)with19doubles,
eighthomerunsand53RBI.InninemajorleagueseasonswithMinnesota(19952000),theCubs(2001),theYankees(2002)andtheDodgers(2003),hebatted.274
(827-for-3,019)with92homerunsand449RBIin911games.Coomerwasselected
tothe1999AmericanLeagueAll-StarteamwithMinnesotaandappearedinthe
2002ALDSwiththeYankees.
PriortojoiningtheCubsbroadcastteam,heworkedforFOXSportsNorth(2005-13)
asapre/postgameanalystforTwinsgames.WiththeTwins,hewonfourEmmy
awardsasabaseballanalyst:twoindividualawardsasasportsanalystandtwoasa
memberoftheteam'sbroadcast.
CoomerwasborninChicagoandgraduatedfromLockport(Ill.)HighSchool.Heand
hiswife,Paula,resideinEdenPrairie,Minn.
Henneberry72
CoryProvus
(fromminnesotatwins.com)
CoryProvusjoinedtheTwinsradiobroadcastteamin2012,sharingplay-by-play
andanalystdutiesforallregular,postseasonandspringtrainingbroadcasts.
Provus,[37],spentthepreviousthreeseasons(2009-11)inMilwaukee,wherehe
didplay-by-playwithHallofFamerBobUeckeronWTMJ-AMandtheBrewers
RadioNetwork.
TheChicagonativebeganhisMajorLeagueBaseballbroadcastcareerin2007asthe
ChicagoCubspre-andpost-gameshowhost.Healsohandledplay-by-playduties,
backingupPatHughesduringgamesandanchoredthemorningandafternoondrive
sportscastsasareporterforWGN-AMinChicago.Intheoffseason,Provuscanbe
seenbroadcastingcollegefootballandbasketballforBigTenNetworkandFox
Sports1.InJuneof2006,ProvuswasnamedthevoiceoftheUniversityofAlabamaBirminghamBlazers,wherehehandledradioplay-by-playforUABfootball,men's
basketballandbaseball.WhileatUAB,hewasnamedthe2006RadioSportscasterof
theYearbytheAlabamaBroadcastersAssociation.
Provusalsohasvariousexperiencehostingstudioshows,managingproductionand
doingplay-by-playforvariousInternationalSportsProperties.Hehandledplay-byplayfortheConferenceUSAFootballChampionshipGame,theACCMen'sBasketball
Tournamentandvariousplay-by-playdutiesforGeorgiaTech,WakeForestand
VirginiaTechbaseball,footballandbasketball.
AgraduateoftheS.I.NewhouseSchoolofPublicCommunicationsatSyracuse
University,ProvusalsoworkedatWAER-FMinSyracusefrom1996-2000,handling
radioplay-by-playandactingasstudiohostforOrangefootball,basketballand
lacrosse.Provusandhiswife,Dana,andson,Cooper(6/3/13),maketheirhomein
Minnetonka,MN.SincejoiningtheMinneapoliscommunity,theProvusfamilyhas
enjoyedparticipatinginprojectswithSimpsonHousingServices-whichhouses,
supportsandadvocatesforfamiliesexperiencinghomelessness.
DanGladden
(fromminnesotatwins.com)
FormerTwinDanGladdenentershis16thyearintheTwinsradiobroadcastbooth,
his12thasafull-timeanalyst.
Gladdenplayedinthemajorleaguesfor11yearsandretiredfromprofessional
baseballfollowingthe1994season.Hefinishedhiscareerbatting.270with203
doubles,40triples,74homeruns,446RBIand222stolenbasesin1,197games.
Hemadehisbigleaguedebutin1983withtheSanFranciscoGiants,withwhomhe
playedforthreeseasons,andwasnamedtobothToppsandBaseballDigestAllRookieteamsin1984.HewasacquiredalongwithpitcherDavidBlakelyby
MinnesotainexchangeforpitchersJoseDominguez,BryanHickersonandRay
VelasquezonMarch31,1987andspentfiveyearswiththeTwinsbeforesigningas
Henneberry73
afreeagentwithDetroitin1992.Hespenthislastyearinprofessionalbaseball
playingfortheYomiuriGiantsoftheJapaneseCentralLeaguein1994.Fromthere,
GladdenwasamajorleagueadvancescoutfortheColoradoRockiesfrom1996-98
andaminorleaguerovinginstructorforSanFranciscoin1999.
GladdenwasakeyingredientintheTwins1987and1991WorldChampionship
teams.HisgrandslamhomeruninGame1ofthe1987Seriesvs.St.Louiscappeda
seven-run4thinningandhescoredthegame-winningruninthe10thinningin
Game7ofthe1991Seriesvs.Atlanta.
Danandwife,Janice,maketheirhomeinEdenPrairie,MN.HisdaughterAshleyis
marriedtoJoeGaetti,sonofTwinsHallofFamerGaryGaetti,andlivesinSanDiego.
DaughterWhitneycurrentlylivesinArizona.
JonMiller
(fromsanfranciscogiants.com)
JonMiller,honoredbytheNationalBaseballHallofFameasthe2010FordC.Frick
awardwinnerforbaseballbroadcastingexcellence,the"VoiceoftheGiants",enters
his17thseasoninthebroadcastboothonKNBRRadioandNBCBayArea.
Millerwasthrilledtobroadcasthis15thWorldSeriesin2012astheGiantswonit
allforthesecondtimeinthreeyears.Anaward-winningbroadcastveteranofmore
than40years,Millerworked21seasonsastheplay-by-playcommentatoronthe
ESPNSundayNightBaseballgameoftheweek.Miller,notedforhiseloquentgame
description,goldenvoiceandmarveloussenseofhumor,spent14yearswiththe
BaltimoreOriolesbeforecomingtoSanFrancisco.PriortojoiningBaltimorein
1983,thetalentedbroadcasterspenttwoseasonswiththeTexasRangers(1978-79)
andthreeseasonswiththeBostonRedSox(1980-82).
HebeganhisMajorLeagueBaseballbroadcastingcareerwiththeOaklandAthletics
in1974attheremarkablyyoungageof22.Afterafour-yearstintatNBC-TVfrom
1986-89,whereheannouncedanoccasionalGameoftheWeekwitheitherTony
KubekorJoeGaragiola,MillermatriculatedtoESPN.DuringhistenureatESPN,he
wasnominatedtwiceforanationalEmmyAwardin1995and1996,andbroadcast
13consecutiveWorldSeriesonESPNRadio.Hewasalsonominatedsixtimesforan
"ACE"award,emblematicofcabletelevisionexcellence,andwontheawardin1991
and1996forhisplay-by-playwork.MillerwasnamedNationalSportscasterofthe
YearbytheAssociationSportscastersAssociationin1998andwasinductedintothe
HallofFameoftheNationalSportswritersandSportscastersAssociationofAmerica
thesameyear.
TheBayAreanativehasalsobroadcasthockey,basketballandsoccerinhis
distinguishedcareer.Jonandhiswife,Janine,currentlyresideinMossBeach.They
areparentstothreedaughters,Michelle,HollyandEmilie,andason,Alexander.
Henneberry74
AppendixB:Broadcasterinterviewtranscripts
PatHughesinterview
Friday,May20,2016
SteveHenneberry:Whatgotyouinterestedinhavingacareerasabaseball
broadcaster?
PatHughes:Well,Iwantedtobeaplayer.IwantedtobeabigleagueplayerorNBA
shootingguardorafootballquarterbackintheNFL.Iwasadecentamateurathlete
butwhenIgottobeabout17or18,IrealizedIwasnotgoodenoughtogettothe
professionallevelasaplayerandIthoughtthenextbestthingwouldbetotryand
becomethevoiceofafamousAmericansportsfranchise.AndI’vebeenverylucky.
That’sexactlywhatI’vebeenabletodowiththeCubshereandI’minmy21styear.
But,itstartedincollegeandIworkedonthecollegeradiostation,collegeTVstation,
andIdideverysportsreport.IdideveryplaybyplayassignmentthatIcould
possiblygetbyvoiceontoandit’sjustalotofpracticeandtryingtopolishupthe
roughedges.Listentoyourselfandtryingtoembellishthethingsyoulikeandtryto
eliminatethethingsyoudon’tlikewhenyouhearyourselfontape.Andit’sa
process.Ittakesalongtimetogettowhereyouwanttobeasaplaybyplayman.
Butagain,I’vebeenverylucky.
SH:Doyoustilllistentoyourself?
PH:Notsomuch.Goodquestion.But,no.AsI’vegottenolder,forwhateverreason,I
don’twatchmyself,oreven,ifthere’sadocumentaryandthey’regoingtointerview
andit’sgoingtobeonTV,Ihavenointerestinlookingatit.Itrytodomybeston
everysinglethingthatIdo.Andthenyoujustlivewiththat.Inabaseballseason,
you’vealwaysgotanothergame.That’sonethingpeopletodonotunderstand–
howlongaseasonis,howmanycountlesshoursthatyouareontheairbroadcasting
andtheexhaustingaspectofthat;thestaminayouneed.Butanyway,gettingbackto
thedirectanswerofthequestion,no,IdonotasIgetolder,listentoanythingthatI
dounlessIjusthappentobethereanditcomesontheradioorwhatever.But,no,I
don’tmakeapointtositdownandcritiquemyselfthewayIoncedid.
SH:Thecommentaboutexhaustingandthestaminaneededfor162hopefully
plusgamesinOctober,overthe21seasonsyou’vebeendoingbigleagueball,
what’sthebiggestthingyou’velearnedorhowhaveyougottentothepoint
whereyoucanbeatyourbestthewholeyear?
PH:Well,firstofall,it’s21seasonswiththeCubs.Idid12seasonswithMilwaukee
andoneseasonwiththeMinnesotaTwinsrightthereintheTwinCitieswhereyou
are.So,it’smy34thconsecutivebigleagueseasonandIdidfiveyearsofminor
leagueball.So,we’recominguponfourdecadesofdoingdailybaseballreporting.
Theexhaustingnature…let’sjusttakethelast48hours.Wednesdaynightin
Milwaukee,wedidafive-hourgame.Fivehours.Thegamedidnotenduntilafter
midnight.Andyou’realwaysperforming.Ifyoulistentoourgamesyouknowthisis
thecase,Ionlygetoneinningoffpergame.So,Idid12ofthe13innings.SoI’mon
theair,live,performingfor4:45outofthose5hours.Veryfewpeoplecanevensay
they’vedonesuchathing.That’sjustonegame.Now,thenextmorning,afterabout
Henneberry75
4or5hourssleep,wehadtogetupyesterdaymorning,wehadadaygame.It
startedat12:40.Itwasanother3-hourgame.So,that’s8hoursofplaybyplayin
about20hoursontheclock.Andagain,unlessyou’reabroadcaster,youcan’tfully
appreciatehowdifficultthatis.Andnowofcourse,wehadnodayoff.We
immediatelywenttotheairport.Wemadeaboutafour-hourflightfromMilwaukee
toSanFranciscoandhereIamtalkingtoyou.I’vegottheSanFrancisconewspaper
openeduptothesportinggreenandI’mreadingabouttheGiantsandgettingready
forCubs-Giantsseriestonight.Andwhoknowshowlongthesegameswillgo.
Sometimes,Steve,ifyoulookataschedule,therewillbe33gamesina34-day
period.Now,IlovebaseballandIlovemyjob,butwouldyouevenwanttodo
somethingyouenjoy33outof34days?Wouldyouwanttogotothecircus,orgoto
thepicnic,orgototheopera,orwhateveritisyouliketodo,wouldyoureallywant
todothat33daysoutof34?Idon’tknow,I’masking.
SH:That’salot.It’sacrazyscheduleyoulive,forsure.Canyoutellmemore–
yousayyou’vegottheSanFranciscopaperopen.Onatypicalgameday,andI
knowit’sgoingtobedifferentnightgamevsadaygame,butwhatisyour
preparationprocesslike?Maybeswitchingfromoneseriestothenextseries.
Goaslongasyouwant.Whatisthepreparationthatyoudoinadvance?
PH:It’saroutine.Igetupandgetsomecoffee.Iimmediatelyfindthelocal
newspaperinthetownwhereweare.AndthenIfindaUSATodaypaper.Andthey
havethembothhereinthelobbyofthehotelsothatsavedmesomedollars.Ipride
myselfontryingtobeprepared.AndwhatI’vealwaysdone,Ireadeverysingle
wordthatisprintedinthelocalpaperaboutbaseball.Everyword.It’sadiscipline.I
havearedpen,IcirclethingsImaywanttobringuponthebroadcast.Justsoyou
know,thefirstthingIcircledheretodayisthefactthattheGiantsbeatSanDiego
lastnight,theyhavewon8inarowandtheyjustcompletedasevengameroad
sweep,theirlongestin103years.Andthat’sanoteI’lluseonthebroadcasttonight.
Icanendupdiscussingthatwithmypartner,mygreatpartner,RonCoomer,andI’ll
say‘Ron,that’sahistoricstreaktheGiantsareon.They’reonarollandwillbea
hardteamtocooloff.’Thatkindofstuff.So,Ireadeveryword.IcirclethingsthatI’m
goingtouseonthebroadcast.I’malwayslookingforsomethingunusualthatcan
leadtoafunnystoryorsomelaughsontheair.But,Ithinkthemainthingisyou
wanttobeaccurate,bepreparedandtrytobefairtoeveryoneinvolved.Fairto
players,managers,umpires,justbecauseyouarereallyjustareporterandyou’re
tryingtouseyourbestvocabulary,you’retryingtoentertainpeople,youwantthe
audiencetoshareajokeortwowithyoualongtheway.Butmainly,you’rejusta
reporter.
SH:Howdoyou,orwhatareyourthoughtsonhomerismwithinthe
broadcast?Obviously,CubsfansprefertolistentoyouandRonoverthe
opposingteam.But,you’vealwaysstruckmeassomeonewhodoesn’tgoover
thetoponthat.Whatareyourthoughtsontherolehomerismplaysinthe
broadcast?
PH:Eachguyprobablyhasadifferentsensitivityinthatregard.I’mverysensitiveto
thefactthatouraudienceisabout99.9percentCubsfans,soIunderstandthat.But,
Henneberry76
Ialsodonoteversay‘we’intalkingabouttheCubs,like‘Weleadthegame’or‘We
aregoingtotheWorldSeries’or‘wearedoingthis,’Idon’tdothat.Isay,‘TheCubs.’
Iamnotaballplayer.Ihavenothingtodowithwhat’sgoingononthefield.Itgoes
backtojustbeingareporter.Ifotherannouncerswanttosay,‘wewin,’that’sfine.I
can’tdothat.AndIneverwill.Ithinkthatcomesdowntoanindividualbasisand
howyoufeelaboutplaybyplayandthewayyoushouldapproachit.Ilovebaseball.
Ilovebigleaguebaseball.Ifaguyonanotherteammakesasensationalplay,I’m
theretoreportit.AndI’mtheretotellthemaboutit.Now,ifit’saCubthatdoesit,
willIgetalittlemoreexcited?Yes.IwanttheCubstowin.Iwouldlovetoseethe
CubsgoallthewaytotheWorldSeries.Thisismy34thyearinMajorLeague
baseballandI’venevercoveredaWorldSeriesgame,Steve.So,yes,IwanttheCubs
towin.AndIknowhowmanymillionsofCubsfansouttherewouldlovetoseetheir
teamgoalso.So,I’msensitivetothatalso.But,no,Itrytokeepitsomewhatdown
themiddleinkeepingfairtotheopposition.Iknowsomefanswantyoutobemore
ofahomerbutagain,Ican’tdothatandIneverwill.
SH:Doyoukeepafileofstoriesyou’lltrytoweaveinacrossthecourseofa
seriesorgame?What’stheprocesswiththe25playersontheCubsandthe
opposition,doyoukeepafile?
PH:WhatItellpeopleiswhenyoudoaballgameeverysingleday,youdoan
ongoingpreparationprocess.Sotoday’sgamewillbeapreparationfortomorrow.
TomorrowwillbepartofthepreparationforSundayandthenweleaveSan
FranciscoandheadbacktoSt.LouisandthenI’lldoallthepreparationbeforethat
seriesgetsunderway.It’sanongoingthing.So,no,Ihave…thereissomuch
information,somuchmaterial.Ithinkpartofthechallengeofourjobistosift
through,it’salmostlikeadetectivelookingforthebestcluesandthenjust
disregardingeverythingelse.Ithinkbaseballissostatisticallyorientedthatyou
havetogivesomestatisticaldatabutifyougivetoomuchofit,youcanwaterdown
thebroadcastandallthestatstakeonlessofameaning.Itryto,asyousay,tella
storywithstats.Iwillsayforexample,‘BusterPosey,aredhothitter,hitting.431in
hislast10gamesandhere’sthenextpitch,’so,youtrytoweaveitin.Youwantto
givesomestatsbutneedtobecarefulnottogivetoomany.TheonlyfilethatIkeep,
onanongoingbasis,wouldbeThisDateinBaseballHistory.Andthat’sabackupfile
Iuseforgamesthatarelopsided.You’regoingtohaveoneortwogameseveryweek
whereit’s7-1,8-2or9-3inthe8thinningandyoujustdothingstokeepyour
audience.So,IdoThisDateinBaseballHistory.Yesterday,inMilwaukee,Ibrought
upthatonthatdateCyYoungwonhis500thgamebackinwheneveritwas,1905or
whatever,andnoone’severgoingtogetto500againandyoucantalktoRon
Coomeraboutthat,sayingthat’s20winsayearfor25yearsandthatwouldgetyou
to500,andyou’dstillneedanother11totieCyYoung.So,that’stheonlyfilethatI
keepandit’skindofanongoingthing.There’salwaysgamenoteseveryday.Each
ballclubhasapublicrelationsormediarelationsstaff.It’stheirjobtoprint
materialsabouttheirteamsoyoureadthat.But,again,youdon’twanttooverdo
that.Butalsodon’tunderdoiteither.It’sabalance.Ittakesexperienceandittakes
doingafewthousandgames,andI’mcomingupon6,000,ittakesthousandsof
gamestorealizewhattoputinandwhattoleaveout.
Henneberry77
SH:6,000.That’simpressive.Wow.
PH:Igotthegrayhairtoproveit.
SH:Withadigitallysavvyaudience,doyouthinkthat’schangedthewaythat
youbroadcast?
PH:Unfortunately,manyfanshavesaidthatlisteningtomeputsthemtosleepat
night.Peoplearesonice,theysay,‘wealwayslistentoyouguysinbed.’Youdon’t
reallyknowhowtotakethatone.Wehadafarmerwhosaid,heusedtomilkthe
cows,andwhenevertheCubswouldrally,thecowswouldgivemoremilk.Santo
andIhadagoodlaughaboutthatontheaironenight.
SH:Asfanshavemoreoptionsnow,whenradiofirststarted,oreven34years
agowhenyoustarted,thingshavechangedintermsofthemedialandscape.
So,Icanbelisteningtoyourgamenow,thenwatchFowler’slead-offhomer
duringthecommercialandthencomeback.I’mcurious,asfanshavemore
accesstoinformationinthedigitalage,ifthat’schangedthewayyou
broadcast?
PH:Well,no,Idon’treallythinkso.Wedefinitelyareintheageofvideo,and
computersandtechnology,andyoucanseeeverything.Youwouldthink,bythis
time,baseballontheradiowouldhavebeenkilledoff.Ithasn’t.Infact,inmanyways
it’sthrivingaswellasiteverhaswhenyoulookatthesponsorshipdollarsthatare
paidtoradiostationstohavetheircommercialsrun,whenyoulookatrightsfees,
whichbroadcastorganizationspayballclubstohavetherightstobroadcasttheir
games,thoseareenormousfeeswe’retalkingabout.Inadditiontothesalariesthat
arepaidtopeoplelikemeandBobUeckerandCoryProvus.It’sagoodliving,
believeme,it’sagoodliving.Baseballontheradioisamatchmadeinheaven,it
reallyis,Steve.Ithinkitwillalwaysbearound.Ithinkradiobaseballsellsthegame
betterstillthantelevisiondoes.It’sbecausewedoeverysinglegameonthesame
stationandthere’ssomethingtobesaidforthat.Consistency.Andalsotheradio
announcershavetodomoretalking.Theyhavetokeepamoresteadystreamofa
conversationalflowgoingthanaTVannouncerdoes.TheTVannouncerhasvideo
andtheydon’tneedtobetalking.ButIthinkthere’sacertaincompanionship
elementthattheaudiencefeelswiththeradioannouncerbecausethereisthe
steadystreamofchatterandconversation.I’vehadalotofpeoplesay,‘youknow,
sometimesIjustneedtoturnonthegame.Iwanttohearyoucalling20or30
minutesofthegame,ormaybe10or15minutesaday,Ijustwanttogetawayfrom
mytroubles,turnontheCubsgame.Iwanttolistentoyou.’Andyouknow,it’snota
bigdeal,Idon’twanttolistentothewholegame,Ijustneedthatlittlebreakduring
theday.Idon’tknowifyoucandothatwithtelevision.Maybeyoucan.ButI’m
flatteredbythatandIfeelit’sabigresponsibilityasaradioannouncer.Baseballand
radio.It’sstillgoingstrongandIthinkitwillbefortheforeseeablefuture.Ifithasn’t
diedyet,Idon’tseeitdyinganytimesoon.
