Tonight is the night I look forward to the most; the start of baseball season. Well, at least for me.
I have color duties for the University of North Florida against Michigan and can't wait. I just love the game and broadcasting baseball is more fun than watching George Bush Jr leave office for the last time.
Preparing for baseball is a different animal. One has to have just about every piece of information about a player as there is so much dead time in between pitches, pinch hitters, etc. One has to be able to have the ability to paint the picture of a game so a blind person can "see" what is going on.
What I do is this: I will give the temperature and weather conditions every couple of innings so the listener knows what the players are facing. If the wind is at the hitters back, the ball will fly and the pitcher has to keep the ball low. If the wind is in the face of a hitter, maybe the pitcher can get away with hanging one as he knows the wind will knock the ball down. Weather is important, especially in baseball.
Also, I will set the defense, mentioning how far off the lines the corners are; whether or not the infield is in, and where the outfielders are. I will walk through what both the pitcher and hitter are doing on the mound and in the batter's box and then describe the pitch. Everything has to be described to create the visual effect for a listener on radio.
Baseball is timeless. I have seen games go an hour and 50 minutes to five hours. One has to be prepared and also have a broadcast partner with a sense of humor. Two of the best I have ever seen are Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo with NESN in Boston. Those two play off each other better than any two I have ever seen or heard. When things get a bit boring, Orsillo will set up Remy and vice versa. When that happens, all bets are off as Remy usually starts laughing so hard he can barely speak. Yes, it keeps them amused, but it also shows the viewer that they are having fun together. Yes, good chemistry is important.
Now, for my baseball compulsions. I HAVE to be at a game in time to watch batting practice. Generally I will go on the field, check out stances, the wind and what the field conditions are like. How can I paint the picture if I don't know what is happening before the game?
I need pencils and plenty of them. Honestly, I am not the greatest at keeping a scorebook so I need pencils so I can erase my countless mistakes.
Gatorade....Must....Have.....Gatorade. I talk so much that if I don't have plenty of fluid, I will sound like an obscene phone call gone bad.
Normally I have a glass of red wine before a game. I do this because I was once told red wine is good for the voice. Superstitions are a pain in the tush to break.
Tonight's game will be on the web at www.1320wbob.com starting at 6:45 Eastern Time. John Lawrence and I will have the call starting at 7:00.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
My never ending issues with the ABA
As many who have followed my work on Our Sports Central, US Basket and other publications know, I have some serious issues with the ABA. The thing is, as every day goes by, I seem to have more and more issues with the league that simply will not go away and simply die.
At last count, I have over 220 franchises that have been announced as entering the league, then they disappear. Some, like the Vermont Frost Heaves, have valid reasons like moving to a real league. Others cite ownership issues, have their owners arrested for fraud, players don't get paid, and more issues than there are teams who have folded.
Here is one of the latest good ones from the league. The Georgia Gwizzlies (Named for a typo....No, I am not kidding) were suspended by CEO Joe Newman for the rest of the season for failing to show up for a scheduled game. Well, the Gwizzlies and their typo filled releases are STILL playing against ABA teams. I guess Embry and his delusions of wanting to play in the CBA aren't allowing him to make even remotely sound judgements.
What is even better is an e-mail exchange that between CEO Newman and Our Sports Central president Paul Reeths that was posted on OSC. In the exchange, Newman makes the claim that teams missing games doesn't hurt anyone. Now mind you, this is a league who played 38% of their games last year. This year, no one can tell what percentage of the league's games have been played since there isn't even a master schedule on the site.
It really gets me that Newman seems to think missing games doesn't hurt anyone. How about the fans who made plans to see a game and then there isn't one. What about the sponsors who aren't getting the exposure they paid for? Does he factor in the players; many who get paid by the game? Nah, no one gets hurt by missing games, no one at all.
