Imagine being early into a report, and finding out it was a mid-term exam that's worth half your grade. That's what last night's broadcast felt like.
We went live on the radio in the second inning, and I learned that my boss was running the board back in the studio. Not often that a program director will spend a Saturday night pushing the buttons for commercials, and this wasn't his choice.
No grade was given out, so it wasn't a real mid-term exam, but it was definitely weird knowing the boss was listening to every word. He'll listen to bits and pieces of games, but he has a life, and he lives with his girlfriend, and I'm sure she doesn't want him listening to games every night.
It was almost like not wanting to disappoint your parents. After all, few people were giving me the time of day as I tried to make the transition from print to radio. This guy took a huge chance on me, and this was the ultimate opportunity to show him that he made the right decision.
Overall, I thought the broadcast went fine. Most importantly, it went smooth. In and out of breaks, and the transition from one announcer to announcer. Thought my best call of the night was on a double play, and these days, I get more excited about making a good call on a double play than a home run.
Early in the broadcast, the boss sent a text message that said, "you guys sound good." I wrote back, "we always sound good." If you don't believe us, just ask us.
Hopefully, he took notes and will provide some feedback when I see him Monday in the office. Then we'll know how I did on my mid-term.
** UPDATE ** No feedback at all. Jeez, talk about your buzzkill. Thought it was a mid-term, or at least a pop quiz. Guess it was just another game after all, which I suppose is fitting, the more I think about it. Baseball broadcasting isn't about having a great game when your boss is listening. It's about having 140 consecutive quality broadcasts because you never know who might be listening. You have to be a grinder in this business.
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