SH:Anysenseofwhataveragelistenershipis?
PH:Well,mymomstilllistens.Andmywifestilllistens.Sothere’stworightthere.
Henneberry78
Mydaughterswilloccasionallylistensocallit4.5.Idon’tknow.Whentheteamis
winning,aswehavebeenthelastfewyears,theaudienceisbigger.Iknowwhen
RonSantoandIweredoingourgamesforour15-yearrun,weledinratingsIthink
10yearsinarow.Notthatit’sabigdeal,butwedid.So,Idon’tknow,isit1million,
2millionpeople?Nowyouhavesatelliteradio,you’vegotXM/Sirius,that’safactor.
YougotallthepeoplelisteningontheircomputersandiPhone'sandwhatever.So,
Steve,you’dprobablyhavetotalktosomeonealotsmarterthanmetogetthe
numbers.I’mprettysureitwouldrepresentaprettygoodsizedcityifyouputthem
allinoneplace.
SH:Doyougetnervousanymore?
PH:Notreally.Igetnervousforotherthings,notCubsradio.WhenI’maguest
speakerandtheirpayinganiceappearancefeetoentertainagroupofsay
salespeopleataconventionandtheirpayingme3or4thousanddollarsor
whateveritis,thenIgetnervous.I’moutofmyelement.AndI’mdoingsomething
differentandIfeelIhavetoentertain.Sothat’swhereyougotoyourbestmaterial,
you’refavoriteSantostories–whenheburnedhishairpieceorwhenheforgotto
turnofftheyogurtmachineinArizonaandmadeamess–that’swhenIfeelnervous.
AndthendoingahitontheMLBNetworkwithMattVasgerian.WhenI’mdoing
nationalTVhitswiththosepeople,that’swhenIfeelalittlebitof,noteven
nervousness,justkindof,it’soutofmynormalbroadcastingelement.
SH:Whenyouhaveacoloranalystinthebooth,howdoyouapproachworking
withthemandthesplittingofduties?Knowingwhentobringtheminversus
lettingthecrowdbuildthedrama.Doyouhaveaphilosophyonthatorhowdo
youapproachthat?
PH:Notreally.Ijustwanttobeabletomakethecall,finishthecallandthenletRon
Coomerdohisthing.HebringsacertainknowledgethatIwillneverhaveandthat’s
theknowledgeofaformerbigleagueplayer.Hemadethoseplays.Hehitthoseballs.
Hefacedguysthrowing96milesperhour.Ineverdid.So,hecanprovideinsight
thatInevercan.So,there’snorealsit-down.Ineverrehearseanything.Sometimes
whatI’lldois,I’lltellRon,likeonOpeningDay,youmentionedthat,Iwillsay,‘Ron,
don’tanswernow,butsometimeduringthefirstinning,I’mgoingtoaskyouabout
whatOpeningDaymeanttoyou,OK?’Andhe’llsay,‘OK,gotit.’So,he’sreadyforme
toaskbutIdon’twanttorehearseanythingbeforewestartbecausepartofradio
broadcastingisthespontaneousdiscussionandthelackofascript.That’sanother
thingthepeopledon’tunderstand–iftheannouncerisreallygood,italmostsounds
likehe’sreadingfromascriptbutinreality,it’sallofthetopofhishead,it’sall
extemporaneousandit’sallad-libbed.Youcanwritedowncertainthingsthatyou
willreadsomewhatverbatim,but98%ofthetime,youarereactingtowhatyousee
andyouareputtingthatintowordsasquicklyandaccuratelyaspossible.Andthat’s
askillthatneedstobelearned,andpracticed.I’mstilltryingtolearnhowtodothat
actually.
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SH:Doyouhavesomebodyyoulookeduptooremulatewhenyouwerefirst
starting?Whataresomeofthetraitsthatcarryacrossfolkswhoare
successful?
PH:Therewerealotofinfluences.IgrewupintheBayArea,RussHodgesandLon
SimmonsweretheGiantsannouncers.TheyarebothpartoftheHallofFame.
They’vebothpassedon.Theyweregreat,greatannouncers.AndIgottoknowLon
becauseheandIsharedthesamelegalrepresentative,sohewaswonderful.So,they
weretwobiginfluencesaswasBillKing,thegreatradiomanfortheRaiders,
WarriorsandtheOaklandA’s.IwouldputBillKinginthespecialcategoryofGrand
Master.TherearethreeGrandMasters,inmyhumbleopinion,Steve,in
sportscasting,inplaybyplay,inAmericanhistory.ThethreewouldbeVinScully,
BobCostasandBillKing.Thosethreearebeyondalloftherestofusthatdothis,
thosearethethreeattheverytopofthepinnacle.Ifyou’veneverheardanyofthem,
I’msorryyouhaven’t,butifyou’redoinganythingonsportsbroadcasting,you
shouldmakeapointtofindtapesorradioandTVofallthreebecausetheyare
unbelievablygreat.Kinghadarapidfiredelivery.Vocabularyoutofthisworld.The
clarity.Thedrama,buildingofdrama.Just,hewas,infact,IwouldsayBillKing,and
I’maradioplaybyplayman,IwouldsayBillKingisthegreatestradioplaybyplay
manofthethreemajorsports…BillKingisthebestacrosstheboardinallthree,he’s
thebestinAmericanhistoryandnooneelseisevenclose.NotevenCoryProvus.)
SH:Whatadvicedoyougiveyoungbroadcasters?
PH:Practice.Takearecordingdeviceandtakeittothelocalhighschoolbaseball
field,ortheAmericanLegionbaseballfield,sitwaydownthelineinleftfield,infoul
territory.Getthelineups,gettherecordingdeviceandjuststartdoingplaybyplay.
Itwillfeelawkwardasanythingyou’veeverdonethefirsttimeyoudoit.The
secondtimeyoudoit,it’llfeelalittlelessawkward.Andthensoon,andsoon.And
afteryoudoafewhundredgamesofthat,thenyou’rereadytostartdoingit
professionally.Doasmanythingsasyoucaninhighschool.Iftheyhavearadio,TV
program,orcollege.Ifyou’regoingtocollege,makesuretheyhaveaprogramif
that’swhatyouwanttogointo.Noteveryschooldoes.Sothatwouldbemyadvice.
Andbuyagood,strongsuitcasebecauseyouwillbedoingsometravelling.
SH:Whatareyourthoughtsonthesocialmediapresenceandaudience
feedback,positiveornegative?
PH:Idon’treallyknowawholelotaboutTwitter,I’llbehonestwithyou.Ishould.I
amsobusydoingmygamesandmypreparationandmytravelandmyworkoutsin
thegymsoIcankeepmybodyindecentconditionandthenIhaveasidebusiness
ontopofthatandIhaveafamilyandIhavealotofotherinterests,musicand
moviesandthingslikethat,soIjustdon’thavetimetodoeverything.IwishthatI
did,itwouldprobablybeagoodbusinessdecisionformebutthat’snotsomething
thatI’mreallyworriedabouteither.Ithinkit’sfine.It’sobviouslypartof
contemporaryAmericansocietytohaveTwitterandIdoreaditonthecomputer.
It’sveryhelpful,immediate,yougettheinformationrightaway.Mycomplaintabout
Twitter,Steve,wouldbethatitseemslikeIhavetoread40or50thingsbefore
there’sanythingIcanuseonabroadcastoruseinmypersonallife.Orfindreally
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goodknowledgetohave.Andthen,isitaccurate?That’sanotherworryofmine.If
I’mgoingtousesomething,Ihavetoknowit’saccurate.Ihavetotrustyou.AndI
can’tjusttrustthewholeTwitteruniversewitheverythingtheyputoutthere.I’ma
littlebituncomfortablewithit,Iguess,butit’sfine.Ifanybodywantstodoit,Isay
great.Ifyoufinditagoodbusinesstoolforyourself,knockyourselfout.I’mfroma
differentgeneration.Istillread.Istilllisten.Istillcommunicatebytalkingtopeople.
Bypickingupaphoneandgettinginformation.Iknow,itsoundssomewhat
anachronisticbutthat’sthewayitiswhenyougetolder.Youdothingsthathave
workedforyouyourwholelifeandifthey’vebeensuccessful,yousay,‘whywouldI
wanttochange?’Mycareerseemstobegoingwell.PeopleseemtolikewhatIdo.I
makepeoplelaugh.Theymakemelaugh.Ienjoyit.Idon’tknowwhyIneedalotof
otherthings…there’sonlysomuchtimetoreadthings.Itrynottoreadthingsthat
areuselessbecausethat’sawasteofmytime.TherearesomanythingsIneedto
readIknowwillnotbeuselessthatIneedtofocusonthatmaterialfirst.
SH:Howdoyouapproachtherelationshipwiththemanagersandplayers?Do
youtrytomaintaindistancetoremainobjectiveforplayonthefieldof
decisionsofthemanager?
PH:IloveJoeMaddon.He’ssuchauniquecase.Hewouldprobablynotfitintothis
answerofthisquestion.That’sagoodquestion.Again,eachannouncerhasalittle
differentapproach.ButIloveJoeandhe’ssuchagreatguy.Itrytostayoutofthe
way.Thesepeopleareunderenormouspressuretodotheirjob.Itellpeoplethe
differencebetweenwhatIdoandwhataballplayerdoes:we’rebothperformersbut
theyareperformingandcompeting.I’mjustperforming.There’sadifferentthere.If
I’montopofmygame,andI’mprepared,andI’mworkingwithmygreatpartner
RonCoomer,there’snobody’sthat’sgoingtostopus.We’regoingtodowhatwe
wanttodoandthat’sallthereistoit.Abigleagueballplayerisoutthere,every
minutehe’stryingtodohisjob,there’sabigleaguermakingmillionsofdollarson
theotherteamtryingtostopyoufromdoingyourjob.That’sabigdifference.And
it’saverydifficultlifeforthoseguys.Irespecthowmuchpressurethey’reunder,
howharditis,andthenyouseethesehideousinjuriessometimesandyouthink,
‘man,Iwouldn’twanttodothat.’LikeKyleSchwarber,thekneeinjury,itwas
terrible.So,I’monoutsidertotheballplayersandtheteam.Itrytobefriendlyand
professionalandcourteous.ButIstayoutofthewayforthemostpart,Ireallydo.
AndIthinkmostoftheplayersappreciatethat.Theydon’tneedyouhangingaround
andwhenyou’reinacitythesizeofChicago,thereareprobablytoomanymedia
membersasthereis,theballplayersdonotneedanotherguyhangingaroundand
askingthemabunchofquestionsandtakingtheirtimebecausetheyhaveavery
serious,difficultjobtodo.
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CoryProvusinterview
Tuesday,May31,2016
SteveHenneberry:Whatgotyouinterestedinhavingacareerasabaseball
broadcaster?
CoryProvus:Well,probablytwothings.IgrewupinChicagoandIgrewupabig
Cubsfan.ThiswaswhenHarryCaraywasjustontherise,atleastfromaCubs
perspective.Buthebecamejust,thenationalpitchmanandbecomesuchapopular
icon.So,betweencatchingCubsgamesonWGN,wasalwaysathrillwithmyfamily.
Butalsomycousinisabroadcastertoo.Mymomistheyoungestoffourandthe
oldest,myAuntHarriet’sson,isBradShamwhoisthevoiceoftheDallasCowboys.
MymomwastechnicallyBrad’sauntwhenshewaslike5andsoyoucombinehow
muchIlovedtheCubsandlovedHarryCaraytowhenIgotalittleoldertorealizeI
reallyknowsomeonewhodoesthisforalivingandgetspaidtotalkaboutsports
andgetspaidtotravelaroundthecountryandwatchateamplaylive.Youcombine
allthosethings,that’sthepathIwantedtopursue.
SH:Verycool.Doyouhavesomebodyyoulookeduptooremulatewhenyou
werefirststarting?Whataresomeofthetraitsforbroadcastersthatyou
lookedat?
CP:Well,IwasluckyenoughtoworkwithoneofmyfavoritepeoplethatIlistened
towhenIwasyoungerandIgotachancetoworkwithhimandlearnfromhim
everydayandthatisPatHughes.Again,theradiovoiceoftheCubs.Thatwasmy
firstjobinbigleagueballwaswiththeCubs,gottoworkwiththemfortwoyears.
Thatwasathrill.IalsoreallyenjoyedlisteningtoWayneLarriveewhonowdoesthe
PackersbutheusedtodotheBearsforalongtime.Ijustalwaysadmiredtheir
skills.NeilFunk,whocalledtheBullsgamesontheradiowasalsosomebodythatI
wouldfind,thatwasjustmustlistentome,thatjustreallyenjoyed.ButPatwas
somebodytomethatIadmired.Iadmiredhisvoice.Iadmiredhisknowledgeofthe
game.Andthenwhenyoustartstudyingbroadcasting,youstarttodoitforalittle
bit,whatImarvelatwithPattothisdayiswhenitcomestothetechniqueishis
inflection.Ijustthinktheinflectstherightwords.Andthat’snoteasytodo.It’skind
oflikehowifyouarespeaking,howit’simportanttohittherightnotes.Orifyou’re
singingit’simportanttohittherightnotes.But,withbroadcasting,Ithinkit’s
similar,thatwhenyou’rebroadcastingasport,broadcastingagame,thewordsyou
inflect,whenyouinflect,Ithinkitcanbeachallenge.Itisachallenge.ButPatisjust
amasteratthat.AndwhenIstarteddoingthisandIstartedlisteningtohimmore
andmore,Imarveledathisabilitytoalwaysinflecttherightword.Itwasalways
peakingatthesametimeassay,thecrowd.Andthat’snotaneasythingtomaster.
SH:What’sthebiggestthingyou’velearnedtothispointinyourcareertodeal
withlongevityofthebaseballseason?Notonlythegamesthemselvesbutthe
regularseason,postseason,justthegrindthat,withallthetravelandthings,
howhaveyoulearnedtodealwiththat?
CP:Well,IgotsomegoodadvicefromLenKasperandthisagaingoesbackto2007,
andthatwasIgotsomegoodadviceabouthowyouhavetolearntobealittleselfish
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withyourtimeandalsoyouhavetodeveloparoutine.Andthebaseballschedule
allowsonetohavethat.It’snotlikebasketballwhere,ifyou’reanNBAbroadcaster,
youmaybeinacityfor10hours,8hours,15hours,whateveritis.Youneverreally
unpackyoursuitcase.Withbaseball,you’reinacityofthreeorfourdays,you
unpack,yougettowalkaround,yougettokindofhavetimetoyourselfalittlebit.
So,withthat,Ijusttrytohavearoutine.Andwhetherthat’s…IknowwhatIread,
whenIread,ontheopposingteam,forourteam,fromanationalbaseball
perspectiveeven,butthenIexercise,IjusttrytohavearoutinethatIfollowevery
day.AndthatwassomethingIlearnedfromLen.ThoseweretwokindofthingsI
didn’treallyreadmuchabout.Butnowafterdoingit,thisismy10thyeartraveling
withabigleagueteam,thatIgetitnow.IkindofknowwhatIneedtodotogetmy
workinbutalsotakeabreakfromthework,takeabreakfromthegrindtojustbe
abletohavesometimetoyourself,otherwisethiskindofscheduleandespecially
withthekindofseasontheTwinsarehaving,willjustkindofeatyoualive.
SH:Canyoutellmemoreaboutthatroutine–howdoyoupreparefora
broadcast?
CP:Sure.Foranightgame,especiallyontheroad,it’salittlemorechallengingat
homewithmyfamily,mywifeandtwoyoungkids,toalwaysabidebythisbutIcan
doitontheroad.I’mnotabigsleepersoI’llgetupprobablybetween6-7.Thefirst
thingIdoisreadforagoodhalfhour,45minutesabout,saywehadagamethe
nightbefore,I’llreadourstuff,I’llreadwhathappenedafterourgame,andthenI’ll
readalittleaboutwhattheopposingteamhadtosayabouttheirgameaswell.Just
kindofrefreshingmymind,incaseImissedanythingfromthenightbefore,
whetheritwasinjuries,strategy,rosterchanges,allthatstuffthatI’llpayattention
toforbothsides,theTwinsandtheiropponent.ThenI’llgrabaquickbitetoeat,
somethinglightandthenaboutahalfhourafterthat,ifI’montheroad,iswhenI
checkinwithmyfamily.ThenI’llgetaworkoutinforanhour,hourandahalf.
That’swhatIdo.Iworkaboutabout4-5timesaweek.So,I’lldothat.Andthenkind
of,goback,cleanup,getdressedalittlebit,probablyironsomeclothes.AndthenI’ll
readalittlebitmore,fromthenationalperspective,onwhatImissedinthegame
lastnight.Whathappenedacrossthegame?I’lllookatMLB,I’llreadtheNewYork
papers,I’llreadLA,Chicago,justkindoftogetabetterreadastowhathappened
nationallyinthegame.Andthen,I’mnotgonnalie,Itrytotakelikea20-minutenap.
It’ssomethingmybrotherandIdidaskids,takethese‘Provuspowernaps’andmy
brotherdoesittothisdayandifIcangetitonfor20,30minutes,great,I’lldothat.
AndthenI’llreallystartfocusingonthatnight’sgame.So,I’mlookingatvarious
websiteslikeBrooksBaseball,BaseballReference,andFangraphs,andstartfocusing
onthestartingpitchersandwhattheythrow,whentheythrowit,whytheythrowit,
allthatstuff.Seewhat’sworkingandwhat’snot.Arethegroundballpitchers?Fly
ballpitchers?Andthennormallythattakesmetoabout2:30andthenthebus
leavesfortheballparkat3[p.m.]fora7o’clockgame.
SH:Nice.Doyoukeepanysortoffileonplayersthroughoutthecourseofa
seasonorforaseries,easilyaccessible?
Henneberry83
CP:Idon't,andIknowtherearemanywhodo.IfIcoulddoanythingdifferently,I
probablywoulddothat,butIdon'tdothat,Idon'treallyneedmuch.Ikeepfiles
on...theTwinsmediaguideismybible,ifyouwill.Ihavealotofcribnotesinthere
andIjustputalotofmarkingsinthere,andthat'sstuffthatIcouldhavelearned
fromspringtrainingandstuffthathashappenedthatseasonthatIjusttrytokeep
uptodatewith.SotheTwinsmediaguide,thathasalotofhandlingstuffinthere
andthat'ssomethingthatI'vedoneforafewyearsnowasI'vegonebacktospring
training.ButoutsideofthatIreallydon'tkeeptoomuch...Idon'tknowwhatitis,if
it'sjustthewaythatIseethings...I'mavisuallearner,butifIseesomethingIcan
retainitbetterthanifIreadit,andthattomeisastruggle.That'swhyIstruggle
withreadingnon-baseballrelatedbooks,Itrytoreadalot,justformyownpersonal
satisfaction,butIstrugglewithitbecauseI'msuchavisualpersonthatifIseeitI
canretainit,butifIreaditIstrugglewiththat.Forsomereasonforbaseballnowit
seemstowork.Icanjustkindofrecallsomethings,andIknowthat'sgoingtogo
awayatsomepoint,butfornow...
SH:So,obviouslyintoday'sdayandage,everyone'sontheirphonesand
computerdevicesallthetime.Doyouthinkthat,giventhatit'smoreeasyto
accessinformationforfansduringthegameandoutsideofit,hasthatchanged
thewaythatyoubroadcastorthetypeofinformationyouwanttogetacross?
CP:Sure,youknowIthinkinthisdayandageyoudon't,asabroadcaster,youdon't
everhavetoleaveyourbooth.Youcould,ifyouwanttogothisroute,byjustsitting
upinyourboothfortwostraighthoursandreadeverywebsite,readeveryblog,
readeverythingandjustwriteitdowninyourscorebook,andyouprobablyareup
todate.But,Ithinkthat'snotfairtotheteamthatyou'recovering,it'snotfairtothe
listeners,it'snotfairtoyoursponsors,it'snotreallyfairtothecraftitself.Istill
thinkyouhavetogoonthefield,youhavetogoontheclubhouse,youhaveto,
kinda,makeyourselfknown,andyouhavetobeseenandyouhavetolettheplayers
knowthatyou'renotjustupthereinyourboothandyou'repreparedtowork.Ican
tellyouIhavebeenonthefieldeverydayandintheclubhouseeveryday.IfIdon't
makeitonthefieldeveryday,Iamcertainlyintheclubhouseeverydayforabout45
minutes,whateveritis.ButItrytogoonthefieldalot.Normallythefirstgameofa
worldseries,that'skindofwhenIstrugglewithgettingthroughtoonthefield-I'm
alwaysintheclubhouse-butjusttryingtogetup-to-dateontheopponentby
speakingwiththeotherannouncers,thatkindatakestimeawayfrommy
preparationforthegame,sooftentimesthefirstgameofaroadseriesIstruggle
withbeingonthefieldforalengthyperiodoftime,butbygame2,game3,Ihavea
prettygoodfeelfortheopponent,thereforeIcanspendmoretimeonthefieldwith,
inthiscase,theTwins.Butyeah,thetechnologytodayissogreatthatIthinka
broadcastercouldeasilykindajusttakethebustotheyardandgostraightuptothe
pressboxandgositintheboothandmakeoutyourline-upcardandwithallthe
informationthat'soutthereyoushouldbegoodtogo.