I will end up going on about this disaster of a league at another time as I have countless stories that I have accumulated over the years. Now, time to go to a ballgame.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
How I prep for a game
People often tell me they think all I do is sit in front of a microphone and yap about a basketball, baseball, hockey game, etc. What people don't realize is there is a ton of other work that goes into actually preparing for a game. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is to look or sound like a fool on the air. Here is a general list of what goes into my preparation for a basketball game:
Two days before:
Go to each team's website and grab rosters, stats, and media guides. I then go to the conference and NCAA sites and grab the leaders. Print those out and start highlighting stats, accomplishments (Player of the Week, academic honors, etc.) and comparing common opponents the two schools may have played. I then highlight (With the trusty yellow highlighter) the leaders on each team in each category and where players rank in the conference and in the NCAA.
Contact each SID and ask for game notes, pronunciations, etc. Start a general review of the players so I have a base knowledge before I start the rest of my prep work.
One day before:
Take all of the information I have and create what I call a spot chart. This has the player's number, name, hometown, stats and any other information I think will be pertinent throughout a broadcast. This can be quite tedious, but reinforces the information in my head. Also, if a name is difficult to pronounce, I make sure the name is phonetically spelled out on the sheet. This way I am not guessing and pronouncing it in 300 different ways. Really, what I end up doing here is taking about 70 pages of information and condensing it into two sheets of paper.
Next, on that same chart I take the team rankings in PPG, defense, rebounding, three point percentage, three point percentage defense and turnovers and put it a bit apart from the individual information. This always comes in handy during pre-game. I then print it all out and staple the information by team and by league. Really, I want everything at my fingertips when I need it.
Day of:
Check my bag for highlighters, pens, media guides, throat drops, stats, etc. If I forget something, I tend to go into a panic and that is the last thing I want before a game.
Before the game I grab a bite to eat and have ONE glass of red wine. It is superstition as I was told once that red wine is good for the pipes. Especially if I am doing a game solo, I need my voice to be as strong as it can be. While eating, I either look over stats and info or just read my book. Both are actually quite relaxing.
Upon arrival at the arena, I check the setup, talk to the coaches, talk to the SID's, watch warmups and do sound checks. I am compulsive about getting to the arena at least an hour and 15 minutes before a game so if anything goes wrong, it can be fixed before the game starts.
About 30 minutes before airtime, just don't bother me unless you have to. I am usually going over things with my PBP or color guy and like to get into my little zone. I hate not being prepared and this is my last chance to do so. I will say each name about five times, regardless of how easy it is to be safe.
Ten minutes before, we do a final sound check which takes all of about 30 seconds to do. People hear us going "Check, check, check", singing, swearing (We like to get it out of our systems) or having a running conversations with the officials. Many of the refs are very cool, so we will give them a hard time when they think we are on the air.
One minute before, we are ready to go and it is the time of the day I love the most......Gametime. The proverbial red light goes on and I just hope I don't screw up too bad.
Total time it takes to prep is about four to five hours. When I was with ESPN Radio in Vermont and doing this three to five times a week, I would spend countless hours doing prep. The more work one does, the better the broadcast will be.
Two days before:
Go to each team's website and grab rosters, stats, and media guides. I then go to the conference and NCAA sites and grab the leaders. Print those out and start highlighting stats, accomplishments (Player of the Week, academic honors, etc.) and comparing common opponents the two schools may have played. I then highlight (With the trusty yellow highlighter) the leaders on each team in each category and where players rank in the conference and in the NCAA.
Contact each SID and ask for game notes, pronunciations, etc. Start a general review of the players so I have a base knowledge before I start the rest of my prep work.
One day before:
Take all of the information I have and create what I call a spot chart. This has the player's number, name, hometown, stats and any other information I think will be pertinent throughout a broadcast. This can be quite tedious, but reinforces the information in my head. Also, if a name is difficult to pronounce, I make sure the name is phonetically spelled out on the sheet. This way I am not guessing and pronouncing it in 300 different ways. Really, what I end up doing here is taking about 70 pages of information and condensing it into two sheets of paper.