SH:Howdoyouapproachtherelationshipwiththeplayersandthemanager
andthecoachingstaff?Youknow,youwannabeseenbutdoyoutryto
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maintainsomesortofdistanceforobjectivity'ssake,or...howdoyouapproach
that?
CP:It'sharderinbaseballthanIthinkinanyothersportstodothatbecauseyou're
aroundthemsomuchmoreoften.Whenyouthinkaboutit,youknow,football
there's16games...Iknowtherearepracticesandannouncerscouldbearoundthe
guysmore,andcoachesandpracticesthroughouttheweek,butwhenitcomesto
actualgamesandtheguyshavetheiruniformson,you'rearoundthemeverysingle
day.Theguys....andI...theplayers...we'remostlyofsimilarages,sothereisthat
connectionthatwehave,thatI'mabletochatwiththemquiteabitunrelatedto
baseballbecauseIthinkwe'reaboutthesameage,alotofus.I'minmylate30sand
someoftheguysare,yeah,intheirlate20s,butsomeoftheguysareintheirearlyto
mid30s,sowedohavethatincommon.But,doIgooutandhangoutwiththe
playersalot?No.ButdoIseetheminahotelbarandhaveadrinkwiththem?All
thetime,absolutely.I'lldothat.But,IthinktheyallknowwhereIstand.I'mnotone
togettoocriticalofthemjusttobecritical,butiftheymakeamistake,ifsomething
happensonthefieldthatIthinkwas...youknow,physicalerrorsareonething.The
guysaregonnamakephysicalerrors,that'sthegame.Butiftheymakeamental
error,thentheyhavetobeaccountable.Thisisprofessionalsports,they'renot
amateursanymore,andmynumberonegoalistoneverlosecredibilitywiththe
fans.Notsomuchtheplayers,butthefanbase,thelisteners.IfIlosecredibilitywith
them,ifanybodydoes,you'redone,you'reshot.Eveniftheplayerslikeyou,ifyour
audiencedoesn'trespectyouandtheydon'tappreciatewhatyou'redoing,ifthey
don'tappreciateyourobjectivity,thenIthinkyou'reintrouble.You'renotgoingto
bedoingthisforalongtime.SoIthinktheplayersknowthatI'mfair,I'veneverhad
anissuewithaplayerconfrontingmewithsomethingthatI'vesaid.It'sgonna
happen,Iknow,atsomepointitwill,butit'sneverhappenedtomeatthispoint.
SH:GiventheTwinsseasontothispoint,which,I'msure,Iknoweverybody
wishesitwasdifferent,hasthatbeendifficultforyoutonotbeoverlycritical
attimes?
CP:Youhavetorememberthatmyjobistocallthegame,I'mnotasportstalkshow
host.Thegameisalwaysflowing,it'salwayscontinuing,it'salwaysevolving.If
somethinghappensinthe2ndinningandwe'reinthe5thinningnow,Ican'tkeep
goingbacktothe2ndinningmistake.Ihavetomoveon,there'sanotherpitchthat's
beingthrown.Ofcourse,ifyou'reasportstalkshowhost,youdon'thavetoanalyze
everypitch,youcananalyzethebigmomentsandmaybetheturningpoints,the
controversialmomentsofthegame,andtheycanspendmoretimeonthesecond
inningplayers,thesecondinningdecision.AsagamebroadcasterIcan't,youhave
tomoveontothenextthing.IthappenedthisyearwhenMiguelSanogetsthrown
outof3rdbaseattheendofthegame.Youhavetosaythatthatcan'thappen,and
Miguel,afterwards,said,"he'sright,thatcan'thappen",butEddieRosariomissed
hiscutoffandclosedthe3rdbaseinsteadoftryingtogoto2ndbasetokeepthe
doubleplayinorderforthenextbatter,youhavetosaythatthat'samistake,if
Eddiecouldhavethatover,he’dthrowittosecondbase,butyoudon'tcrushhim
continuously,youdon'tkeepsaying,"oh,EddieRosario,he'sgonnabesentout.He
doesn'tbelonghere",youcan'tgodownthatroute.Youstartgoingdownthatroute
Henneberry85
andthenthefrontoffenceisgonnajumponyoumorethantheplayersquestioning
rostersizeandrostermovesandallthat.Youstartdoingthatandyou'regonnahave
ashort-livedprofessionwithanything.
SH:Sure.Howdoyouapproachsplittingdutiesandworkingwithcolor
analysts,Iknowyou'rewithDannow,howdoyoufigureoutwhentobring
themin,whentocarryityourself,letthecrowdbringthedrama,doyouhave
anapproachforthatorhowdoesthatwork?
CP:Youknow,Dandoesthemiddlethreeinnings,play-by-playandIdon'tdocolor
forhimbecauseIshouldn't.I'mnotaplayer.Itwouldbesillyforaguythatpeaked
att-balltostartdoingcoloranalystonaMajorLeaguebaseballbroadcast,witha
MajorLeagueBaseballbroadcasterandwithaMajorLeagueBaseballplayer.That,
tome,it'sjustnevermadesensetometodocolor.Dannycananalyzealotofthe
gameincrediblywell,soIlethimdothat,evenwhenhe'sdoingplay-by-play,butI'm
stillthereincaseIseesomethingthatIthinkmightbeinformativetothelistenersto
hear,ifthere'sapointthatDannyweighsmaybeI'llkindachimein,maybeexpand
onthat.Imayknowtheansweralready,butIcan'tguaranteethateverybodyout
theredoes.Butifthere'sateachablemomentthatcomesupthatDannymentions,if
itkindagoesoverquickly,ImightbringitbackbecauseIthinkwhathesaidisreally
neatandreallyinformative,andmaybeI'llaskhimtoelaborateonthatpoint,ifwe
caninthefollowingpitch,thefollowingbatter.ButwhenI'montheairdoingthe
play-by-play,IwantDannytobeinfromdayone,andfromsetoneandfrom
momentone.I'mnotoneofthoseguyswho'slike,"thefirstinningisallme,"just
kindastayquietforalittlebit,that'snothowIwork.IwantDannytotellmeabout
thepitcher,IwantDannytotellmeaboutthelineup,IwantDannytotellmeabout
trendsthathehasnoticedfromtheseries,fromourplayer’sperspective.So,that's
whyDanny'svoiceissoearlyandsooften,andIlovethat.Thegameistightatthe
end,there'salotofstrategygoingon,IlovewhenDanny'sinonthataswell.That's
whenIthinkananalystcanreallyshine,gettingintothestrategy,gettingintothe
why'sandwhynot'sandwho'sinvolvedandwhytheinfielderisplayinginhere,
whythey'replayingbad,whytheyneedtobringina5thinfielder,whytheypitched
thisguy.That...youknow,myjobistocallthegame,buttheanalystshinesastowhy
itworked,whyitdidn'twork,whataresomeofthedifferentplaysthatcouldmake
thisthingworkorwhyitwon'twork.Andthat'swheretheanalystwillreallyshine.
SH:Thatmakesalotofsense.ObviouslyTwinsfansaregoingtobeprimarily
wholistenstoyouandDanforthegames.Howdoyouapproachhomerism
withinyourbroadcastandthenjustgenerally,yourthoughtsonthat?
CP:Ithinkyoucanbeahomerbyyourinflection,byyourpassion,byyour
voice...thisisaverysubjectivequestion.ButthewaythatIapproachitisthatIwant
thefanstoknowwhoIwanttowinbasedonmyinflection.Notbasedonwords.SoI
don'tsay"we."Idon'tsay,"weneedabighithere",youknow...Ihavenothingtodo
withaplayergoing4for4or3for5,Ihavenothingtodowiththat.Inevercallthe
Twins"Minnesota".Ineversay,"Minnesotatakesa3-1lead."Mytheorybehindthat
isifthereare2guyssittingatthebarandthey'rechattingaboutthegame,Ican't
recallthemhavingaconversationthatwentlike,"sohowdidMinnesotado
Henneberry86
tonight?""Hey,didMinnesotawintoday?""Hey,howdidso-and-sodofor
Minnesota?"We'retheTwins."HowdidtheTwinsdotoday?""DidtheTwinswin
Today?""HowdidDozierdotodayfortheTwins?"Youknow,that'swhatIthinkof.I
justcan'tsayMinnesotareferringtotheteam;I'llsayMinnesotareferringtothe
state,butIneversay"Minnesotatakesa3-1lead""Minnesotasurgesinfront",I
knowalotofbroadcastersdo,butIdon't.Ijusttrytothinkofitfromfromthefans.
They'renotreferringtotheirownteamasMinnesota,they'rereferringtotheirteam
astheTwins.AndIgetwhybroadcastersdoit,it'stobreakitupbecauseyou're
alwayssaying"TheTwins",butI'vefoundtheonlypeoplewhoknowhowoften
you'resayingthingslikethatareannouncers.Idon'tthinkthelistenersarealways
payingattentiontohowoftenyousay"TheTwins".It'slikesomethingIlearnedin
college-whenyou'redoingsomenewsandyou'recoveringafireintown,theonly
timeyoueverheartheword"blaze"inreferencetoafirecomesfromanews
anchor.It'snever...youhear"ablaze",it'slikethey'retryingtomixitupbecause
maybetheirfirstsentencewas"therewasafireindowntownMinneapolistoday,
theblazewasfirstreportedby..."whoever,youknow,andyouhearthatalotand
thatkindastuckwithmeanditdidn'tmakesense.It'safire,andIdon'tthinkthat
youhavetoalwaysbecarefulofmixingitupalittlebit.Forme,it'stheTwins.
They'retheTwinsandthey'renotMinnesota,tomeMinnesota'sthestateandthat's
justthekindofwayIgoaboutthings.
SH:Yeah,that'sinteresting.IusedtobeanewsandsportsanchorinOmaha,
sothe"blaze"examplehitshomeforme.
CP:ThefinalfourwasalwaysthefinalonewhenIwasincollege,itwastheNCAA
tournament,itwasthebigdance,itwasallthesethingsyou'retryingtomixupandI
getit,butIthinkweasbroadcastersandjournalists,wearetheoneswhonoticeit
morethanfans.
SH:That'sagoodpoint.You'reprettyactiveonTwitter,howdoyouapproach
yourtwitterfeed,thecontentyouputonthere,andthenwhathasthatdone-
notonlyTwitterbutothersocialmediaforms-doneforaudiencefeedbackfor
you?
CP:Well,I'msurprisedyousaidI'mactiveonTwittercauseI'mreallynot.Iprobably
retweetmorethanIactuallytweet.I'mnottheretobreaknews,Idon'tlookatmy
jobasone...I'mnotgonnabeareporter.Foranexample,yesterdayItapedthe
managershowjustbeforethewritersdidtheirsession,beforeanybodyelse.Iknew
thatPhilHugheswasgoingtothebullpen,maybeahalfanhourbeforethebeat
reportersdid,beforeitwaspubliclyannounced.Butthere'snothinginmybodythat
said"hey,Ineedtotweetthisout,it'sagreatnewsstory".It'snotmyjob.I'mnot
theretobreaknews,thereareotherpeopleintownthatdothatanddothatwell,
thattomeisnotmyjob.I'mnotabeatreporter.Ifyoustartdoingthatthenyou're
gonnagetintosometrouble,Ithink,downtheroadbecauseifyoureportedthis
story,thenyoudidn’tyoureportthatstory?So,itsetsabadprecedent.SoIjust
wannatrytoavoidthatatallcosts.IuseTwitteralotforifafanhasaquestion,if
there'saquestionabouttheroster,ifthere'saquestionaboutarule,butIdon't
knowtherules,Idon'tknoweverysingleruleinbaseball.Ifthere'ssomethingthat
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comesupthatIdoknow,ifsomebodyasksme,I'llexplain.ButI'llpromote
something,likeImentionedonTwitteryesterdaylikewe'dmentionedthatafterit
wasannouncedthatHugheswasgoingtothebullpen,I'dtweetlike"hey,good
pregameshowtoday.Molly[TwinsmanagerPaulMolitor)withsomenewsona
rotationchange,astartingrotationchangeandanupdateonPlouffeandSuzuki.So,
I’llteasewhatwesayintheactualshow.But,Idon'tlookatTwitterasaplatformfor
metobreaknewsconsideringthejobthatIhave.
SH:Sure,thatmakessense.Doyoulistentoyourselfatallafterabroadcast?
CP:OnlyifIfeellikeImissedsomething.IfImissedsomethingorIdidn'tdoitwell
onthatgame,IhadabadcallonabigplayI'llgobackandlistentoitandmoretimes
thannotit'snotasbadasIthoughtitwasatthemoment.ButIgetalittle
uncomfortablehearingmyself,Ido.Idon'tmakeitapointto,Ijustgetalittle
uncomfortablejustgoingbacktolistentomyself,causeevenifacallcameoutwell
andevenifthere'sacallthatthefansseemedtolike,I'lllistenbackandI'llalways
thinkthere'ssomethingelseIcouldhavedonedifferently.CouldIhavelaidoutabit
more,couldIhaveselectedadifferentword,couldItightenitupalittlebitgiventhe
eventdescription,couldIhavejustwordeditdifferently?Sothere'salways
somethingIthinkIcouldhavedonebetter,soImakeitapointtonotalwayslisten
tomyself,butIthinkI'dlistentomyselfmoreifIthinkIdidn'thaveagoodcallor
justhadabadgame.
SH:Sure.AreyouemployedbytheTwinsorbyTIBN?
CP:IamemployedbytheMinnesotaTwins,that'sabigplus.WiththeCubsIwas
employedbyWGN,withtheBrewersIwasemployedbyWTMJ,andthere'sabig
plusbeingemployedbytheteam.
SH:Couldyousaymoreaboutwhattheplusesare?
CP:You'reneverworriedaboutradiorightschanging,whichisabigone.Thatcould
beabigissuewithyoukeepingyourjob.Iftherightschangetoadifferentstationin
townandyou'retiedtothestation,there'snothingthat...therearesituationswhere
theteamcouldsaysorry,youknow,"wehaveadealwiththestationandpartofthe
dealwasthattheygettopickthenewannouncers".Itkindaputsyouinadifficult
spot.Secondly,there'sjust,withMajorLeaguebaseballyouhavenon-uniform
pension,whichafter5yearsyou'refullyvested.Soontopofthatanda401(k)it's
justalotofplusestobeingpartofaMajorLeaguebaseballteamandsothat'sgreat
forme,anditalsogivesmefreedominthewintertodootherthings.Withtheteam,
beinggreataboutit,whichtheyare,theteamallowsmetodosometelevisioninthe
wintertimeandradiostations,ifyou'reemployedbythem,youhavetootherthings
fortheradiostationthatwillnotletyoudosomefreelancetelevisionworkinthe
off-season,youmayhavetodotalkshowsandsportscastsandthingslikethatwith
theradiostationthatemploysyou.ButwiththeTwinstheykindagivemethe
freedomtodotheoff-seasonworkwiththemagreeingonit,Ihavetogetapproval
todoit,butthat'sanotherplus.
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SH:Lastquestion,whatadvicedoyougiveyoungbroadcasterswhoare
thinkingaboutdoingwhatyoudo?
CP:ThebestpieceofadviceIevergot-andIthinkitappliessowelltowhateveryou
doinlife,evenifit'snotinbroadcastjournalism-IgotitfromJohnMcDonoughwho
ispresidentoftheBlackHawks,butwasthepresidentoftheCubswhenhetoldthis
tome,was"stayinyourlane".Andit'ssimple-it'sfourwords,whenyoubreakit
down.It'sstayinyourlane.Ifyoujustkindastayinyourlaneinlife,Ithinkyou'll
havethechancetobesuccessful.Thesecondyoustarttomergeinandoutand
weaveinandoutoftrafficandgetintheareasthatyou'renotsupposedtobein,
that'swhenyou'regoingtogetyourselfintrouble.Iknowasabroadcaster
especiallythatthatringstrue,soI'mabigbelieverin"stayinyourlane".That's
somethingthat...Ihearditalongtimeagoandnow10yearsofMajorLeaguelater,I
reallygetitandreallybelieveit.ButthenIalwaystellkidsrightoutofschool,
studentsrightoutofschool,don'tbepickyaboutthatfirstjob.Youhavetogosmall,
moretimesthannot,youhavetogetoutofyourbubble,youhavetolearnhowthis
thingworks.It'sgoodtogotoasmalltownbecauseyou'regonnamakealotof
mistakes.You'regonnamakemistakes,you'resupposedtomakemistakesthere,
andifyoudo,you'regonnagetbetter.You'regonnadoalotofworkfornotmuch
pay,butthat'swhatyoushoulddo.It'sareallyimportanttimeinyourlifetogetout,
getsomeexperienceandgoliveinasmalltownwhereyoudon'tknowanybody,and
yourfriendsareprobablyintheirearlytomid20shavingagreattimeinabigcity
somewhere,butyoucan’taffordtodothatbecauseyouwannabeabroadcaster,you
wannabeonTV,youwannabeontheradio,youwannabettertakeadvantage.Soif
youwannagetthere,youhavetokindatakeadvantage.Startsmall.Tome,thatwas
animportantstepinmycareer.SothosearethetwothingsIoftentellpeople:Stay
inyourlaneandalsodon'tbepickyaboutthatfirstgig.
SH:IsthereanythingIdidn’taskyou?
CP:Gettingbacktobroadcastingandwhatmygoalsareeachandeverynight.Isay
thisalotbutIhavethreegoalseverynightasabroadcaster:Inform.Educate.
Entertain.Thosearethethreethingsthatwe,asateam,wetrytodoeverynight.We
can’tcontrolthewinsandlosses,that’soutofourhands,butwecancontrolthe
information.Wecancontroltheentertainment.Andwecancontroltheeducation.
AndthosearethreeelementsItrytonaileverysinglenight.Inform.Educate.And
Entertain.
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JonMillerinterview
June1,2016
SteveHenneberry:Whatgotyouinterestedinbeingabaseballbroadcasterfor
acareer?
JonMiller:Iwasagreatbaseballfan,mydadusedtohavethegamesontheradio,
growingupintheSanFranciscoBayarea,allthetime,andtheGiantsplayedmostly
daygamesinSanFranciscointhosedays.Thisiswouldbetheearly1960s,andthey
onlyplayedTuesdaysandFridaysatnight,andtherestofthegameswereday
games,whentheywerehome.Andthenofcoursewhentheyweretraveling,inthe
MidwestandbackEast,thenthegameswouldcomeonafterschool,orinthe
summertimeearly,4o’clock,5o’clock.Andsoweusedtohearthegamesonthe
radioallthetime.TheGiantsonlytelevisedthegamesthattheyplayedinLAatthe
time,soitwasnotatelevisionsport.AndIreallyenjoyedthegamesontheradio
andplayedLittleLeagueandreallybecameabigfanand,soIreallystarted
broadcastingthegamesmyselfinthebackyardthrowingabaseballagainsta
concretewallorIhadatabletopgamecalledStrat-o-maticBaseball,andwhenI
wouldplaythatinmybedroomorinthebasementofthehouseorwherever,I
wouldbroadcastthataswell.SoIwaskindaintoit,Ineverreallythoughtabout
beingabroadcasteratthattimewhenIwas9yearsoldor10yearsold,butlateron
Iboughtataperecorderandactuallystartedtobroadcastgamesintoatape
recordertoseehowitwent,andIfoundthatIreallyenjoyedthegamesevenmore
whenIbroadcast.Soatthattime,whenIwasmaybe14or15,Ireallywantedtobea
broadcasterandstartedlookingatintowhereIcouldgotoschoolandstudythat,
andsoonandsoforth,so...Butitwasreally...RussHodgesandLonSimmonswere
theGiantsbroadcasters.RusshadcomewiththeGiantsfromNewYork,andLon
becamehispartnerinSanFrancisco.Andthesewerebothgreatbroadcasters,great
voices,andbothareinthebaseballhalloffame,havingwontheFordC.Frick
Award.andthentheyhadthebigrivalrywiththeDodgers,andtheDodgerswereon
averypowerfulstationinLAwhichwecouldhearatnighttimeinSanFran[cisco]
veryclearly,soIgottohearVinScully,andIrememberIdidn’tlikeVinnynearlyas
muchasIlikedRussandLon,becausehewasaDodgerbroadcaster,butIcameto
realizeastimewentonthat,laterinHighschoolandwhenIgottocollege,justhow
goodhewasandIthought,that’sreallyhowit’sdone.Anyway,soallthoseguyshad
agreatinfluenceonmeintermsofbecomingasportsbroadcaster,andIfeellikeit
wasaveryluckythingformegrowingupatthattimeinthatarea,becausethey
reallysortoftaughtmehowit’sdone,andtheywereoutstandingatwhattheydid.
SH:Yeah,ItalkedtoPatHughesaswellforthisproject,andhealsogrewupin
theBayArea,sohementionedRussandLonandBillKing,aswell,asbig
influencesforhim.
JM:YeahBillKing,hewas...whenwewerekids,PatandI,youknowBillwasn’treally
abaseballbroadcaster,althoughhedidalittlebitofbroadcastingfortheGiantsin
theearly60s,hewasreallymoreofaproducer,andtheonlytimehewouldreally
getontheairwaswhenRussorLonwereoutdoingsomethingelse.Lonwoulddo
the49ergames,sowhenfootballseasonwouldstart,he’dbemissingonweekends
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andBillwouldworkwithRuss,orsometimesRussHodgesdidboxingonnational
radio.HedidacoupleoftheSonnyListon-CassiusClayfights,asaforinstance.So
he’dbegoneoccasionallydoingsomethinglikethat,andthenBillwouldwork.And
thenwhentheWarriorscameout,Billjustthought,wellIhaveachancetodothe
Warrior’sNBAgames,theycameinfromPhiladelphiain62,63,somewhereinthere.