Next, on that same chart I take the team rankings in PPG, defense, rebounding, three point percentage, three point percentage defense and turnovers and put it a bit apart from the individual information. This always comes in handy during pre-game. I then print it all out and staple the information by team and by league. Really, I want everything at my fingertips when I need it.
Day of:
Check my bag for highlighters, pens, media guides, throat drops, stats, etc. If I forget something, I tend to go into a panic and that is the last thing I want before a game.
Before the game I grab a bite to eat and have ONE glass of red wine. It is superstition as I was told once that red wine is good for the pipes. Especially if I am doing a game solo, I need my voice to be as strong as it can be. While eating, I either look over stats and info or just read my book. Both are actually quite relaxing.
Upon arrival at the arena, I check the setup, talk to the coaches, talk to the SID's, watch warmups and do sound checks. I am compulsive about getting to the arena at least an hour and 15 minutes before a game so if anything goes wrong, it can be fixed before the game starts.
About 30 minutes before airtime, just don't bother me unless you have to. I am usually going over things with my PBP or color guy and like to get into my little zone. I hate not being prepared and this is my last chance to do so. I will say each name about five times, regardless of how easy it is to be safe.
Ten minutes before, we do a final sound check which takes all of about 30 seconds to do. People hear us going "Check, check, check", singing, swearing (We like to get it out of our systems) or having a running conversations with the officials. Many of the refs are very cool, so we will give them a hard time when they think we are on the air.
One minute before, we are ready to go and it is the time of the day I love the most......Gametime. The proverbial red light goes on and I just hope I don't screw up too bad.
Total time it takes to prep is about four to five hours. When I was with ESPN Radio in Vermont and doing this three to five times a week, I would spend countless hours doing prep. The more work one does, the better the broadcast will be.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The 21 year old pro basketball GM
As posted at www.oursportscentral.com
The world of basketball is a small one. Yes, there are a ton of players out there, but if you want to get into the front office, one needs some experience, some passion, and the desire to make a minorleague
team appear major league. You would think age would be a factor as well. If you thought that, you haven't met wonder kid Adam Dantus.
The world of basketball is a small one. Yes, there are a ton of players out there, but if you want to get into the front office, one needs some experience, some passion, and the desire to make a minor
Dantus is a mere 21 years of age and is the general manager of the Maryland Nighthawks and works closely with running the operations of the Premier Basketball League. With the Nighthawks taking the year off from league play, he's concentrating on league operations this season. Not only does he work with the team and the league, but to add to all of this, he is a senior at the University of Maryland and is set to graduate in May. Oh yeah, he is also the youngest general manager in all of professional sports.
Here is Adam's long resume:
At age 18, Adam was the on the Nighthawks sales and marketing staff, and was the radio play-by-play guy. At 19 he was the stats guy for the Nighthawks, sales and marketing director and was the team's communications director. This is when they had Sun Ming Ming and media from all over world was at Maryland games and they sold out on a nightly basis. At ages 20 and 21 he was/is the Nighthawks General Manager, and the PBL webmaster and stats manager. Dantus also designed the new website and is responsible for updating it daily and takes care of stats for league. At age 20 he founded Advancing Athletes, Inc., which represents 15 players playing in minor leagues in the US and overseas. At age 21 most of us were worried about chasing girls and drinking beer.
The love affair with minor league basketball started with a little pushing from Adam's mother. His mother found a job with the Nighthawks that was advertised in a local paper. Initially, Dantus wanted to just concentrate on school, but his mother pushed him along so he could start to fulfill his dream of working in professional basketball. Some say that if Dantus did not take the job, the PBL would not be where it is today.
Being in school, running the Nighthawks and being an instrumental part of the success of the league is a daunting task.