Andhejustthought,welltheseguysaren’tleavinganytimesoon,soI’mgonnatake
thisotherjobwhileIcanandgetmyowngighere.Andthenhebecamethe
everydayWarrior’sguy,andthentheRaidersintheoldAFLhiredhimtodotheir
footballgames,AlDavis,andhereally...thosesports,thebestIeverheard,andI
reallylearnedalotaboutpaintingthepictureofasportingeventfromBillKing.Not
thatLonandRussandVinnyandwhatnotwerenotexcellentaswell,butIalways
thoughtBill…andtheyweredifferentsportsthanbaseball,but...Irememberkeeping
scoreofaWarrior’sgame,listeningtoitontheradio,andathalftimeBillwouldgive
theofficialhalftimestatistics,andI’dbeoffjustbyacoupleofreboundsandIreally
wasjustdoingitallfromwhathewasdescribing.Irememberthinking,wow,he’s
goteveryreboundandeverynameforeveryrebound.Soitwasjustacoupleof
rebounds,andthat’sprobablybecauseIwasnever...Ineverkeptscorebeforefor
NBAgames,so…
SH:ThinkingaboutRussandLonandVinandBill,whataresomeofthetraits
thatyouthinkmakeabroadcastersuccessful?Particularlyfortheradio?
JM:Well,that’sagooddistinction,becauseitisamuchdifferentexerciseonradio
versusontelevision.Ialwaysremember,whenIwashiredbyESPNtodothe
Sundaynightbaseballgame,IranintoAlMichaels.AndI’dknownAlformanyyears
evenatthattime,andAlwasdoingabaseballgameforABC,andIaskedhimifhe
hadanyadviceforme,andhejustsaid,“Well,theonlythingIwouldsayisthat
whenyou’reonradio,thedescription,paintingthepictureiseverything.Tobring
thelistenerintotheballpark.Ontelevision,it’sabsolutelyworthless.Youdon’tneed
todescribeanything,theycanalreadyseeeverything”.Hesaidthat’sthedifference.
Sointelevisionyou’remoregivingacaptionforthepictureandtryingtofleshout
whatthey’realreadyseeingwithotherinformationthatmightbepertinent,soit’s
anentirelydifferentexercise.AndIthinktherewasachangethatwasalready
underwayatthattime,wheretheplay-by-playguywasalwaysreallykingon
television,butthathadstartedtochangeinthe,Ibelievereallyinthe80swherethe
bigchangeoccurred,wheretheformerplayer,theanalyst,becamethekingon
television.AndIalwaysthoughtithadtodowithguyslikeJohnMadden,ontheNFL,
andevenbeforeMadden,thefirstbigchangeIsawwas...Mondaynightfootball
probablychangedalotofpeople’sthinkingintermsoftelevisionsports,whereyou
hadthethree-manbooth,andyouhadHowardCosell,anditreallywasHoward
Cosell’stelecast.Andhewasnottheplay-by-playman,andhewasn’teventhe
expertanalyst,hewasn’teitherone.Butitwashistelecast,youknow.AndHoward
mightjusttakeovertheplay-by-play,ahundred-yardtouchdownkickoffreturnor
whatever,andwhenhe’ddobaseballhemighttakeoveronadramatichomerun,
so...Howardwasanextremetalentandextremelyunique,becausethere’snever
reallybeenanybodylikeHowardCosell-whohadhisenormoustalentandhis
reallyenormousfacilitywiththelanguage.Sothatwasachangeintermsof
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philosophy,butyoureallycouldn’tsaythatitsetotherthingsinmotion,because
therewasonlyoneHowardCosell.Incollegebasketball,DickEnbergwasthe
preeminentcollegebasketballplaybyplayannouncer,andtheyputtwoannouncers
inwithhim:BillyPacker,whowasthegreatanalystofcollegebasketball,great
knowledge,andAlMcGuire,thelong-timeformercoachatMarquette.AndAl,he
wasveryknowledgeable,butAlMcGuirewasavery,veryfunnyguy.Andit’sfunny
becauseDickVitalereallyfollowedinthefootstepsinAlMcGuire,andreallybecame
muchbetterknownforitthanAlMcGuire,becauseAlMcGuirewaslateinhiscareer,
andthenhediedfairlyyoung.Ithinkhehadcancerandpassedaway,very
tragically.But,IrememberwhenIfirstheardDickVitaleandIrememberthinking,
wowhe’sdoingAlMcGuire!AndIdon’tmeanthatasacriticismofDickVitale,butAl
McGuirewastheonethatwouldcallateam’sbigman,thegreatsetter,he’dcallhim
theaircraftcarrier,andallthiskindofstuff,andhedidn’thavethesamestyleas
DickVitale,hewasatruewit.DickVitalewassortofanover-the-top,in-yourface...andfunandwhatnot...butDickVitalecouldneverworkinathree-manbooth.
He’sprettymuchthewholeshowhimselfandtheplay-by-playmanholdsbackfrom
himandletshimgo.ButyouhaveBillyPackerwhowasallnutsandbolts,andX’s
andO’s,andhere’swhat’shappening,andAlMcGuirewithisdrollsenseofhumor,
andtheyworkedwitheachother.AndsometimesAlMcGuirewouldpokefunat
BillyPackerforbeingtooserious...andDickEnbergwastheguy,thegreatnumber
onecollegebasketballplay-by-playannouncer,whopulledbacktolettheseguysgo,
sayingtheirinteractionisgoingtomakethiswork.Sohe’stheonethatalloweditto
work,andIthinkthatchangedalotofthings,becauseofwhohewasalready.
Mondaynightfootballyouhadthethree-manbooth,andthefirstyeartheydidthat
theyhadKeithJackson.Andhewasagreatcollegefootballannouncer,buthehadn’t
developedthehugefollowingthathelaterwoulddevelop,butheonlydidthatone
yearandtheytookhimoutofthereandmadeFrankGiffordtheplay-by-playguy.
AndthiswasGifford’sfirstplay-by-playexperience.ItwasunderstoodthatFrank
Giffordwasjustgoingtodotheplay-by-playandtheotherguys,DonMeredithand
HowardCosellweregoingtodotherest.ButDickEnbergwasanestablished,long
time,Emmy-award-winning,preeminentplay-by-playguy,buthepulledbackand
letthoseguysshine,andthatwas,Ithought,thebignumberonechange.Thenyou
hadJohnMaddenontheNFL,andMaddenwasasortofforceofnaturehimself.It’s
hardtocomparethoseguystoeachother,becauseIthinkpartofwhatmadethem
sogreatatitwashowuniquetheywere.Youcouldn’treallycompareJohnMadden
toAlMcGuireorHowardCosellorDonMeredithbecausehewasentirelydifferent.
ButthestoryintheNewYorkTimes,Idon’tknowifyousawit,justafewdaysago
wasabouthowVinScullywasabigCBSplay-by-playguyontheNFL,andJohn
Maddenwaskindofnewtothenetwork,andtheykindofmadethedecisionthat
JohnMaddenshouldbetheirnumberoneanalyst.Andthewaytheykindofmade
the...TerryO’Neil,theproducer,kindofsetitupwasthatVinScullywouldwork
withJohnMaddenhalftheyearandthenPatSummerallwasgoingtoworkwith
JohnMaddenhalftheyear.Andthen,forthemitwasclearthatSummerall’sstyle
wasmuchbettersuitedtoJohnMadden.Sohereitwasthatyouwereactually
settinguptheanalystasthepreeminentpartofthetelecast,butthemainthingwas
theguywouldallowhimtoshinethebestwastheperfectpartnerforhim.So
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Summerallwasalwaystheguywhowas...averyTVguy.Veryminimalistin
approach,star,dollar,he’sgonnago,sixty-seven-yardtouchdown...youknow?And
that’swhathedid.WhereasVinnywasthemasterofthelanguage,andawordsmith,
andputtingphrasestogether,andhewasgreatatit.AndIalwaysfeltthatthelast
gamethatheeverdid,whichwasafamousgame,the49ersbeattheCowboyson
what49erfansalwayscall“thecatch”byDwightClark,andVinScullydidthatgame
andthenhewalkedoffintothesunsetasfarasCBSwasconcerned,already
knowingthathewasnotgoingtodotheSuperBowl,becausethatwasgoingtobe
MaddenandSummerall.AndIwatchedthatgame,andIrememberthinking,wow.
That’sasgoodasaplay-by-playmancouldeverbe.AndIalwaysthoughtthatVinny
hadspecialincentivetobethegreatestthatitwouldbepossibleforhimtobeinthat
game.Notthathe’severunprepared,buthehadnotjusthispreparation,butagreat
gameontopofthat.Anyway,thatwastheseedchange,youknow,andVinScully
wastheguythat,inaway,gotcaughtinthat,youknow.AndNBChiredhimthenext
yeartodothegameoftheweekforbaseball,andJoeGaragiolahadbeentheplayby-playguywithTonyKubekasthecolorman.Andtheyblewitallup,said,“we
havethechancetobringthegreatestbaseballannouncerthereeverwasin.Why
wouldwenottakethat?”AndthentheymadeJoeGaragiolathecoloranalystand
movedTonyKubektothesecondgamewithBobConstance.Andatthesametime,
NBChadthegameoftheweekonSaturdays,andABChadaMondaynightgame,
sortoffollowinginthefootstepsofMondaynightfootball,theyhadMondaynight
baseball.AndthenhadAlMichaelsworkingwithTimMcCarverandJimPalmer,a
formercatcherandaformerpitcher.And,well,AlMichaelsallowedtohappenwhat
DickEnbergallowedtohappenwithPackerandAlMcGuire,whichwasletthese
guysshine,andhewouldpullback.Buthealsoknewwhatbuttonstopushwith
eachofthem.Andasitturnsout,TimMcCarverwasthenewgreatbaseballanalyst
thathadjustcomealong.Hewasnotjustpreparedandknowledgeable,buthewasa
greatentertainer.AndsoevenasVinnyandJoeGaragiolawereonthescenethereat
NBC,thatgreatchangewassuddenlystartingtotakeplaceinbaseball,andyouhad
aguy-theUSATodaywassortofnewonthesceneasanationalnewspaper.Which,
youknow,inthosedays,newspaperswerestillverybig,andtheUSATodaywasbig.
AndinthesportssectionaguynamedRudyMartzkewasthecolumnist,whowas
thecritic,andhewasinalmosteveryday.Sohewaswritingaboutnetworksports,
andthenetworkssortofwentnutsforthiswholeconcept,tryingtogetthingsinto
RudyMartzke’scolumn.SoRudyMartzkewasrightthereonthecuspofallthese
changesthatwerehappening,whereDickVitaleandAlMcGuireandJohnMadden
werethepreeminentguys,andnowhekindoffavoredwhatwashappeningwithAl
MichaelsandTimMcCarverandJimPalmerandwhatnot.AndwheretheScullyGaragiolamixwasstillsortofoldschool.WhereVinnywas...itwasVinny’stelecast.
AndIrememberworkingsomegamesatNBClateron,Ithinkitwas86thefirst
year,andIdidagamewithTonyKubek.AndTonytoldme,welllet’stalkabout
workingtogether.Andhesaid,wellit’syourtelecast,you’retheplay-by-playguy,
andIhavetotakemycuesfromyou,it’smyjobtonotsteponyou.AndItoldhim,
wellTony,we'rejusttogetherthisonetime...BobCostaswasoffdoingsomething
else,andIsaid,how'boutthis-yougoaheadandbetheleadguyandI’lltakemy
cuesfromyou.Andhesaid,“no,no,Iappreciateitbutthat’sourformat”.Butthat
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wasthefirstthinghetoldme,so.Laterthatsameyearorthenextyear,Ican’t
rememberwhichitwas,VinScully,oneofhischildrenwasgettingmarriedsohe
tookaSaturdayofftogotothewedding,andIgothiredtoworkwithJoeGaragiola.
WorkingwithKubekfirstandthenGaragiola,thiswasagreatthrillforme,becauseI
wassuchabigfanofbothofthem.AndGaragiolasaid,“well,let’stalkaboutworking
together”,andhesaid,“you’reinchargeofthetelecast,myjobistotakemycues
fromyou,”andhesaidexactlythesamething,andagainItoldhim,Isaid,“Joe,just
dowhateveryouwantandI’llkindalaybackforyou”,andhesaid“no,no,thisisour
format.ThisisthewayweworkitatNBC”,sothat’sjustthewayitwasdone.ButI
thinkthatastimewenton...notatfirst,itwasablockbustercombination.These
werethetwobiggestnamesinsportstelevision-VinScullyandJoeGaragiola-and
theydidagreatjobtogether,there’snoquestionaboutit,butitwasadifferent
approachtowhathadjustbecome,moreandmorewasbecoming,thewaythatit
wasnowbeingdone.AndwhereTimMcCarverwasmoreofthekeyelementofa
telecastonabaseballgame,thesamewithMadden,andpeoplesortofgotusedto
theidea-hearingthoseanalystsandgettingwhattheyneededfromthoseguys.
Theyexpectedtohearfromthemfirstandforemost.ButRudyMartzkewasthefirst
guythatreallystartedbeingcriticalandreallyalotofJoeGaragiola.Hewasn’t
givingyouthesamelevelofinformationthatMcCarverwasgivingyou,andsoon
andsoforth.AndIalwaysrememberthinking,welldoesn’therealizethatit’sall
aboutthiswholedifferentapproach-howcantheybecriticalofJoewhenJoe’s
pullingbackandlettingVinnydohistelecast,youknow?Andwhywouldyouhire
VinScullyandnotallowhimtobeVinScully?Ofcourseyou’regoingtolethimdo
histelecast,youknow?Ican’trememberhowwegotontothis…
SH:That’salright!Onthecoloranalyst,doyoutakethatapproachnow?
LettingDuane...DuaneandMike,right?Thosearethetwoguysyouworkwith?
JM:Wellyeah,andour...whatwedohereisthatDuaneandMikearetheguys...the
tandemoncableTVnetworkandCSN...andwhenIgottotownin1997,theyonly
didmaybe50-60gamesayear.Andwehadanother50-60onovertheyearTV
whenIgottotheGiants,so...itwasmeandMikeKrukowonovertheyear,and
DuaneKuiperandMikeKrukowoncablenetwork.Becausethecablewanted
somethingtodistinguishthemaintelecastfromtheovertheyeartelecast.Andthat
precededmyarrival-Iwasnotallowedtodothecableanyway,Ithinktheywere
happytohavethosetwoguystogether.ButmyESPNcontractwouldnotallowme
todotheovertheyearcable,whichwasFOXatthattime.Andastimewentonin
everyothercitythecablebecamemoreandmorepreeminentversustheoverthe
year.Theycametodo100gamesandwe’dhave50onovertheyear.Youknow,now
it’sonthecableIthinktheydoprobably140andweonlyhave15-20overtheyear
telecast.Andsothey’retherealtelevisiontandem,primarily.AndI’mjustmainly
homegamesonaFridaynightaretheonlygamesthatweputon.OratDodgers
stadium,orSanDiego,orArizona...thingslikethataretheonlyoneswehaveonthe
overtheyear,wehavetheNBCstationintownforthose,sothey’rethemain
tandemandMikeKrukowistheplay-by-playguyandDuaneistheanalyst.Andtheir
wayofdoingitisreallyinthatmodel:MikeKrukowisreallythepreeminentguy,
he’stheguywithalltheknowledge,andit’salsotheirstyle,andourstyleistogive
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thefansthegame.They’renotsittingtherechitchattingaboutanymannerofother
things,Krukowisfocusedonthefieldatalltimesand,notthatyoucan’tsay
somethingtohimandgetalaughfromhimorprovokeapithycommentor
whateverfromhim,buthe’sfocusedonthefieldandhealwayswantstotellyou
somethingthathe’sseenthat’sgoingonoutthere.Soit’salwaysaboutthegame,
andGiantsfansreallygetthegame,firstandforemost.There’snotalotoftalking
aboutotherthingsjusttokilltime,youknow.Andthat’sgoodforthegameand
baseball,ofallthesports,ontelevisionthere'satendencytosay,“well,hardly
anythingeverhappensinbaseball,youneedtotalkaboutallkindsofotherthingsto
makeitentertaining”,andIusedtosaytoESPNproducersthat,doyouthinkthat’s
whatmakeitseemlikenothing'sgoingon?Ifyouhavepitchafterpitchandwe’re
notevenreferringtoitbecausewe'retalkingaboutsomethingelse,doesn’tthatsay
totheaudiencethatobviouslythere’snothingofanyinterestgoingonhere.
Otherwisewe’dactuallybereferringtoit.SoIsaid,maybeweneedtobereferring
toitallthetime,becausethere’salwayssomethinggoingon.SoIthinkthat’sbeena
bigproblemforbaseball,sortofthattelevisionproducersandwhatnotwho,
especiallyatthenationallevel,feelthatyouneedtohaveallkindsofotherstuff
otherthanthegame,andit’sreallykindofabigconstantargument,youknow,butI
thinkthe...andit’sadifferentsortofparadigm,becauseinaGiantstelecast,mostof
youraudienceismadeupofGiantsfanswhocareverydeeplyabouttheirteam,so
theywanttoknowthegameandeverythingthat’sgoingoninthegameandallthe
informationyoucangivethemaboutthatgame,whereasanationaltelecast,I
rememberatESPNlet'ssaywe’dhavetheCubsandtheCardinals,we’dfeellike
we’dhaveCubsfansandwe’dhaveCardinalfanstunedin,andthenthegreatest
partofouraudiencewasmadeupofpeoplewhoweren’tfansofeitherteam.And
thoseweretheoneswewantedtospeaktoandhold.Sothatisanentirelydifferent
approach.SoIjustdon’tlike...youneedtostillstayfocusedonthegame.Andthat’s
whereyouranalystandhisabilitytogivethemstufftheyneverreallyknewbefore
issoimportant.
SH:Onatypicalgameday,what’syourpreparationprocessliketopreparefor
abroadcast?
JM:The,well,onanationaltelecastitwasentirelydifferent,youknow,we’dhavea
productionmeetinginthemorningforaSundaynightgamethatmightlastanhour
andahalf,andwe’dtalkaboutallthethingsthatwethoughtwouldbeimportantto
touchonduringthetelecast,andwhatkindofthingstotalkaboutduringtheon
cameraopenofthetelecast,andthenthey’dshowussoundbites,different
interviewsthattheydonewithdifferentpeople,andgenerallystarsinthatnight’s
game,andwecouldseethatandtalkaboutwhichoneswethoughtwouldbe
importanttogetin.Andalltheselittlepackages,graphicspackagesandother
packages,maybeshowingsomethingthatoneofthestarshaddoneearlierthat
weekor...allthedifferentelements.Andwe’dhaveallthisinformationaboutthetwo
teamstotrytogetuptospeedonwhat’sbeenhappeningwiththemsincewedon’t
seethoseteamsallthetime.Andevenlittlemundanethings,knowingthaton
Wednesdayaguyhitafoulballoffhisfootandtheyhadtotakehimoutofthegame
causeitwashurtingsobadly.Sothatinourgameifwesawtheguylimpingaround
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orsomethinglikethatthatwouldgetyourattention,we’dknow.“Wellon
Wednesdayhehitafoulballoffhisfootandthatmaybewhyhe’sstilllimpingtoday,
andblahblahblah…”Soyoutrytogetuptospeed,whereaswithyourlocalteam
you’rewiththemeveryday.You’realwaysuptospeedandyousawit,you’veseen
everything.Youtalkedtothemanagerbeforethegame…yougenerallygettothe
parkthreehoursaheadoftime,talktothemanager,talktosomeoftheplayersand
seewhat’sgoingon...andbeforegoingtotheballparkisthemainthrustofit.Now
yougoonthecomputerandaccessnewspaperarticlesandnationalstoriesandget
allthelatestinforegardingtheteamthatyou’replayingthatnightfromoutoftown,
togetuptospeedonwho’shotandwho’snotandwho’shurtandthatsortofthing.
SoIthinkthat'sthemainthing,youwannagototheballparkfeelinglikeyou’reup
tospeedontheotherteamandwhat’sgoingon.Sothat’sthemainpreparation.And
everybodyhasadifferentwayofdoingit,IknowVinny’sbigthingis,becausehe’s
alwaysaloneonthetelecast,sortoftheoldschoolapproachandsortofa...it’s
almostananachronism,intelevisedsports,andatthesametimethere’sonlyone
VinScullyandDodgerfanswouldn’thaveitanyotherway.AlthoughIthinkthere’s
ayounggroupofDodgerfansthat,theywouldget...forthelastmaybe15yearsor
longer,there’dbetheoddlettertotheeditorintheLATimes,generallyfroma
youngerplayer,sayinghowcomethere’snotaformerplayer,Idon’tunderstand
whywedon’tgetaformerplayerbecausetherearethingsthathappenthatI’dlike
tohearfromaformerplayerabout,youknow,andthat’sjustthewayitwas.Andit’s
alotdifferentnow,becauseVinny’sonlydoinghomegames,andwhentheygoon
theroad,theyhavetheformerplayers.TheyhaveOrelHershiserandNomar
Garciaparra,orevenwhentheirhomegamesaretelevisedbyESPNorFOXwhere
you’vegottheformerplayersandthewholebit,youknow.SoIthinkthat’s
somethingdifferentand….wellyouknow,Vinny’sgotthe...he’sgotalloftheinfoon
theseformerplayers...I’msorry,notontheformerplayers,ontheplayers.Sohe’s
tellingstoriesandsometimeshe’lltellstoriesforeveryguythatcomesup,about
theirpastorheusesstatisticalthingsorwhatnot.Andalotofitisathrowbacktoan
entirelydifferenteraoftelevisedsports.That’sthewayitalwayswas.Andreally,I
thinkinanyothermarketitjustwouldnotbeaccepted,butinLAwhatmightnotbe
acceptedisthatformerplayerthatyouwouldputonwithVinny.Itwouldhavetobe
somebodyveryspecialthatwouldhavetochecktheiregoatthedoorandletVinny
beVinny,andletVinnycontrolthepointswheretheycomeinwiththeircomments
andthatsortofthing.Itwouldnotbetheeasiestthingintheworldtobethatguyto
workwithVinny,andwhetherthefanswouldacceptyou.Sothat'sstillamuch
differentapproachtothetelecast.Weusedtogetallthesameinformation...there
wasathingcalledPlayerProfilesonESPNandsomeguy,Idon’tevenknowwhere
heis,buthe’dcollectalltheseclippingsonalltheplayersandhe’dputtheminto
theirfileandwhenwe’dhaveagameonESPNwe’dgetallthepagesonallthe
playerswhoweregonnabeinourgame.Andyoucouldgothroughit,andsomeofit
wasfromSportsIllustrated,someofitwasfromalocalplayer,someofitwasfrom
hishometownpaper.There’dbeallthisoldstufftogothroughwithalltheseold
stories,andIrememberoncewehadaGiantsDodgergameandourpitcher,ourace
pitcheratthattimewasJasonSchmidt,andhesaysthathismomordadcalledhim
afterthegameandsaidVinScully,wewerewatchinghistelecastandhetoldthe
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storyaboutwhenyouwereinthethirdgradeandyoucameintoclasssayingthat
youwantedtobeamajorleaguebaseballplayer,andyouwroteanessayaboutit
andtheteachertalkedtoyouaboutitandsoonandsoforth,there’salittlestory
aboutit.Andsohesaid,“wherewouldhefindthatout?I’mtotallyshocked,thisis
somethingthathappenedinthirdgradewhenIwas9yearsoldorwhatever,and
howwouldheevenknowthat?I’venevertoldhimthatstory,I’venevertold
anybodythatstory”,andsoItoldhim,Isaid,“well,Iknowthatstorymyself.I’ve
actuallytoldthatstoryonaSundaynightgame.It’srighthereintheplayerprofile”,
andIactuallytookitoutandshowedittohim.Sosomewhereovertheyears,Vinny,
onthoseDodgergames,startedusingthosePlayerProfiles,causesometimesI’d
hearhimdostoriesandIknewthestorybecauseI’dreaditmyself.Sohe’sgotallof
that,andVinnydoesn’thimselfevendothegame,hedidn’tusedtodoitthatway,
evenwhenhewasbyhimself,becausehewouldgodowntotheclubhouseandsee
themanagersandtheplayersandbeinthebattingcageand...butovertheyears,I
meanhe’s88yearsoldnow.So,it’sjustremarkablethathe’sworkingatsuchahigh
levelanddoingasgreatofajobasheis,butIthinkthatthereareconcessionsto
beingthatold,andgoingtobothclubhouseanddowntothe...sortofbouncing
aroundalloverthefield,fromonesidetotheother,that’soneofthethingsthathas
gonebytheboardsforVinny.
SH:Foryou,howdoyouapproachtherelationshipswiththeplayersandthe
coachingstaff,themanagers?Doyoutrytomaintainsomesortofadistance
forobjectivitysake,doyoufindyourselfbecomingquitefriendlywithplayers
andmanagers?
JM:Well,Ithink...you’dliketobefriendlywiththem,butIdon'tgooutwiththem.I
remembermyfirstbaseballjobin1974,Iwas22yearsold,myfirstmajorleague
job,andIdidtheOaklandA’sgames,whichwasagreatbreakinmycareer,allofthe
suddenthereIwasat22yearsolddoingmajorleaguebaseballforthebestteamin
baseball.Theyjustwontwoworldseries,theywontheworldseriesmyfirstyear.
MonteMoorewasthebroadcaster,theveteranbroadcaster,andhewasreally
instrumentalinhavingmehired.AndafterIwashired,beforewewenttospring
training,heinvitedmetohishousetomeethiswifeandhiskidsandwhatnotfor
dinner,andhetookmeintohisofficeandhehadthisbook,thisautobiographical
bookbyRedBarber,thehalloffamepioneerbroadcaster,itwascalledRhubarbin
theCatbirdSeat,thatheused.Soheletmeborrowthebook,hesaidthere’salotof
goodadviceinthereforagoodbroadcaster,inhisbook.SoIreadthebookandit
wasagreatbookforsomebodylikeme,andRedBarbertalkedaboutmaintaining
yourobjectivityandnotallowingyourselftogettooclosetotheplayers,because
youmighthavetobecriticalofsomethingthatwashappeningwithaplayer.Iwas
22yearsold,Iwasnot...Iwasevenyoungerthanmostoftheplayers,whichinthis
businessthatdoesn’thappenforverylong.There’ssortofasmallwindowwhere
youmightevenbeyoungerthantheplayersoreventhesameageastheplayers.In
otherwords,IwasatanagewhereIcouldrelateverywelltotheplayers.ButI
rememberafewyearslaterIwenttotheTexasRangers,1978,andIwas26years
oldandtheyhadacatchernamedJimSundberg,andhewasoneofthebestcatchers
inthegameatthattime.APerennialGoldGlovewinnerandhehadagreatarmand
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itwasverydifficulttostealabaseagainsthim.HewassortoftheYadierMolinaof
histime,hewasnotagreathitter,hewasadecenthitter,buthewasagreatcatcher.
AndsoIwasthenewbroadcaster,andIwenttohimtogetsomeinformationabout
thepitchingstaff,andsohewasrealhelpfultomeinthatregardoftellingmeabout
allpitchersinthestaff,whattheythrewandthingsabouthim.Sowedidn’thavethe
wealthofTVgamesandnetworkTVgamesandMLB.comandalloftheseplaces
whereyoucanseevideoandreallygetagoodfeelforwhataguy’sthrowing,so
that’s...Ineededtogetitfromhim,so...andwebecameverygoodfriends,wewere
almostexactlythesameage.AndIbroadcasthismajorleaguedebutin1974,hejust
cameupthatyear.AndOaklandopenedtheseasonin‘74inTexas.Andthesecond
gameoftheyear,JimSundbergcaughthisfirstgameinthebigleagues,anditwas,
FergusonJenkinshavingreturnedtotheRangersandhisdebutbackwiththeteam,
andhepitchedaonehitshutout,Sundberg'sfirstgame.AndIinterviewedSundberg
afterthegameonourpostgameshow.SoIgavehimapagefrommyscorebook,his
firstbiggameofthebigleagueswhichitwasfunbecausehecouldlookat
every...backatthegameandremembereverythingaboutit,youknow?Oh,hethrew
thisguyaslider,hedidthistothatguy,youknow.Andsoweweregoodfriendsand
we’dgotolunchtogetheralotoftimesontheroadbeforethegames,andourwives
becameverygoodfriendssowe’dbetravellingandourwiveswouldmaybebe
havingdinnerordoingthings.Sotherewasapointwherehegothemorrhoids,
whichwasverypainful,andsoIknewallaboutit.AndIcan'trememberexactly
whathappenedinthegame,butaballgotbyhim-andballsnevergotbyhim,aball
inthedirt-hewasagreatballplayer.AndsoIbroughtupthathe’shadthese
hemorrhoidsanditcouldbethathe’snotmovingaswellashenormallywould
becauseofthat,and…[sneezing]...sowehadthisformercatcheronthetelecast,and
hetalkedaboutit,“ohyeah,that’sterrible,it’shardenoughtoblockaball,butthat
couldreallyaffectyourability.Idon’tknowhowhe’seveninthegame,asmuchpain
ashemustbein”,wellnowasaresultofthat,allthewritersareaskinghimaboutit
afterthegame,andthey’rewritingaboutit,andthenhe’sgotallthesepeople
sendinghimtelegramsforremedies,andhe'sjustlike,hiswifecalledhimandshe
said,“JonMillerstartedtalkingaboutitrightduringthetelecast,”andIsaid,“well,
youweren’tabletogettothatball,andIknowsomethingthatmightbeareason,
whywouldn’tIsayit?”andhesaid,“well,alright,Iunderstandwhyyou’dsayit,but
nowit’slikemyassholeiseverybody’s….itseemslikethey’reintimatelyfamiliar
withit.It’skindofembarrassing,that’sall.”Therewasanothertimewherethey
stoleabaseagainsthimandhemadekindofaweakthrow,andIknewthathisarm
wasalittlebitsorecausehetoldmethat,youknow...so,inotherwords,Icansee
thatRedBarber’swordswereechoinginmymind.Itwasn’tjustthatmaybeIknew
thingsaboutwhyhisperformancewassuffering,butIwantedtomakesurethat
Icoveredforhimcausehewasmygoodfriend.Well,youknow,Ihadlaterthatyear
orthenextyearascouttotheYankees,Inoticedhewassittingdownbehindthe
backstopwithearphonesin.AndIaskedhimwhathewaslisteningtoandhesaid,
“I’mlisteningtoyou!Ialwayslistentothelocalbroadcasters,causemaybethey
havesomeinformationabouttheirteamthatIwouldn’totherwiseknowthatcould
bepartofmyreport.”andIsaid,“well,youmeanyou’regettingintelligenceonour
teamfromme?”andhesays,“well,Iwouldn’tlookatitthatway.Buteveryonceina
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whileIdogetsomething,likeonetimeIheardaboutacatcherwho’sarmwasreally
soreandhewasn’treallythrowingwellatthattime.Hesaidlaterweplayedthat
team,andstoleacoupleofkeybasesagainstthatteam,andwonagamebecausewe
knewthat,whereweprobablywouldn’thavestolenagainsthimbefore.”AndI
thought,“Jesus!That’sme!He’stalkingaboutme!”SothenIstartthinking,Jeez,I
mayhavecostourteamagame!Anyway,soallofthatwasevenreallifeexperience
ofwhatRedBarberwastalkingabout,Ithought.SoIneverreallyallowedmyselfto
getthatclosetoaplayeragain,becauseIjustthoughtit’satoddswithwhatwe're
actuallydoingoutthereIrememberIwasgoodfriendswithCalRipken,notthat
we’devergoouttodinnerorseeeachothersociallyorourwivesoranythinglike
that,buthewasalwaysaccessibleandIcouldalwaysgetgreatinformationfrom
him.Butwhathewasdoingandthewaythegamewasplayedandthingslikethat.
Whichiswhatyouneed,causethat’sagreatwaytomakeapointontheair,“wellCal
saysthatwhathedoesisthis…”youknow?Itaddscredibilitytowhatyou’retalking
aboutwhenyou’renotaformerplayer.Or,“thewayCallikestodothatisthis…”and
soonandsoforth.ButIeventoldCal,weendeduponaflighttogether,weboth
missedtheteamplaneandwegotstuckintrafficandtheplaneleftwithoutus.I
said,“wellIcanimaginethemleavingwithoutme,Ican'timaginethemleaving
withoutyou!”andhewasalittlesteamedaboutitwaswell.Sowebothhadtogoto
theterminalandbuyourownticketstowherevertheteamwasgoing.Sowesat
nexttoeachotherandweweretalkingaboutalotofthings,andItoldhim,“you
know,ifthere’seversomethingyoudon’twantontheair…”andItookthesewords
rightoutofRedBarber’sbooks,“don’ttellmeaboutthembecauseit’stoo
confusingformetohaveallthisstuffinmyheadandtrytorememberwhichIcan
useandwhichIcan’tuse.”Andhesaid,“ok,that’sgood,”andIsaid“ok,wellif
there’ssomethingyouwanttoconfideinmegoahead,butIjustwannamakethat
clearthatifthere’ssomethingyoudon’twantontheair,thenmaybeit’sbestifI
don’tknowaboutitsothere’snotgonnabeanyconfusionaboutwhetherI’mgonna
endupputtingitontheairornot.”
SH:No,that’sgood.I’vegotonemorequestion,isthatalright?Youmentioned
thisbefore,justtheaccesstoinformationnotonlythatbroadcastersbutthat
fanshavenowatthetipoftheirfingertips.Doyouthinkthatthathaschanged
atallthewaythatyoubroadcast?Knowingthatfanscomeintoagameor
duringareabletopickupsomuchinformationfromothersourcesbeside
you?
JM:Absolutely.Ithinkthat,whenIwasakidIhadasubscriptiontothesporting
news,andmydadwouldgetmeasubscriptiontotheSanFranciscoChroniclejust
duringthebaseballseason.WelivedintheEastBayandwewouldsubscribetothe
localpaper.ButhewouldgetmetheChroniclebecauseheknewthatIwantedthat
baseballcoverageduringtheGiantsseason.AndtheythoughtitwasgreatthatI
wantedtoreadallthatstuffandIwascalculatingbattingaveragesandearnedrun
averagesandtheythought,wellthat’sjustgoodforhismathskillsandallthiskinda
stuff.AndthenIwouldgetthesportingnewsandthatwastheonlyplacethatIcould
gettheteambyteamstatistics.AndIwouldnotjustpourthroughthesporting
news,which,inthosedayswasknownwasthebibleofbaseball,butyou’dhave
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articlesabouteveryteamonaweeklybasis,usuallyfromabeatwriterwhocovered
theteam,andforalotofthoseteamsthatwastheonlyplaceyoucouldgetthatkind
ofinformation.ButIcouldalsogettheteambyteamstatisticsandreallypour
throughthosenumbersonateambyteambasis.Andeventhen,bythetimeIwould
seethosethey’dalreadybe3or4daysold,becauseyou’dgetthatinthemail.The
informationmightbethroughtheSundaygamesandyouwouldn’tgetthethingin
themail'tilWednesdayorThursday.SoonSunday’smostpaperswouldhavethese
statisticsthatwouldbeonlythroughFriday’sgamesbuttheywerejusta
compilation.Sotheyweretheleague'sleadinghitters,anditwouldshow...theywere
alwayslistedbybattingaverage.ButitwouldshowtheirhomerunsandRBI’swas
well.Andyouknow,wouldn’tevenbealltheplayersfromalltheteams,itwould
justbehowevermuchspacetheyhadtofill,andthenitwouldbethehittersand
thenthepitchersbyearnedrunningaverageinbothleagues.Thatwouldbetheonly
accesstostats...andIwouldpourthroughallofthatstuff,causethat’stheonlyplace
youcouldgetit.AndthenallofthesuddenUSATodaycamealong,andtheywould
have,everyTuesday,allthestatisticsonateambyteambasisthewaythesporting
newswouldhaveit.AndthatwasthroughthegamesonSunday,sotherewasjust
onedaybetweenthem.AndIthought,Jesusthisisjustthegreatestthinginhistory,
gettingtheseteambyteamstatsinUSAToday,itwasworthreadingforthatreason
alone,thatonedayaweek.AndwhenIworkedatBoston,whenIdidtheRedSox
games,IwouldgettheBostonGlobeandtheBostonHeraldandI’dgettheNewYork
Times,theNewYorkPost,theNewYorkDailyNews,I’dgetthePhiladelphia
Inquirer,thePhiladelphiaDailyNews,andI’dgettheUSAToday.That’s8papers.
AndI’dgodowntothelocalnewsstandnearourapartment,I’dgetthoseevery
singleday.AndIwouldgopouringthroughallthosetogeteverylastbitof
informationIcouldgetsoIcouldfeellikeIwasuptospeed.AndIwouldgetthe
samethingwhenImoveddowntoBaltimorewealsohadaccesstoalotofpapers.I
couldgettheWashingtonPost,theBaltimoreSun,theBaltimoreNewsAmerican,
thePhiladelphiapapersandtheNewYorkpapers.AndtheUSAToday.Itmighthave
beenevenmorepapersthatIcouldaccess.AndIwouldhavethesestacksofthese
papersinmyhouse,inthosedaysyoudidn’tputthingsoutforrecyclinghowyou
cannow.Sothat’showIwastryingtostaycurrentwithasmuchinformationasI
could.Whenwe’dgoontheroad,Iknewanoutoftownnewsstandineverycity.
AndtogettheSundayBostonGlobewasakey,becausePeterGammons,every
Sunday,hadahugebaseballnotescolumn.He’stheonewhostartedthat.Alotof
othersportswritersemulatedhim,andthatbecamesortofstandardfareina
Sundaynewspaperovertheyears.Butitwasn’tjustforstudyingup,Iwouldpour
throughthatwithgreatanticipationanditwouldbeagreat,pleasurableexperience
justgettingallthisgreat,brandnewinformationonallthesedifferentteamsand
traderumorsandrumorsofmanagerialfiringanddiscordinclubhousesand,you
know...hejusthaditall.Andthatwasmustreading.SoIknewineverycityexactly
wheretogoandwhatday...IwouldhopethattheywouldgetitbyTuesday,butsome
placestheywouldn’tgetit'tilWednesday,becauseitwouldcomeinthemail.But
youalwayshadtogettheSundayGlobejustforPeterGammonscolumn.Sothese
werethewayswegotthatinformationinthosedays.Thenallofthesuddenthe
internetcamein,andIneverreallyevenusedit‘til1998orsowhentheygaveusa
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computerinSanFranciscoandwehadtohavethe,itwasthedial-upmodemtype
thing,whereIcouldreadtheinternet.Anditwouldtakeforever,alotoftimes,to
downloadonearticletoreadfromsomeothercity.Andthenwhenwegotthehigh
speedinternet...andIreallydidn’tknowwhattodoatfirst.Iwouldbeonmyhome
computerwithhighspeedinternetandImightgoonlineat9o’clockinthemorning,
andit’dbe3o’clockintheafternoonandI’mstillgoingthroughallthesedifferent
articles,therewasnoendtoit.AndIrememberthinking,JesusI’vegottofigurethis
out,becauseit’sallI'mdoing.I’mgettingupandI’mstudyingthesearticlesall
acrossthecountryalldayandthenI’mgoingtothepark,that'sallthereis.AndI
didn’treallyknowhowtohandleit,toohavethataccesstothatmuchinformationat
myfingertipswhenI’dbeenrunningaroundtownandgrabbingupallthese
newspapersandwhatnotforallthoseyears.Andnowit’sjustrightthere,Icangetit
everysingledaywithouteverevenleavingmyhome.NowIthinkBusterOlneyon
ESPN.comhashisblogwhereheprovideslinkstoalotofstories,andsoyoucanget
alotofinfoallaroundbaseballfromBuster,andifyouwanttogoaccess,youcan
alwaysaccesshislinkinacertainstorytogetuptospeedonsomething.AndthenI
justtrytogetuptospeedmaybeontheteamwe’replaying,andthenjusthopefully
havesomeaccess,maybethroughBusterorwhateverelsetherewas,onthebiggest
nationalstoriesthereare.ThesamethinghappenedwhenIstarteddoingESPN
Sundaynightbaseball,I’mdoingthelocalbaseballandthentheSundaynightgame,
andthenIwouldtakeacoupleofTuesdaynightgameswhileIwasworkingmyown
game,becausethepitchersthatwereworkingTuesdayweregoingtobeworking
ourSundaynightgame.SoIcouldwatchthosetelecasts,seethestuffthatthat
pitcherwasthrowingandmaybegetsomeinfoonthoseteams,andthenI’mgonna
tapemyownSundaynightgameandmaybeontheflightonMondayI’llwatchmy
owntelecastandcritiqueitandwhatnot-whatIliked,whatIdidn’tlike-thenI
startedhavingdreamsaboutbaseball,justinmydreams.IthoughtJesus,thisisnot
workingout.Iwantedtobepreparedandreadytogowiththisnationaljob,and
thenIjustthought,lessisgonnabemoreforme.Ihavetolivemylifeanddothis
kindofstuffaroundit.Andwiththeinternetthesamethinghappens.Ilookfora
goodmiddlegroundonthatone.