"To be honest with you, it's tough," said Dantus of his tight schedule. "Being a fulltime student, working 60 hours per week, plus having a girlfriend, it can be rough and not everyone is happy all of the time; It is very hectic but I love it.
"I usually wake up at 7AM and check my email...on game days I normally receive over 100 emails so that takes a lot of time just reading through them and getting back to everyone. I make an effort to get back to everyone. After I am done responding to my morning emails I make the necessary updates on the league website and then it's time to create the game files to send out to the score keepers. Then at around 11AM I'll go on OurSports Central and read the media articles and occasionally I'll read what the fans are saying on the message boards. Then I'm off to classes.
"When I get back around 2-3PM it's back to checking emails, voicemails, returning calls and making more updates on the website, sending out press releases, etc. When the games begin to be played I have to be by my computer in case anything goes wrong and once the stats, photos and recaps start to roll in, it's back to updating the website and getting the press releases out to the media."
The work for Adam, despite the long work weeks and trying to balance family and school, seems to be rewarding and a labor of love.
"I like to see everything that I put an effort in to be a success. If any little thing goes wrong, I won't be able to sleep," he said. "I am very unselfish and don't like to be in the spotlight. I'm a team player and I like to see the players and teams that I work with be successful. The best feeling I get is seeing my hard work and time pay off. I also like seeing players who I have built a professional relationship with be successful on and off the court and advance their careers. The best feeling I get is knowing I made a significant impact on the lives of these players."
When it comes to the future of the PBL and minor league basketball as a whole, despite the challenges the industry faces, he is optimistic.
"I have a feeling this league is going to be successful and around for a while," Dantus added. "If you look at all of the other minor basketball leagues, they have failed because of their business model. You have to go outside of the box, take a risk and differentiate yourself from the competition and that is exactly what this league is doing. No other minor league has a national TV deal and is doing the things the PBL is doing. The PBL is going to be in millions of households on the @Sports TV network and the exposure for the league and its players is going to be tremendous."
Dantus has quite a few fans, one of them is Battle Creek head coach Terry Sare.
"Adam is well beyond his years and that is what is important," said Sare. "When Adam is around people with knowledge, he is a great listener and absorbs everything. Adam works so hard and that is what sets him apart. Every time I talk to him, he is doing something and I often wonder if he ever goes home. It is the countless hours he puts in and that is what makes him what he is. Other young people figure they are owed something but Adam just doesn't think that way. I look in the future and I hope I get a chance to work with that young man. He has a great situation, but if I have the chance to work with him, I will."
Chris Munson is a freelance sportswriter based in Jacksonville, Florida. Chris has written for Our Sports Central, US Basket, the Vermont Times, Vermont Guardian and Varsity Magazine. Chris is also the former Sports Director for ESPN Radio Vermont.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Farve and A-Rod
Another sunny day in Florida today as I write, ponder and look for a job. Yes, this sitting around waiting for the phone to ring and the economy to improve is getting old. Anyhoo, here are my thoughts on the two big sports stories of the week:
Brett Farve has retired and who really cares with the exception of ESPN? He has finally hung it up but the thing is, who didn't expect this? He played for 17 seasons, retired once because he was a baby and now he is doing it again. Now the question is, will he come back yet again and where will he play? Yo Brett, go fishing and hunting and call it a career. Don't keep coming back so a great legacy does not get ruined.
A-Rod.............HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! That is what I have to say about that. The man cheated and this time actually admitted it. He lied before and we know he is lying when he says he doesn't know what was injected into his own body. How can a top caliber cheater not know what is going into his body? Oh yeah, he knew but just isn't bright or honest enough to admit it.
Now, the new rules for those who have been on roids:
Hitters:
1) If beaned in the head, the batter is out.
2) 15 balls for a walk, one strike for an out. Hey, they are cheating so why shouldn't the rules change?
3) No leading off the bag. If you have that much speed from juicing, you don't need any other advantage.
4) All plays are force plays with an outed roid user on base.