[Cutbetweenclips]
JM:IknowthatmyaudienceisprimarilymadeupofGiantsfans,what’stheGiants
story,theywanttoknowabouttheGiants.Theydon’treallynecessarilycarethat
muchaboutallthethingsthataregoingonwiththatotherteam.So,Iwannaknow
everythingIcanabouttheotherteam,butknowthatthevastmajorityofmy
audienceisaGiantsfan,andservethataudience.AndIknowintheBayareawe
havepeoplefromalloverthecountrywhohavemovedthere,soeventhough
anybodycangettheoutoftownscores,IneedtomakesureIgiveupdatesonthe
YankeegameandtheRedSoxgameandtheCubsgameandtheCardinals...you
know?Dodgers...anyGiantsfanwantstoknowwhat’sgoingonwiththeDodgers,of
course.SoItrytobeknowledgeableofwhomyaudienceis.DustyBaker,whenhe
wasthemanager,usedtosay,“mydadwatchedlastnightandhesaidhedidn’t
knowyouweretheGiantsannouncer,heneverwouldhaveeventhoughtabout
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that,”andIsaid,“oh,that’sanicecomplement,”andhesaid,“wellhowdoyoudo
that?HowdoyoubeaGiantsfanallweekandthenallofthesuddenyoucanmakeit
soundlikeyou’veneverevendoneaGiantsgame,you’rejusttotallyneutral?”AndI
toldhim,Isaidformeit’saboutwhoI’mtalkingto.Who’smyaudience.WhenI’m
doingaGiantsgame,it’smadeupofGiantsfansandwhenI’mdoinganationalgame,
ifIhavealltheseGiantsfansIhaveprobablyjustasmanyDodgersfans,ormore,
tunedin,soI’mtalkingtobothgroups.AndI’malsotalkingtoYankeefansandCubs
fansandMetsfansandCardinalfans...andmaybeeventalkingmoretothemthan
GiantsandDodgerfans.Sothat’salwaysformeaboutwhattheexerciseisallabout,
whoyou’retalkingabout.It’salittleeasierwhenyoufeellikeyou’realwaystalking
toGiantsfans.Andthemainthing,themainjistofit,thethingthathasnever
changedwiththetechnology,withtheaccesstoinformationandallthatkindastuff,
isbeingaccurate,beingclear,andgeneratingthetrustinyourlistenersorviewers
thatthey'realwaysgettingtheabsolutetruestoryfromyou.Thatyou’renothiding
anythingthatmightbegoingagainstyourteam,oralibiforsomebodywhomadea
badplay.That’syourfirstjobistogeneratetrustinyourselffromthem,thatthey’re
gettingtherealstoryfromyouatalltimes.SoifIfeellikeIgotsomethingwrong,I
immediatelywanttocorrectitwassoonasIrealizeIgotsomethingwrong.AndI
justsay,“oh,I’mjustlookingatatelevisionreplayofthatandthatwasn’tafastball,
thatwasaslider,andthatmaybewhyhehititofftheendofthebat,”orwhatever.
I’mnotafraidtocorrectmyselfeventhoughI’montheradio,becausetheideais
nowadaystheremightbepeoplelisteningtotheradioandwatchingonTVorthey
mightbelisteningtotheradiowhilethey’reatthegameandseeingreplaysonthe
bigscreenorwhatever.ButIalwaysfeltlikeithelpsreinforcethenotionthatyou
justwanttogetitright.Thattheycantrustmetogivethemthecompletepicture
andthetotalrighttruestoryofwhat’sgoingon.AndIthinkthat’sthemainjob,
whetheryou’reVinScullyormeoranyotherbroadcaster,generatethattrustfrom
yourfans.AndHarryCarayhadthereputationofbeingtheguythatrootedforhis
team,“Comeon!Comeon,Ernie,hitonehere!”Youknow?ButHarrywasalsoaguy
thatwouldalsobeverycriticalofhisownplayersiftheyscrewedup.Andhisshtick
reallywasthathewasthefaninthebooth.Thefans,he’dgetupsetwithRyne
Sandbergbecausehepoppedupwiththebasesloaded,“andhepopsuponabad
pitchwiththebasesloaded,holycow,what’sthematterwithhim?!”Youknow,and
that’sexactlywhatthefansweresaying,“damnright,Harry,yeah!Whatthehell!”
Fanswereupset,youknow.SofanstrustedwhatHarrywassaying,eventhoughhe
wasafan,hewasn’tmakingthingsup.Irememberhearingaguy,oneofhisplayer’s
hitsa...itwasHawkHarrelson,that’sgoodhittingrightthere,that’sagreatpitchby
thatpitcherandhedidn’ttrytodotoomuchwithit,hejustreachedoutandalittle
flickofthewristanddunkeditintorightfield,that’sjustgoodhitting.That’stheway
youfightoffagoodpitch.Alright,nowithappenedonthereverse,andaguyfrom
theotherteamfightsoffagoodpitch,“ohman,hemadeagreatpitchrightthere,
andtheguygetsaluckylittlehit.Alittleducksnortoutthere.That’sjustterrible.”
Well,whichisit?Isitgoodhittingorjusttotalluckandterribleforthepitcher?I
thinkthat’sakey,andI’msureHawkfeelslike,“hey,allthepeoplewatchingare
WhiteSoxfans,”sothat’sthewayhe’sgonnadothetelecast.Butmyquestionwould
alwaysbe,andIcan’t...Hawk’sbeentherealongtime,andIknewhimwhenIwasin
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Boston,andhewasthecoloranalystwhenIwenttoBostonin1980.Andhis
reputationinBostonwasthathewasjustgonnatellitlikeitis,thathewaslikethe
HowardCosellofBoston,thathewasalwaysatoddswiththegeneralmanagerof
theteam.TheywerealwaysfightingwitheachotherbecausetheHawkjustsaid,
“wellI’mnotgoingtocolorthisthewaytheywantit,I’mjustgoingtotellthetruth
tothefansandtellthemthewayitis,”andthenallofthesuddenhegoestoChicago
andhe’sgotawholenewpersona.AndIalwaysthought,wellhereinventedhimself
inChicago.Igavehimcreditforthat-itwasalwaysabout,reallyitwasaboutwho’s
youraudience?HetookitastepfurthermaybethanIwould,but...andI’msure
WhiteSoxfansloveit.AndChicagoisakindofadifferentmarket,youknow.You
haveCubsfansandWhiteSoxfans,andtherereallyaren’tfansofboth.
SH:Igrewupthere,soIcanattesttothat.
JM:Yeah,eveninNewYork,whereyoumightsaythere’seitherYankeefansorMets
fans,theNewYorkTimesbeforethe2000WorldSerieshadrunapollaboutYankee
fansandMetsfans,andwhilefarmorepeoplethatwerebaseballfansatthattime
wereYankeefansthanMetsfans,therewasabigpercentagewhorootedforboth
teams.So,like30%ofpeoplewhocallthemselvesYankeefansalsorootedforthe
Mets,andviceversa.Whoalsowouldonlyrootfortheirteamiftheyplayedeach
other.AndIthinkintheBayareait’salwaysbeenthatway-alotmoreGiantsfans
thanA’sfans,averylargeamount,butalotofA’sfansalsowereGiantsfans.Notso
muchtheopposite.IrememberLonSimmonstellingmewhenhewenttodotheA’s,
he’dbeendoingA’sgamesfor9yearsandhesawthisGiantsfaninarestaurantand
cameuptohimandsaidhello,hadn’tseeneachotherinalongtime,andsaid,“by
theway,whatareyoudoingnowsinceyoulefttheGiants?”It’slike,“well,I’vebeen
doingtheA’sgamesfor8years!”“Oh,wow,Ididn’trealize!”So,Lonalwaysfeltlike
alotofGiantsfansdidn’treallypayattentiontotheA’s.Itwasn’tthattheydidn’tlike
theA’soranyotherthing,theyjustdidn’tpayattentiontothem.ButIgrewupinthe
area,andIrootedforbothteams.Thebigseller,whentheyplayedeachotherinthe
WorldSeriesallthewaybackin‘89,wasthiscapwhichwasacapforbothteams.
OnonesideithadtheA’singreen,andontheothersideinblackwastheGiants
withtheinterlockingSFinorange.Theyweren’tsellingthoseinChicagoorNew
York.Ithinkthosearethethingsthathavenotchanged,andnowyouhavethenew
analytics–WAR,fWARandFORPandallofthesenewstats...FIPandFIP-ERAand
I’mfascinatedwiththem,butIdon’tseethatthey’rerealuseableonabroadcast.
TheonlythingsthatIdoalittlebitdifferentlyisthatIgiveanonbasepercentagefor
mosthitters,andpointoutifhe’sespeciallygoodorespeciallypoor,andsometimes
eventheOPSbecauseit’sagoodshorthand.Butevenafterallthistime,it’skindof
likeyoustillhavetoexplainwhyyou’regivingtheOPSandwhatitis.Andinterms
ofthemoreadvancedsortofmetrics,Ijustfeellikeyou’renotaddinganything.You
havetoexplainittomostpeople,anditdoesn’taddtoanybody‘senjoymentofthe
game.Ithinkit’ssomethingthatcanbebetterreadthanusedontheair.AndIreally
differsortofvehementlywiththepeoplethataresointothoseanalyticsthatthat’s
alltheyeverwannatalkabout.AndthatIdon’tseeanybodygettinganyextra
enjoymentfromanactualgamewithallofthosenumbersinfrontofthem.Mostof
thosenumbershavetodowithanentireseason-thosearenumbersthatare
Henneberry103
more...howistheguyreallydoing,youknow?Wherecouldhereallybebetteror,
andevenbeyondthat,mostofthemareaboutpredictive...they’regoodforgeneral
managerstoknow,intermsofwhethertheyshouldtradeforaguyornot.The
numbersthatyouputup,theadvancedanalyticswouldbepredictiveofwhether
he’sliabletodothosethingsagainornot.Noneofthoseaspectshaveanythingtodo
withenjoyingthisgameonthisday,andwhereasIthinkyoucangetalotof
enjoyment...rightnow,forinstancewiththeGiants,JohnnyCuetois8-1withan
excellentERA;JeffSamardzijais7-3withalowERA;andMadisonBumgarnerislike
6-2withlikea1-2ERA.Thebigthree,theGiantsare21-8whenthoseguysstart,
that’sacoolstoryandthat’ssomethingthatanyfancan,notonlybeinterestedin,
butcanfollow.Thiscanbefuntoseetheseguysbuildupthesewinsastheseason
goesalong.Maybetheyallwin18or20,wouldn’tthatbeinteresting?Whereasthe
newanalyticsguyswillsay,“winsareirrelevant.Whocareswhatthenumberof
wins,”andthat’sanargumentthatyoucangobothwayswith,butthegameisstill
aboutwinsandlosses.Maybeit’snotabouthowwellthisguypitched,butinthe
caseofthesethreeguysfromtheGiants,therewinsareallabouthowwellthey’re
pitching,there’snodoubtaboutit.HomerunsandRBI’s,theseare...nowtheykindof
denigratethosekindofnumbers,theycallthem,oh,thecountingstats.Well,if
you'reahitterit’saboutgeneratingruns,whetheryouhit300oryou’vegot400on
basepercentage,it’sjustaneasywaytokeeptrackofyourbigrunproducersand
howthey’reproducing.SoifBusterPoseyhits20homersandknocksin100somethingruns,asafanI’minterestedtotrytowatchhimdothat.Andit’seasy,it’s
easytodothat.Idon’thavetochangemylifeandbecomeamathmajorandgetmy
master’sdegreeinittoknowhowhe’sdoing.Icanseewhathisbattingaverageis
andnowit’seasyto...onbasesarereadilyavailable,withthehomerunsandRBI’s.
AndIthinkpeoplestillhavealotoffunwatchingpeoplebuildthosenumbersasthe
seasongoesalong,becausebaseballcanbeinterestinginmanydifferentlevels.And
maybethat’sdifferentfrommydaysofpouringthroughtheSportingNewsstats
whenIwasakid,butwhentheseason’sover,Istillam,inmyhead...WillieMays
1962had49homersandhit317andheknockedin125runsorwhateverthefigure
was...butsomeofthatstuffstaysinmyhead,thatseason.WhathisWARwas,andall
thoseotherstatisticswehavenowIhavenoidea,butIknowthekindayearhehad
thatyear.OrlandoCepedahit45homeruns,andIcanrememberpitcher'swon-lost
recordsfromsomeofthoseseasons.Ithinkthatthe…theAngelsin19-,Ithinkit
was90or91,theyfinishedinlastplaceintheAmericanLeagueWest,andtheyhad
threepitcherswin18gamesormore.JimAbbott,ChuckFinleyandMarkLangston.
Andoneofthemwon19gamesandtheothertwowon18gamesandtheyfinished
inlastplace.Butiftheycouldgointoaserieswithallthreeofthoseguysgoing,they
couldbeatanybody.Takethebestteamintheleague,maybeOaklandwasthebest
thatyear,andOaklandwasgonnahaveahardtimewinningthatseriesifthosethree
guyswerelineduptofacehim.Sothat’saveryeasywayforabroadcastertotalk
abouttheproblemsOakland’sgoingtohaveintheseries,orforanygamethatyou
mightbedoing.AndifyouwereanAngelsfan,thatwassomethingtobefascinated
withandbeinterestedinandberootingfor,eventhoughyourteamwasright
around500,obviouslytheyhadaverybad4thand5thstarterandnotmuchoffense,
apparently.Andlastplace,theystillwerearoundabout500,theywerefinishing
Henneberry104
downinthestandingsbecausemostofthebadteamswereinadifferentdivision.
Thegamechangedinthatway,withtheadventofallthesedifferentdivisionsand
whatnot.Anyway,I’mjustsayingthatI’minterestedinwhatpeoplearerootingfor,
what’sinterestingaboutthegametopeople,becausethat’smyjobistalkingtothose
peopleandtryingtokeeptheminterestedinmybroadcast.Someofthosethings
havenotchanged,andalotofthemhavechanged.Andevenstorytelling,theytold
methatwaspartofwhatyou’retalkingabout,storytellinghasbeenandalwayswill
beamajorpartofbroadcastingabaseballgame,butatthesametimewhenIwould
tellastoryontheradioorVinScullywouldtellastoryontheradiooranybody,he’s
engagingthelistenerwhoistranslatinghisdescriptionintoimagesinhismindof
hisgame,or,ifhetellsastory,whereverthatstoryistakingplace.Nowyoucould
tellthatsamestoryonatelecastaboutsomethingthathappenedtothisguywhen
hewenthomefortheAll-Starbreak,andReneLachemannwentupintheatticto
resettheantennaofthisnewTVtheyhadjustgot,andwhilehewasuptherehefell
throughtheceilingrightintohisownlivingroom.And,well,that’sagreatstory,
exceptwhenyoutellitonTVthey’reshowingpicturesofthemanagerspitting
tobaccojuice,apitcherwarmingupinthebullpen...thepicturesdon’tmatchyour
story.Agameontelevisionismoreofapassiveexercise.ErnieHarwellusedtosay
thetelecastisthemovieandtheradiobroadcastisthebook.Inthenovel,thereader
isengagedwiththewriterandtakinghisdescriptionsandtranslatingtheminto
imagesinhismind.Inthemovie,orthetelecast,that’sallbeinggiventoyou.You’re
notanactiveparticipantinanywayinthatregard.ErnieHarwellalsosaidthat,
becausehewasagreatstoryteller,andIthinkthatErniewasageniusoftheradio
mediumbecausehesaidit’sallaboutservingtheradioaudience.Asmuchaswe
wanttobelievethatpeoplehavetunedinwithusrightatthebeginningofthegame
andhavestayedwithusthewholegame,thevastmajority,thehugemajority,atany
giventimeduringthebroadcast,havejusttunedin,justaminuteago.SoErnie’s
dealwastogivethescoreatleastonceevery60seconds.Andthiscameupbecause
Ihadthislittle3-minuteeggtimer,youknowlikethelittleminiaturehourglass,and
Erniesawitandsaid,“wellthat’stheRedBarberidea.”Isaid,“wellIgotitfrom
Red’sbookyearsago.RedBarbersaidgetthis3-minuteeggtimerandgivethescore
beforethesandhasrunthrough,soyou’reconstantlygivingthescore.”AndErnie
said,“wellthat’sagreatidea,becauseItrytogivethescoreaboutonceevery60
seconds,”andIsaid,“wow,welldoesn’tthatfeellikesometimesthatthat’salmost
allyou’redoing?Is‘lowballoneandhere’sthescore’?And‘foulaway,strikeone,11andhere’sthescore?’”andhesays,“wellsometimes,butthepeoplehavejust
tunedin,mostofthem,andthefirstthingtheyneedisthescore.Sobeingmindfulof
that,nothingyousayisofanyinteresttothemuntiltheyknowthescore.Isit10-1
or1-1?Whatthehellisgoingon?Wherearewe?Assoonastheyknowthescore,
theyarehangingoneverywordandtheyaretotallywithyou.”Healsosaidhe
wouldnottellastoryunlesshecouldtelltheentirestory,starttofinish,between
pitchesorbetweenbatters.AndIsaidtohim,“Ernie,speakingonbehalfofbaseball
fanseverywhere,don’tdothat!Wewanttohearallofyourstories!Howeverlong
theytake.”Hesays,“no,peopletuneinforthegameandIfeellikeyou’vegottostay
mindfulofthatandgivethemwhattheytunedinfor.Andthenworkthestoriesin
andaroundthegame.”AndsolaterwhenErniewas,hehadbeenfired,andhewas
Henneberry105
gonnaleaveandtheTigerfanswerejustoutraged.TheoldcoachatMichiganhad
comeinasthepresidentoftheTigersandhefiredhim.Andhedidn’treallyknow
whathewasdoing,andIthinkitwasBoSchembechlerIthinkwastheguy,Tiger
fanswerejustoutraged.Itwasreallyamazing.Andwewereinthere,andthe
newspapershadanentiresectiondevotedtoErnieHarwell,becauseitwaslatein
theseason,wheretheyaskedpeopletowriteintheirbestErnieHarwellmemories.
Andeverythingwassowarm,andittranscendedgenerations,andIremember
thinkingbacktowhatErniehadtoldmeyearsbeforeandthinking,that’sit.When
theytunedintheyalwaysgotthescorefromErnierightaway.Sotheywerenever
madatErnie.Becausewhenyoutuneintoagameandtheguydoesn’tgiveyouthe
score,yougetpissed!Like,forGod’ssake,whatisthescore?Justgivemethedamn
score,willya?Jesus,what’swrongwithyou?ThatwasthefirstthingIthoughtof.
Andhowhewasalwaysrecappingthegame-resettinghowwegottowhereweare
now.Notjustthescore,butwherewegotto.“CurtGibsonhitatworunhomerinthe
firstinning,andthentheOriolesgotaruninthesecondandaruninthethirdtotie
thegame,andthenGibsonhitanRBIdoubleinthefourthtomakeit3-2,andthat’s
wherewearenow:3-2Tigesasweplaythefifthinning.”Andeachplayercameup,
herecappedhisday,youknow?“Kaline.Singledinthefirst,poppedtosecondinthe
thirdandgroundedtoshortinthefifth,he’s1for3ashebatshereintheseventh.”
Youcouldlistenforaveryshortperiodoftime,nomatterwhenyouwouldjointhe
game,andfeellikeyouwerestartingtogetuptospeedoneverythingthathad
happenedinthatgame.Allthemajorpoints.AndIcametorealize,Ithought,“Ernie
isageniusofthemedium,morethanVinScully,morethananybodywho’sever
donebaseball.”Hehasanunderstandingoftheservicethathe’sproviding;ofhow
peopleactuallylistentothegames.It’snotlikethe30sand40sbeforeTVwhereyou
hadthesebigconsoleradiosandpeoplemightcampoutbytheradiolisteningtothe
game.Nowyouhadthemontransistorradiosinthebackyard,thecarradioswhile
youdroveanerrand,withyouatthebeach,whileyou’reonvacation...andpeople
aretunedinatdifferenttimesandindifferentwayscatchingupwiththegame.And
ErniehadthisgreatunderstandingofthatandIalwaysfeltlikeIlearnedmorefrom
Ernieabouttheserviceofwhatwe’reprovidingthanfromanyannouncerthatI’ve
everpickedthebrainof.Andnowontelevisionit’sverysimilar:peoplehavethe
clickerandmaybethey...ashowhasendedandtheyclickovertoESPNtoseewhat’s
goingonthere,andyouhaveabriefopportunitythere.Atthattime,andtheyused
totellus,“TheSoprano’shasjustended,”andwe’ddoawholeresetandrecap
what’sgottenustowherewearerightnow.Theideabeingthatsomeofthese
peoplewhojustleftashowandhavefoundus,maybewecangrabthemwiththe
interestingthingsthathavehappenedorguidedtourmaybeabouttobecomingup.
Theideaistograbthesepeople,asmanyasyoucan,andgetthemtostaywithyou.
Andevengoingtoabreak,it’slike,“who’scomingupafterthecommercial?”It’slike,
“he’sunderitandhe’sgotit,that’stheinning.BusterPosey,BrandonBelt,Hunter
PencecomingupfortheGiantsatthelastofthefifth.It’s2-1Atlanta.”Theidea
being,“hey!Don’tgoanywhere!Someofthebesthittersarecomingup.”Even
thoughyou’regoingintoabreaknow,evenifyouleave,you’llbecomingbacknow
inacoupleofminutesto...andI’veexperiencedthat.IrememberwhentheBravesin
the80swereonthesuperstation,whichwasanewnovelideaatthattime,thatwas
Henneberry106
theonlyplaceyoucouldgetgamesotherthanthegameoftheweekonSaturday,
wereBravesgamesonTBS.Andtheywereabadteam,buttheyhadDaleMurphy,
oneofthebestplayersinthegame,andIhappenedtobewatchingTV,I’dtryto
figureoutwhenDaleMurphywascomingupbecauseIwantedtowatchhimbat.