Pitchers:
1) Bean a guy, you are suspended for 50 games. After all, there is rage in that body of yours and obviously counseling is needed.
2) 15 strikes and one ball. CHEATERS!!!
Anyhoo, there are my nickel opinions for the day. As I sit waiting for the phone to ring, I wonder if I should start watching soap operas. Nah, there is still writing to do.
Brett Farve has retired and who really cares with the exception of ESPN? He has finally hung it up but the thing is, who didn't expect this? He played for 17 seasons, retired once because he was a baby and now he is doing it again. Now the question is, will he come back yet again and where will he play? Yo Brett, go fishing and hunting and call it a career. Don't keep coming back so a great legacy does not get ruined.
A-Rod.............HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! That is what I have to say about that. The man cheated and this time actually admitted it. He lied before and we know he is lying when he says he doesn't know what was injected into his own body. How can a top caliber cheater not know what is going into his body? Oh yeah, he knew but just isn't bright or honest enough to admit it.
Now, the new rules for those who have been on roids:
Hitters:
1) If beaned in the head, the batter is out.
2) 15 balls for a walk, one strike for an out. Hey, they are cheating so why shouldn't the rules change?
3) No leading off the bag. If you have that much speed from juicing, you don't need any other advantage.
4) All plays are force plays with an outed roid user on base.
Pitchers:
1) Bean a guy, you are suspended for 50 games. After all, there is rage in that body of yours and obviously counseling is needed.
2) 15 strikes and one ball. CHEATERS!!!
Anyhoo, there are my nickel opinions for the day. As I sit waiting for the phone to ring, I wonder if I should start watching soap operas. Nah, there is still writing to do.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Randomness for the morning
Just a few things from the mind of Chris on this Thursday morning:
1) PLEASE support the Special Olympics of Duval County and for that matter, wherever you are. These are amazing, incredible and remarkable people who will be showing off their abilities at the Duval County Summer Games on the 28th of this month. We will have appearances by Ronald McDonald, the UNF cross-country team, Gator Country, Movin 100.7 and many more. We are expecting over 600 athletes and 500 volunteers. Please come out to the Bolles School in Jacksonville from 8:30-4:00 and give a big hand to those with intellectual disabilities.
2) There isn't much going on in the world of minor league basketball and I am giving up ripping on the ABA for one whole hour.
3) Be patient with President Obama. He already has his critics but he has a royal mess to clean up and it will take time. Remember, he has been in office for two weeks and progress takes time.
4) Congratulations to Julie May Syquio of the UNF women's basketball team for being named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week. Julie May has improved her defense, her shot and her overall game. This is a great accomplishment and keep it up.
1) PLEASE support the Special Olympics of Duval County and for that matter, wherever you are. These are amazing, incredible and remarkable people who will be showing off their abilities at the Duval County Summer Games on the 28th of this month. We will have appearances by Ronald McDonald, the UNF cross-country team, Gator Country, Movin 100.7 and many more. We are expecting over 600 athletes and 500 volunteers. Please come out to the Bolles School in Jacksonville from 8:30-4:00 and give a big hand to those with intellectual disabilities.
2) There isn't much going on in the world of minor league basketball and I am giving up ripping on the ABA for one whole hour.
3) Be patient with President Obama. He already has his critics but he has a royal mess to clean up and it will take time. Remember, he has been in office for two weeks and progress takes time.
4) Congratulations to Julie May Syquio of the UNF women's basketball team for being named the Atlantic Sun Player of the Week. Julie May has improved her defense, her shot and her overall game. This is a great accomplishment and keep it up.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
News from minor league basketball
Here is the latest from the world of minor league basketball:
ABA: The league continues to have its issues with a lack of a league schedule, standings, stats, or really any information on the league with the exception of continued expansion. It is nearly impossible to tell who is in and who is out of this train wreck of a league as CEO Newman doesn't mandate his teams report anything to the league office. Teams come and go without any notice from the ABA. As always, the ABA gets an "F-" for being an utter disgrace to the world of minor league basketball.
The Georgia Gwizzlies have been suspended by the league for failure to meet obligations. The Gwizzlies missed a scheduled game against Knoxville which lead to the suspension. In an e-mail, Gwizzlies owner Embry Malone said, "We were loading up ready to go 3 hr to Knox,I called knox said we are running late and found out last minute our van was not available,then joe sent me this threating email if I don't play I'm suspended,this after he cussed me out two days befroe about another matter,we could hade played,moved the game to 6:00,not 5:00pm,but Knox said no so we stayed in Atlanta.We still going to play 12 more games with teams already booked,those teams could careless what the League office say cuz they aint paying the bills to play.Final for 10-20 K the ABA give you a piece of paper and 36 basketballs and that is it and call it a League,that's a joke." I think that says it all.
CBA: The league has suspended operations for the remainder of the season. The league will play its three game title series in Albany this weekend and then hang it up and reorganize.
PBL: The PBL is running on all cylinders with some great games and great individual performances. Look for Augusta's A.J. Millien to make an impact the rest of the season and possibly move on to an overseas team. Millien hit for 44 the other night and is averaging 33 a night.
The league has played 100 percent of its games, are issuing regular press releases, awarding a Player of the Week, and issue a weekly PBL report done by Chuck Miller. Stats are updated each night, standings are updated as soon as the games are final, and the league is running very smoothly. The league gets a solid "A+" for its effort, solid crowds, great games and outstanding communication from the league.
USBA: The USBA is looking to have a 16 team league starting April 11th. The teams will be based in the southeast US and seem to have solid financial backing and the help of some of the bigger names in the world of minor league basketball. There is also a chance that yours truly will be named the Director of Basketball Operations for the Jacksonville franchise.
ABA: The league continues to have its issues with a lack of a league schedule, standings, stats, or really any information on the league with the exception of continued expansion. It is nearly impossible to tell who is in and who is out of this train wreck of a league as CEO Newman doesn't mandate his teams report anything to the league office. Teams come and go without any notice from the ABA. As always, the ABA gets an "F-" for being an utter disgrace to the world of minor league basketball.
The Georgia Gwizzlies have been suspended by the league for failure to meet obligations. The Gwizzlies missed a scheduled game against Knoxville which lead to the suspension. In an e-mail, Gwizzlies owner Embry Malone said, "We were loading up ready to go 3 hr to Knox,I called knox said we are running late and found out last minute our van was not available,then joe sent me this threating email if I don't play I'm suspended,this after he cussed me out two days befroe about another matter,we could hade played,moved the game to 6:00,not 5:00pm,but Knox said no so we stayed in Atlanta.We still going to play 12 more games with teams already booked,those teams could careless what the League office say cuz they aint paying the bills to play.Final for 10-20 K the ABA give you a piece of paper and 36 basketballs and that is it and call it a League,that's a joke." I think that says it all.
CBA: The league has suspended operations for the remainder of the season. The league will play its three game title series in Albany this weekend and then hang it up and reorganize.
PBL: The PBL is running on all cylinders with some great games and great individual performances. Look for Augusta's A.J. Millien to make an impact the rest of the season and possibly move on to an overseas team. Millien hit for 44 the other night and is averaging 33 a night.
The league has played 100 percent of its games, are issuing regular press releases, awarding a Player of the Week, and issue a weekly PBL report done by Chuck Miller. Stats are updated each night, standings are updated as soon as the games are final, and the league is running very smoothly. The league gets a solid "A+" for its effort, solid crowds, great games and outstanding communication from the league.
USBA: The USBA is looking to have a 16 team league starting April 11th. The teams will be based in the southeast US and seem to have solid financial backing and the help of some of the bigger names in the world of minor league basketball. There is also a chance that yours truly will be named the Director of Basketball Operations for the Jacksonville franchise.
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