Somethingexcitingmightbeabouttohappen.Andlater,whenESPNstarteddoing
thegames,I’ddomyBaltimoregamesonaTuesdayandcomehomeandtheremight
beaGiantsgameon,alategameforthewestcoastonESPN,andI’dtrytofigureout
whenWillClarkandKevinMitchellwerecomingup,becausetheyweregreatduos
inbaseballatthattimeanditwasveryexcitingtowatchtheseguyshit.Sotheseare
allaspects,Ithink,that,intheolddaysinbaseballbroadcastingnobodyeverhadto
thinkaboutstufflikethat,peoplewerejustgoingtobetunedin,period.Now,even
onalocaltelecast,tellingGiantsfansthatPosey,BeltandPencearecomingupmight
savealotofyouraudienceforthatnextinningfromgoingsomewhereelse.And
sameontheradio.SoIjustthinkallofthosethingsarestillveryrelevant,andErnie
Harwell’snotionofprovidingthatserviceforhislisteners,andthebestwaytodoit
isprobablythebestadvicetoanybroadcastertothisdaywhodoesbaseballonthe
radio.
SH:Well,Jon,you’vebeenincrediblygraciouswithyourtime.Ireally,really
appreciateit.I’vegottensomuchoutofthis.Ican’tthankyouenough.
JM:Alright,wellIhopesomeofit’susable.
SH:Itis.Itis.HaveagoodtimeinAtlantaandthanksagain.
JM:Alright,allthebest.Thankyou.
Henneberry107
AppendixC:Baseballfaninterviews
DonnaMcAllisterInterview
Tuesday,June7,2016
(SteveHenneberry,priortorecording:HowdidyoubecomeaCubsfan?)
DonnaMcAllister:Well,um,youknow,justpickupball,buttheysaid,“whydon’t
yougooutandwatchtheCubs?”sonobodywantedtogoalone,sowegotaboutfive,
sixgals,wewentandwesatinthebleachers,andwe-I-IimagineIsatthreeyears
inthebleachersbecauseonceIwentonceIwashooked,andatthattimeitwas
$0.50togetintothebleachers,whichwasalotofbabysittingthatIhadtodo.Andin
thelate40’sandearly50’sofcoursetheydidn’thaveTVandtheydidn’tgoonthe
road-theannouncersdidn’tgoontheroad-soIlistenedtoitontheradioonticker
tape,Idon’tknowifyouknowwhatthatis…
SH:No!
DM:Okay,they’dbeintheChicagostudio,andIdon’tknowhowitwassetupor
phonyorwhatever,Idon’tknowhowtheyweregettingthescoresandeverything
likethat,butyoucouldhearthetickertaperunninginthebackgroundandIdon’t
evenknowwhotheannouncers,inthelate40’s,early50’s,wereatthattime,butI
usedtomakeupmyownscorecardandsitatmydeskandlistenandscorethe
game.Itwasjustincredible,andthenIstartedtravellingwiththegovernmentfor
mostofthe50’s,andIalwaystriedtofindoutwhattheCubs’scorewas,Ijusthadto
knowwhatwasgoingon.IlivedinNewYorkallofthe60’sand,ofcourse,they
didn’tgivemuchcoverageforanyotherteambesidestheYankee’sandtheMet’sat
thattime,andtheDodger’s,butIalwaystriedsomehowtofindthescores.And
whenIcamebacktoChicagointhe70’s,IreallystartedgoingtothegamesandLou
BoudreauandVinceLloydweremyfavoriteannouncers.Thegame,though,the
announcinghaschanged,becausewehavemorepitchers.Thepitches,youknow.
Wedidn’thaveallthesecurveballs,youknow,andifwehadthemtheydidn’t
announcethemassuch.Itwasreallyjuststraightpitching.Anditwasn’tunusualfor
apitchertopitchnineinnings,buttodayitseemstobeanaccomplishment.And
whenIbecamecityclerk,Ifoundafriendwhohadaccesstotickets,sofor25yearsI
wenttoopeningdayeveryyearandwasabletogetotherseats.Butnomatterwhat,
nomatterwhereIwasintheworld,IjustsomehowwouldfindoutwhattheCubs’
weredoing.
SH:Yeah!
DM:It’sbeenalifelongloveaffairinmyheart,andI,youknow,Idon’tknowwhatI
woulddowithoutthat.
SH:ItwasLouBoudreauand...whowastheotherone?
DM:VinceLloyd.
SH:VinceLloyd.
DM:Andtheycametoanendintheearlynineties,Ibelieveitwas,andthenHarry
Caraycame.AndIlikedHarry,but,youknow,hewasn’toneofmyfavorites.When
thegamewasonImostoftenwatchedtheTV.
Henneberry108
SH:Yousaidsomethingabout...there’smorepitchesnowsotheannouncing
haschanged.Whatdoyou...canyousaymoreaboutthat?Andwhatdoyou
thinkhaschangedthemost,intermsofthebroadcasting,frombackinthe,
maybe,50’s,60’s,tonow?
DM:Well,Ithinkthere’smorecolor,whichisfascinating.Theytellmoreaboutthe
historyofthegameandtheplayersthemselves-wheretheywerebornandwhere
theywenttoschool,anditjusthasbecomemore...intimate,youknow,yougetto
knowtheseplayers.AndIdon’trecallthateverhappeningintheearlydays,whichI
like.There’smorecommentarynowthentherewas30yearsago.
SH:Anddoyoustilllisten,doyoulistentothegamesontheradionow?Or…
DM:Yes,Ido.Myfamily,ohIdon’tknow,aboutthreeorfouryearsago,gavemea
syncradio.Idon’tknowifyouknowwhatthatis…
SH:SomethingtosyncituptheTV?
DM:...betweentheradioandTV.Ihatedtowatchit,youknow,together,butIlove
theradiocommentarybetterthantheTV,sotheygotmethisradioanditwasjust
wonderful.ButIworeitout,becauseit’scontrolledbyaslidebuttonontheradio
andIthinkIwasalittleroughonitorsomething,butyoucangetitonline,they’re
aboutfiftyorsixtydollars.Butit’swonderfulnottohavethatsevenseconddelay.
SH:SoyouwillturnthegameontheTV,muteitandthenyourpreferredway
tolisten-ortowatch-istowatchitontheTVwiththeradiobroadcast
playing?
DM:Right,that’smypreferred,howeverifIcan’tdothatbecausethatdelayannoys
me,I’llswitchtotheradiobecauseIjustlovePatandRon.
SH:Whydoyou…whatmakesyoulikethem?
DM:Well,becauseoftheir,it’skindofacarry-overfromwhenRonSantowasPat
Hughes'sside-kick.Theyhadsuchcamaraderie,andRonhasonlybeenwithhimI
thinktwoorthreeyears,andthat’sdevelopingverysimilarlytotherelationship
thatpathadwithRon,andit’sjust,youknow,agoodfeel.Andtheyjoke,ofcourse,
buttheirknowledgeofthegameandthestatisticsthattheythrowout,it’svery
interestingtome.
SH:Yeah,no,Iagree.Didyou...whatdidyouthinkaboutSantoandHughes,
andSanto’ssortofbeingafaninthebooth?Didyoulikethat?
DM:Ohyes,ohyes.Somepeoplethoughtitwasalittleoverdone,butyouknow,
becauseI’mthatkindofafannomatterwhat,nomatterwhat,they’remyteam.We
havealotoffairweatherfans,youknow,inChicago.Ithinkthisyearthere’snotthat
manybecausethey’regoingwiththewinner,butit’shardoverallofthoseyears.
WhydoyoubothertocheerfortheCubs?Youknow?ButRonwasaCub,hebled
Cubbyblue.
SH:Oh,absolutelyhedid.Whenyouthinkaboutthe...listeningtobaseballon
theradio,youmentioneditwasmoreintimate?
Henneberry109
DM:Yes,theybroughtintheplayerssotheybecamerealtoyou.Theyjustweren’t
thenametheywereannouncing...they’llsay,“he’s250pounds,6’2””orsomething,
so,youknow,youcanenvisionthemalso.Theradioguysalways,whenthey’reon
theroad,tellyouwhattheplayersarewearing-theblueshoes,bluehats,youknow
-soit’s,Idon’tknowwhatmoreIcansay…
SH:Yeah,no,Iknow,that’s…
DM:Itjustmakesthegamemoreinteresting,morereal.
SH:Yeah,no,that’sreallygood.HowelsedoyoufollowtheCubs?Notwhen
they’re...like,betweengames?Readthepaper,or…
DM:Well,youknow,IlistentothescoreorESPNontheradio.I’maradio-a-holic.I
just...firstthinginthemorningIputiton,andIthinkit’slikethelastthingatnightI
turnoff.SoIlistentothescoreandESPN.
SH:Ok.Whenyouwerelivingintheseothercities,didyoulistentothose
gamesaswell?
DM:No,cause,well,IlivedintheNewYorkarea,asIsaid,for10yearsinthe60s,
andIjusthatedtheMet’s.Iwenttotheirgamewhenmysonwas,ohIguesshewas
about7or8,and...no,maybealittleolder.9or10.AndIwenttotheMet’sgameone
timeandIwasdressedinallofmyCubbygearandtheywereplayingtheCubs,andI
can’tevenrememberiftheywonthatday,butIwasyellingandscreamingandmy
sonisundertheseat-he’ssoembarrassed.Ididn’tfollowthelocalteams,noI
didn’t.
SH:Whenyou...goingbacktowhenyoutalkedaboutthetickertapeandyou
madeascorecardandyouwerefollowingalong,didyouknowotherpeople
whodidthat?
D:No,Ididn’tknowanyone.Ofcourse,especiallyatthatage,20-21,youhavemore
ofacircleofgirlsthanyoudoofboystalkingsports,youknow,andIdidn’tknowof
anyothergirlsthatdidthat.IthinktheythoughtIwasnuts.
SH:That’sgreat.That’sjust,that’sreally,reallycool.Doyou...sotellmemore
aboutHarryCaray.
DM:Well,Ididn’t,asIsaid,Ireallywatched...Ilistenedtotheradiomorewhenhe
wason.Hewasokay,butIdon’tknow,Ididn’tparticularlylikehim,Steve.Ican’ttell
youwhy,butIjustenjoyedthegamebeingcalledbytheradioguys.
SH:Yeah,LouandVince.Whatwasitabouttheirbroadcastthatmadeitso
goodforyou?
DM:Well,hereagainwiththeHarryCaray,therewassomuchbravado,Imean,so
much...Iuh...Ican’tdescribehowIfelt.Butwiththeotherguys,itwasstraight
baseball.Ilovedhearingalloftheinformationtheyhadandtheknowledgetheyhad
ofthegame.Harrywouldtalkabouttheblueskyandwhowaswearingwhatinthe
standsandwhowasthere,andit’sokaybutI’mmoreofabaseballknowledgetype
person.
Henneberry110
SH:Doyou...sowhenIdidmy...Ididananalysisondifferentbroadcastsforthis
project,soI’dlistenedtoVinScullyfortheDodgers,PatandRonandthenthe
Twins,andIfoundthatbasicallyeachbroadcastislikeathird,athird,athird.
So,athirdofthediscussionislikereportingtheliveaction,theplaysandthe
pitches,onethirdoftheconversationhappensbetweenpitchesandtheother
thirdisbetweenbatters.That’ssortofwhenmostofthestoriestheytell
wouldcomebetweenthepitchesandbetweenthebroadcast.Butoneofthe
thingsthatisinterestingis,obviouslytheycouldbeinthemiddleofastory
andthensomethinghappenssothey’dhavetostoptodescribetheplayand
thencomebacktoit.
DM:Well,Ididn’tnoticethatsomuchontheradio.Itseemsthatthoseguys
know...theyhaveittimedsotheyknowhowmuchtosayuntilthenextpitch.Idon’t
findthatontheTV,Ithinktheysometimesoverlap-they’retellingastoryandthe
actionbegins.Buttheradioguysseemtohaveit,asyoucantell...oh,theCubsjust
won!
SH:Theyjustwon?
DM:Theyjustwon.7to2.
SH:Good!Good.
DM:I’vegotitonmyTVandI’mlisteningasI’mtalkingtoyou.
SH:Perfect!No,that’sgood.Doyouwishthattheannouncer,theradioguys
wouldspendmoretimetalkingaboutstrategy?Ordoyouthinktheydo
enoughofthat?
DM:Theydodothat,butit’showtheydoit.It’sintermingledwiththeother
commentarythattheydo.PatisgreatforsayingtoRon,“Well,whatdoyouthink,
Ron?Doyouthinkhe’llstealatthistime?”,andsothatkindofthing.AndRonis
mostoftenright,he’sveryknowledgeable.
SH:SowhenItalkedtoPat,hementionedexactlythat.ThatRonCoomerhas
experiencethatheneverhas,beingaplayeronthefieldgoingthroughthese
things.Sohesaidthathetriestotakeabackseatasmuchaspossibletolet
Coomerleadandtalkaboutwhatit’sliketoactuallydothesethings.
DM:Right.AndI’venoticedsinceRon’sbeenhere,hedoesthe5thand6thinnings
now.Patissittingthere,andhe,ofcourse,ispartofthediscussion,butRondoesthe
callingofthegame.ButhedeferstoRon,whichmostoftenhedidn’tdowithSanto,
butIdon’tknowthatwasderogatory,Ijustdon’tthinkthattherelationshipthey
haddevelopedcalledforthat.
SH:Yeah,IalwaysthoughtthatPatwassogiftedbecausehecouldcalltheplay
andexplainittoyou,thelistener,re-explainitthentoSantointimeforthe
nextpitch.
DM:AndthenSantowouldalwayshavesomekindofacomment,whichwasmost
oftenhilarious.
Henneberry111
SH:I’llneverforget,itwasinMilwaukeewhenBrantBrowndroppedthatfly
ballandRonSantojustlostit.
DM:Yeah,Irememberthat.
SH:So,forgivemeforasking,butyouareinyour80s,right?
DM:Yes,mmhmm.
SH:Ok,eighty…
DM:Eighty-six.
SH:86,mygosh.86.You’renot86,there’snoway.
DM:Yes,Iam.
SH:Doyouknowotherfolksinyouragerangethatarelisteningtobaseballon
theradiostill?
DM:No,nonotasfanaticallyasIhavebeenovertheyears.Ihadafew...whenIlived
inDesPlaines,Ijustmovedthere3yearsagoandIwasthecityclerktherefor27
years,andI,throughbeingcityclerkImetotherpeoplethatwereCubsfans,andwe
usedtogoouttothegamesalot,butitwasn’t...theirdedicationwasn’tquiteas
intenseasminewas.
SH:Soyoudon’tknowofanybodynow,today,thatmakesahabitoflistening
tothegamesontheradio?
DM:No,noIdon’t.Notfemale.Now,I’msuretheremightbeguys,butI’mnotsure
about…
SH:Let’s,see...you’veansweredmostofmyquestions…
DM:Well,I’mhereifyouneedanymore.
SH:Howdoyouspellyourlastname?
DM:McAllister
SH:Ithinkthatisexcellent.IfIhaveanyothers,Icancallyouback?
DM:Please,please.Goodluck.
Henneberry112
RickMooreinterview
June3,2016
SteveHenneberry:SohowdidyoubecomeaTwinsfan?
RickMoore:IthinkbecomingaTwinsfanwasprobablyabirthright,beingina
familythatweresportsfans.Mydadwasasportsfan.Notanespeciallyhuge
baseballfan,butabaseballfannonetheless.Iwasthinkingaboutthisjusttheother
daythatIkindabecamea...well,I’dhavetolookatallthedates.Ithinkitwasabout
1970whenIwenttomyfirstTwinsgame,andI’llhavetolookthisup,I’llverifythis
withyou,butitwastheyearafterDennyMcClainwon30gamesfortheTigers,I’m
prettysure.I’llverifythis.He’sthelastpersontowin30games,bytheway.You
alwaysthinkthatsomebody’sgonnadoitwhenyoulookatstatsthistimeofyear,
likeArrietaandSalebothhadthose9winsaquarterofthewaythroughtheseason,
butrealisticallyyouonlyhavelike5extragamesinthere,becausepeopleonlyget
like35starts.ButitwastheyearafterMcClainwon30games,hepitchedagainstthe
TwinsandGeorgeMitterwald,thecatcherintheTwins,hehadtwohomerunsinthe
gameIwasat,soIbecame...IwasalreadyaTwinsfan,butIbecameaGeorge
Mitterwaldfan.It’simportanttobefansoflike,tobeafanofamarginalplayer.But
thatrelatestomelisteningtotheTwinsovertheyearstoo,becausehebecame...you
know,IlikedRodCarewtoo,butGeorgeMitterwaldwasmyfavoriteplayer.And
theyweren’t,youknow,theTwinsweren’tonTVthatmuchwhenIwasyoung,soI
started...IrememberfirstwatchingtheTwinsonTVwhentheymadetheplayoffsin
back-to-backyearsin‘69and‘70,sowewenttotheWorldSeriesin‘65.Andin‘69
and‘70wehadpowerhouseteamsagain,westillhadKillebrewandOliva,butthose
teamsranupagainsttheBaltimoreOrioles,powerhouses,that,intheEarlWeaver
yearswithJimPalmerthathadthatincrediblestartingrotationwithJimPalmer,Pat
Dobson,MikeCuellar,sotheTwinshadafantasticteam,buttheykeptongetting
beatbyBaltimore.So,thatwasin‘69and‘70,andIrememberwatchingthose
playoffgamesonTV.Sothat’sthefirsttimeIreallyrecallwatchingthemonTVis
whenIwasabout5or6yearsold.Andtheneversince,youknow,itwasamixture
ofwatchingthemonTV,butwhenIwasakidIlistenedtothemontheradioaton
‘causethereweren’tnearlyasmanygamestelevised.
SH:Sotellmemoreaboutthat.Whoweretheannouncers?Whydidyou
chooseradiotolistento?
RM:Well,numberone,IlistenedtoalotofgamesontheradiobecauseIdon’trecall
therebeingnearlyasmanygamesonTV.Andthisisjustaguess,butI’mthinkingit
wasprobablyjustafewamonth,oronceortwiceaweek,ratherthan162gamesa
yearonTV.Soyoulistentoitontheradioanditwasjustkindof,just,background
noise,Irememberespeciallyonweekendswe’dbringatransistorradioalongwhile
Iwasridingonmybike.Irememberdoubleheadersbeingmorecommonthen,
naturaldoubleheadersnotrainscheduledones,andagainwithGeorgeMitterwald
beingmyfavoriteplayer-hewasacatcher,sometimeshewasthestarter,but
sometimeshewasthebackupwiththeTwinscatcherswerePhilRoofandGlenn
Borgmannatthattime,sowhenyou’dlistentodoubleheadersyouknewhewas
gonnacatchoneofthetwogames,soitwasachancetolistentomyfavoriteplayer
Henneberry113
ontheradio.AndIdon’tknowthatitwasenchantingbackthenformetolistento
themontheradio,butthere'salwaysbeensomethingspecialaboutlisteningto
baseballontheradio,inmyopinion.Ithinkalotofpeoplewouldagreewiththat.
AndtheannouncerwouldhavebeenHerbCarnealforallthoseyears,he’sinthe
Twinshalloffame.IbelieveCarnealwassomethinglike‘62through,I’llhavetolook
itup-hemissedthefirstyear-butIwannasayhewasforlike35yearsor
somethinglikethat.Verylongtimeannouncer.AndthenthatledrightintoJohn
Gordonafterthat.SoIthinkHerbCarnealdidthefirstTwinsWorldSeries,Ithinkhe
wentthrough‘87.
SH:Sohewasplay-by-play?Wasthereacolorguy?
RM:Yeah,therewereanumberofthemovertheyears,I’dhavetolookthatup.
SH:Soyouweresomebodywhowantedtokeepupwitheachgame?Itwas
kindofimportantforyoutofollowthat?
RM:Yeah,andIdon’trecalllisteningtoeverygame,forsure,butIdefinitelylistened
togames.Andthatwasprobablymypeakofbeingabaseballandsportsand
statisticsjunkiewasthen,too,likewhenIwas,say,5to15yearsoldIwouldpour
overnewspaperboxscores.That’swhenIknewalotoftheplayersintheleagueand
IcouldrecitemostoftheTwinsbattingaverageswithin5or10points,Iwasreallya
hugestatspersonbackthen.Forawhileinthemid70s,likewhenIwasinjunior
high,Isubscribedtothissportingnews,whichwasthebigprinttabloid.Atthetime
itwaslikeahalfinchthick,andthathadminorleaguestatisticsfromallthedifferent
levelsofminorleagueteams,soIwasahugestatspersonbackthen.Muchlessnow.
SH:JohnMiller,fromtheGiants,didthesamething.
RM:Really?GottheSportingNews?Imean,thatwaslikethebaseballbible.People
willtellyouthat.Ifyouwerereallyintobaseballandstatistics,yougottheSporting
News.
SH:Yeah,hesaidifyoudidn’tgetthatyouwereoutofluck.Whatwasitabout
Carnealthatyou...Imean,obviouslyyouwouldhavelistenedtotheTwins
gamenomatterwhotheannounceris…
RM:Yeah,probablyso.HerbCarnealwasgreat.Afterawhileitwasjustafamiliar
voice,becausehewasaroundforsolong,IthinkIheardhimdescribedsomewhere
ashavingasoothingbaritonevoice,whichhedid,andIthinkheopened
with…”Helloeveryone!”,sojustkindofafolksythingtoo.Hewasoneofyou.“Hello
everyone,welcometotheTwinsbroadcast!”Soyeah,hewasgreat.Therewas
nothingoutrageousoracerbicabouthim,hewasjustkindofagoodoldguy.
SH:Andwhatdoyouthink,intermsofthatsortofcharacterization,relatively
commonfor,Ithink,mostbaseballbroadcastingfromthe20sprobably
throughtothe70s-80s.Thefamiliarvoice.Ifeellikenowthat’schanged,do
youagree?Disagree?Andifyouagree,whatwaysdoyouthinkbroadcasting
haschanged?
Henneberry114
RM:Yeah,youknow,that’sagoodquestion.Iprobablydon’thaveasmuchtogoon,
notreallyknowingothermarkets.TheTwins,IwouldsaythatJohnGordonwas
verymuchinthesameveinasHerbCarneal.AndIbelievetheyworkedtogether,I
thinktheyoverlapped,CarnealandGordon,theyworkedtogetherinthebooth
beforeGordontookover.Andnow,it’sCoryProvusandDanGladden,andIthink
Provusisaverysolidtechnicalannouncer,soIdon’tthinkhe’stoomuchdifferent,I
don’tthinkhe'sthatmuchoutofthatmoldorthatmuchawayfromthatmold,but
yet,becausehe’salittlebityoungerhedoesn’tseemlikeHerbCarnealorJohn
Gordonbecausebothofthoseguyswereprobablyintheir70swhentheystopped
doingit.Carnealwasprobablyolderthanthat.Soifithasgoneawayfromthat,I
don’tknow,youcantellmewhatyouthinkit’sgoingmoretowards.Isitmore
towardstechnicallyreallyproficientpeopledoyousuppose,or?
SH:Youknow,Ifeellikeit’smoretowards...it’shardbecausetherearestilla
numberofoldmenthataredoingitandhavebeendoingitforalongtime.Bob
Uecker,VinScullyisinadifferentclass.PatHughes,he’s60,Niehaus,who
doestheMariners,JohnMiller,thoseguysarestillleft,butIfeellikewhat
Provusisgoodatistechnicallysolid.
RM:Heknowstheinsandoutsofbroadcasting,heistechnicallyverygood.Asa
tactician,andyouknow…
SH:Yeah,ifyouweretoteachsomebodyhowtodothis,he’satextbookcaseof
that.Doyou,whenyou’retuningin,youdon’talwaystuneinatthevery
beginningI’mguessing,right?
RM:No,Idon’t,althoughit’sfun.LikewhatweweretalkingaboutlastnightasIwas
driving,there’ssomethingaboutthatfirsttenminutesofthebroadcast,notcounting
thepregameshowbutsayforaTwinsgame,from7to7:10,whenthey’regetting
readyandthere’ssortofanexcitementinthebroadcast,andthentheygothrough
theopeninglineups,firstthevisitingteamandthenthehometeam,there’s
somethingexcitingaboutthat.Andtheyusuallywrapituprightbeforethefirst
pitch,youknow,Glenndoesthatalotandwillwrapuprightbeforethefirstpitch.
Andthere’skindofanicebuildupintheintrotoabaseballgameontheradio.
SH:Doyouthink...whenyou’relisteningtotheradio,youhavetobe
envisioninginyourbrainwhat’sgoingon.Doyouthinkthatispartofthe
reasonthatpeopleliketolisten?
RM:Ido,IthinkalotofpeoplesaythatandIthinkwhatitdoesisIthinkit...ifyou’ve
beentogamesandyoureallylikegoingtogamesinpersonandyouhearthevarious
descriptorsalongthewayfromtheradiobroadcasters,whetherit’s,“thewind’s
blowingoutalittlebittoday”,youcanpicturethestadiumandtheflagsmightbe
blowing.SoIthinkit’sthevisualizationsthattheannouncersprovidekindofput
youtherealittlebit.Ithinkwhatyou’reabletodoandwhatyou’reinstructedtodo
alotoftimesinradiobroadcastingismorevisual,sensualdescriptionstoo,suchas,
“stepsbackintothebox,adjustshisleftbattingglove”,youknow,“toesthedirta
littlebitandstepsbackin”,sothosekindofdescriptionsofactuallywhat’s
happeningthatyoucan’tseeonTVbecauseyou’renotwatchingTV,that’shelpful
Henneberry115
too.Ithinkyoucanoverdothatsometimes,whenit'sforcedalittlebit,orwhenyou
haven’thearditinawhileandtheygointoalongdescriptionofsomethingthat’s
actuallyhappeningandit’slike,okhe’sjusttryingtodoaphysicaldescriptionfor
me.Butit’sessentialthatyougivemoredetail,andIwon’tsaywhoIthinkcomesup
shortonthat,butyouknow,ifthere’saflyballdownthelineorit’stowardthe
corneryoucan’tjustwaituntiltheplayisover,youhavetosayalittlebitmore,like,
“he’srunningoutofroom,”oryouknow,“willhehaveroomtomaketheplay,he’sin
foulgroundnow,”youhaveto...therearesomeannouncerswhodon’tdoagood
enoughjob,theykindofkeepyouhangingonaballclosetothefenceoraballclose
tothestands.
SH:ObviouslyyouprefertolistentotheTwinsbroadcastofaTwins
game…[movingrooms]...YouprefertolistentotheTwinsbroadcast….Provus
neversays‘we’.Sowhatareyourthoughtsonhomerism?Canyoudotoo
much?What’senough?
RM:That’sareallygoodquestion.Idon’thaveahugeproblemwithhomerismina
smallerdegree,theWhiteSoxTVcrewiskindofover-the-tophomerism.Goingover
toTVbroadcast,IthinkDickandBertdoanicejobof,“he’sdueforahomerunnow,
it’sbeenafewgamesnow,”“isthatacall?Yeah,that’sacall!”Ithinkthatwhole
thing,tokindofgetyouintoit,Ithinkyoucanbesometimestooclinical.LikeIjust
rememberTedRobinsonandJimKaatonTVbeingsonot“we”,theyweresuper,
superobjective,andIthinkitseemsliketheradiobroadcastershavebeenalittlebit
more“we”overtheyears,althoughIcan’treallypictureifCarnealandGordonwere.
IthinkmostfansareOKwithabitofhomerism,andIcertainlyamtoo.Another
thingIthinkaboutwhenIthinkaboutmyearliestmemoriesoflisteningtogameson
theradioisthat,thisgoesbacktotheglorydaysoftheAMwiththesuperstrong
signals,WCCOis,whatisit,500megawatts,orthosesuperstations.AndIcan
distinctlyrecalllayingonthecouchatnightinthedarkwith...differenttransistors,
butatonepointIhadthisPanasonicballandchaintransistorradio-itwaslikethis
roundballandithadalittlechainattachedtoit,andjustslowlyturningthe
frequencydialamillimeteratatimeallthewaydowntheAMdial,tryingtofind
gamesinothermarkets,andyou’dbeabletopickupgames,whetherthey’reinSt.
LouisorKansasCityorwhatever,andheardifferent,exoticannouncers.Iremember
pickingupothergameslikethat.Andthenyou’dhavetolistentoittotrytofinda
playerthatyourecognizedtoknowwhatgameitwas,andthentofigureoutwho
theopponentwas,sothat’sastrongmemorytoo.
SH:Yeah!Sowhataboutgivingthescore?Doesthatdriveyounuts?Whenyou
tuneinanddon’tgetthescorewithinthefirstcoupleminutes?
RM:No,andthere’sprobablysomeguidelinesonthatastohowoftenyou’re
supposedtogivethescore.No,Irarelythink,“boy,theydidn’tgivemethescore
enough,”becauseIshouldbelisteningformorethan5minutesatatime.IfI’m
invested,Ishouldhavetostickwithit'tiltheendofthehalfinningtogetthescore.
Thatdoesnotbothermeatall.IfigureI’llgetiteitherwaywithin5minutesorsoat
theendofthehalfinning.What’sthebookonthat?Areyousupposedtogivethe
scoreevery2or3minutes?
Henneberry116
SH:Well,Ithinkthere’svaryingviewpoints.ErnieHarwellgivesitevery60
seconds.Hesaid…
RM:Peopledon’tnoticethatasbeingtoofrequent?
SH:Histhoughtwas,peoplearetuningintoknowwhatthescoreis.They’re
notgoingtolistentoanythingIsayiftheydon’tknowthescore.Hesaid,andI
fallinthiscamp,ifIdon’tknowthescore,astimeticksawayI’mjustgetting
moreandmoreupset.Justgivemethedamnscore.Sohewouldmakeapoint
every60secondstosay,youknow,“sohere’sthe1-1pitchtoso-and-so,and
theTigerslead2to1inthesecond,”andthenyou’relike,“alright”.Icansettle
in,Iknowthesituation,I’mreadynowtoinvestinthebroadcastforthegame
descriptionaswellastheancillarystuff,so…
RM:Butthen60secondslaterifyougetthescoreagain,aren’tyoulikehey,can’t
youjust....
SH:Wellyeah,butthenumberofpeoplewhotuneinandout...PatHugheseven
said,thenumberofpeoplethatsay,“Ijustneedtolistentoyoufor15minutes,
foraninning.Ijustneedtogetawayfrommytroubles,tunein…”
RM:Gotothebasementandturnontheradiodownthere…
SH:Yep!AndJohnMillersaidthathehasa3-minuteeggtimerandhisgoalis
within3minutesbeforethehourglass,heflipsit.
RM:Andthatactuallyseemsreallyreasonabletome,Icanseethe3-minuteegg
timerasbeingaprettygoodbarometer.ButIdon’tnoticeit,Ican’trecall...I’msure
therehavebeentimeswhereit’slike,“wellwhat’sthescore?”ButIfigureitout
eventually.
SH:Somyprojectismostly,alotaboutstorytellinginabroadcast,andhow
theydothat.Doyouhaveany...wasCarnealaparticularlygoodstoryteller?Or
anybroadcasterthatyou’velistenedtothatareparticularlygoodstorytellers?
RM:Youknow,Ithink...Idon’trecalleitherCarnealorJohnGordonstandingoutin
termsoftellingstories,Ithinkthatlotsoftimesthey’refeedingthecolor
announcers...Ithinktheydo,certainly,butIdon’trecall...sinceI’vewatchedsomany
moreTVbroadcastsinthelast10or12years,IthinkalltheTVguysdoareallynice
joboftellingstories.CertainlyDanGladdentellsdecentstories,andCoryProvus,
butIdon’trecall...I’msuretheytoldgoodstoriesofthepast,andthat’soneofthe
reasonswhyIlikedlisteningtogamesontheradio,butIcan’trecallrightnowif
theywereterrificatthat.
SH:Stayingonthecolorguys,youknow,mostofthemareformerplayers-not
allofthem,butmost-oneofthethingsIwassurprised,inmyresearch,tofind
therewas,atleastinthisfirstinningofopeningdaythatIlistenedto,there
wasalackoftalkaboutstrategy.TheonlymentionofitwasPatHughessaying
toCoomer,“theCubsareforcingdeepcounts,iftheycontinuetoforcedeep
countsthey’llgetthestarteroutofthegameandthingsgobetter.”Theywon
thatgame9tonothing.SoitwasaveryprescientobservationfromHughes,
Henneberry117
andtheCubshavebeendoingthatthewholeseasonandforcingalotofdeep
counts,morepitches,whatever.Soforyouasalistener,doesthattalkof
strategy,isthatimportanttoyou?
RM:Thatisimportanttome,andinlastnight’sgame,youmighthaveevenbeen
listeningatthetime,IthinktheTwins-theTwinsannouncershavedoneapretty
goodjobofthatovertheyears-CoryProvus,Ithinkhewasdoingtheplay-by-play
askedDanGladdenpoint-blank,“whatmakesMattMoore’smovessogood,other
thanbeingalefty?”Becauseobviouslytheleft-handedpitcherhasabettermoveto
firstbase,andGladdenwentintogreatdetailaboutallthethingshedoes,whether
it’svaryingtheamountoftimeheholdsit,hisvariousstepstotheplateorwhatever,
andjustthewhole,thelittledelayrightwhenyou’reatthe90degreeanglewiththe
rubberanddoingthatreallywell,justliftingupthelegslowlyandnotlettingthe
runnerknowwhetherornothe’sgoingtofirstorgoingtohome,sohedida30or
45seconddescriptionofwhyMattMoore,theleftyforTampaBayhadagoodmove,
otherthanjustthefactthathewasaleft-hander.Sothatkindofstrategy,andI
reallydolikeitwhenannouncersaresayingwhatagoodcounttorunonwouldbe,
ifitgetsto2and1andit’slikelyhit-and-runcount,Iappreciatethemsaying,“let’s
seeifNunezisgonnagoonthispitch,”Ithinkthat’simportant.
SH:FromtheCarnealdays,andHarwell,andJackBuckandallofthoseguysin
those...thoseareplay-by-playguyswhoaresortoffront-and-centerleading,
andnowit’smore...theplay-by-playguysaren’taswellknownastheanalysts.
Doyouthinkthat’sgoodorbad,intermsofthelisteningexperience?
RM:Soinotherwords,there’slessrockstarVinScully’sand…
SH:Well,it’smorethattheplay-by-playannounceristakingabackseattothe
analyst,andlettingalotofwhat,andcertainlyatleastthethreeItalkedto,
saidmyjobistosetuptheanalystbecauseRonCoomer,DanGladden,Duane
Kuiper,MikeKrukow,thoseguyshavebeeninthesemoments,theyhavefaced
a96mileanhourfastball,they’vebeenonfirstbaseina3-2countinthe
bottomofthe9th,downby1.I,theplay-by-playguy,haven’t.So,youknow,I
lookforwaystobringtheminand,JonMillerwentintothiswholelongthing
aboutwhathappenedwithMondayNightFootballandHowardCosell,and
thencollegebasketball,howDickEnbergkindoftookabackseattoAl
McGuire,andthewholeJoeGaragiola/VinScullythingonNBC...soJon,whathe
wassayingwastherewasaseatchangeinthatperiodwhereitbecame,
gettingananalystthatcanarticulatewhat’shappeningismoreimportant,at
leastforthenetworkexecs,thanaplay-by-playguy.
RM:That’sinteresting!IguessIcan’treally...youhaveabroaderknowledgeofthat,
thatthat'sbeenmoreofamovementlocally.
SH:Iguessabetterquestionforyouishowimportantistheanalyst?Maybe
that’sthequestion.
RM:Yeah,Ithinkthataslongastheanalystcanbringfreshperspectivestovarious
situations,thenit’sgood,butiftheanalystisgoingtocontinuetosaythesamething
inthesamesituationsgameinandgameout,thenmaybeit’snotascritical.Ithink
Henneberry118
that’suptotheanalysttokeepitfresh,andIthinktheycertainlycandothat.Ithink
that’simportant,butIjustreallyappreciatethewholeXsandOsoftheplay-by-play
announcertoo.Andofcoursethat’sVinScully...VinScullydoesboth,becausehe
launchesintoastorywhilehe’sdoingaterrificjobonthat.Andmaybehe’snot
sayingwhatemotionsthehitterisgoingthrough,withthebasesloadedandoneout
versusacloserwhothrows97,becausehehasn’tbeeninthatsituation,buthe’s
doingalltheotherstuff.SoIguessIwouldn’tfindthatmissingifIdidn’thavean
analystwhowastellingmewhatit’sliketobeinthatsituation.
SH:Today,youcanpulluptheapponyourphoneandyoucanlistentoany
gamethatyouwant.Youcanalsogetin-gamehighlights.Youalsohave800
thousandotherappsthatyoucanusetogetthescore,togetnews,toget
things…Intermsofgettingnews,there’salotofchoices.Sowhy,foryou,do
youcontinuetolistentotheradio,despiteallofthoseotherchoices.
RM:BecauseIstilllivewithonefootintheoldworld.That,forme,Istillhavesuch
strongmemoriesofthewaythingswereandthewayyoukeptupwiththeTwins
backwhenIwasakidversushowyoucandoitnow,it’sthesamereasonwhyIcan
getmyboxscoreandmygamesummaryonlinefirstthinginthemorning,butIstill
prefertoreadthenewspaper,stillprefertoreadTwinsnewscapsandthenewsand
notesarticleintheprintnewsratherthanreadingitonline.Bythesametoken,
that’showIfeeloccasionallyaboutlisteningtogamesandupdatesontheradioas
opposedtodownloadingitonthe...it’samoresensualexperiencehearingavoiceon
theradiothanitischeckingyourphone.
Henneberry119
RowdyPyle
June6,2016
SH:HowdidyoubecomeaRoyalsfan?
RP:IgrewupinSouthwestMissouri,whichisCardinalsandRoyalscountry.More
St.Louisprobably,butmyfatherwasabigRoyalsfan.So,I’dgotogameswithmy
brother.Turnontheradiotolisten,watchTVonceamonth.Myfavoriteplayers
wereBoJackson,BretSaberhagenandDannyTartabull.
SH:Growingup–wasitmostlyradioorTV?
RP:Mostlyontheradio.I’dlistenathome,sittingontractor,manydifferentplaces.
Itreallywasbackgroundnoise.
SH:Doyoustilllisten?
RP:Listenmoreonradionow.NoTVbecauseofRexHudler.Forme,listentoDenny
andStevebutRyanLefebreve.
SH:WhatisitaboutMatthewsandPhysioc?
RP:It’sprimarilyMatthewswhoIlike.Hebringsbackchildhoodmemories.He’sa
familiarvoice.IgrewupwithhimandJoeBuck.Matthewsissodetailedintheway
hetalksaboutthegame.Heisdetailedandmakeyoufeellikeyou’rethere.That’s
whatIlike,notcaptainobviouslikeJoeMorganwasonESPN.
SH:HasMatthewschangedatall?
RP:Tome,itsoundssimilar.Newpartnersisbasicallytheonlychange.PsyiocisOK,
neverhadanissue,doessaysomeweirdthingsbutoverallOK.
SH:HowdoyougetnewsabouttheRoyals?
RP:Twitter.Ifollowprettymuchallofthebeatwriters.
SH:Doyoupreferwatchorlisten?
RP:Both.TVonmute,withradioonAtBat.There’sacoupleseconddelay,butmost
ofthetime,it’snottoobad.I’llalsohavegameoninmypocketoroutsideforyard
work.Ineverlistentoawholegame.Maybelistentohalfinsomeform,tryingtoget
itoninsomeway.
SH:Youansweredallmyquestions.Thankyou!
RP:Sure.Happytohelp.
Henneberry120
SamKraemer
June4,2016
SH:HowbecomeaBrewersfan?
SK:GrowingupinMilwaukee,itwasalmostinevitable.Irememberbeing3or4,on
mybirthday,inJuly,wewenttogameatCountyStadiumwithfamilyfriends,and
tailgatedbefore.I’mguessingitwasplanned–stillnotexactlysurehowitwas
pulledoff–but,thewholestadiumsanghappybirthdaytome.So,safetosay,it
startedthatnight.
SH:Asyougrewup–wasitradioorTV?
SK:Both.GoingbackfromLittleLeague,wewouldlistento620AM.BobUeckerwas
astapleoncarrides.Ididn’tlistenathome.Theguyisanicon.Listeningtohimwas
acomfortlevel.
SH:Doyoustilllisten?
SK:It’stoughtolisteninSouthDakota.IwouldifIcould.
SH:WhenyouhearUecker’svoice–doesitbringyouback?
SK:Yes,abitofabuzzthere.He’sbeentheresolong.Formy21years,heisasclose
toaVinScullyontheradiosidethatstilldoingit.Milwaukeecanbackthatup–he’s
alwaysbeenthere.He’sastapleinthecommunityandreallyrepresentsmorethan
baseball.
SH:WhatisitaboutUecker?
SK:He’salwayshadgreatexcitement.Hissignaturehomeruncallis,“Getup,getup,
getoutofhere.Gone.”It’sprintedinthestadiumnow.[Kraemerdoesanimpression
ofUecker’scall].KidsinLittleLeaguewouldimitatehiscalls.Iwoulddothemin
neighborhoodfromtimetotime.
SH:HasUeckerchangedatall?
SK:Idon’tknowthathehas.He’sdoneagoodjobofmodernizing.It’sprobably
moreevidentinprepbutnotdelivery.
SH:HowdoyougetnewsabouttheBrewers?
SK:It’smostlyTwitternow.Iusedtoliveastateaway,or20minutesfromthepark,
soyouhavetorelyoneverythingthatthereisouttheretoday.Ihaveagroupchat
withhighschoolfriends,soIreadaboutgamesviathat.Itrytosticktothe‘free’
ways,butImakedo.I’lltrytocatchESPN.WorkingatTVstation,Icanusetheondemandfeedforhighlights.
SH:Doyoupreferwatchorlisten?
SK:Watchwithradioannouncers.Mythoughtprocessisthattheradioannouncers
areprofessionallytrainedandknowtheydon’thaveapicture.So,it’simperativefor
themtodescribeeverythingasbesttheycan.Whereas,TV,theyrelyonpicturetodo
it.IfeellikeradioguysaddbetterdetailthanTVguys.
Henneberry121
SH:Youansweredallmyquestions.Thankyou!
SK:OK.Sure.
Henneberry122