I consider my self a very fortunate person. My professional baseball knowledge was most learned over the radio during the first fifteen of my years. Richie Ashburn was the best broadcaster in the game, and Harry Kalas was my Philadelphia Phillies team fan.
I have also been able to hear the voices from Harry Caray, Vin Scully and Jack Buck. Satellite radio has allowed me to access every major league broadcast through my XM radio.
What does the great radio broadcasters do that is better than all others? You know what they do better than everyone else?
A. Dead Air
“The pitch for Gonzalez is downstairs for the ball.” This type of statement can be repeated repeatedly throughout a nine-inning baseball match. This statement is innocent by itself, but what happens after it?
Great broadcasters will fill that time often by saying nothing. This is crucial to their success. They are aware that they don’t need to constantly talk about their stats and personal opinions. Instead, they allow listeners to hear the crowd, imagine the scene and anticipate their next pitch.
B. B.
“We are at the bottom inning of the fifth inning. We have one out. The Cubs lead the Phillies 5-2.” If you are a Cubs or Phillies enthusiast and just recently turned on your radio, this is the perfect sentence. It will allow you to stay up-to date on the game.
A few years back, I heard a broadcaster (whose name I don’t remember) say that he used the hourglass to sit beside him in the studio. Why was he doing this? It was because he wanted to remind his listeners of the inning and score every time the glass was full.
I’ve listened more than enough baseball games to hear announcers tell stories than talk about the game. It is frustrating to hear about your family’s past, old tales, or birthday celebrations, when what you really want is to listen to a game.
C. They love the teams they play for, but don’t over-dramatize.
“Longgggggggg Drive deep Left field, outta homerun Mike Schmidt”,” “Oh Brother”, “Harry! I don’t believe the things I just saw!”
These are some of my favorite memories from childhood. They were gifted to me by Harry Richie. However, I am often struck by how important these phrases would be to me if they were part my everyday broadcasts 국내축구중계.
Richie was a good example of how Harry and Richie kept their most dramatic remarks for the right occasions. They knew enough about the game to recognize important events that required an emotional voice to acknowledge them. It’s not possible for all sports announcers to have the same sense of humor. You can listen to Brent on TV or radio and see how I mean.
The best announcers are passionate about their teams. It’s evident in their voices when things turn out well or poorly. But their emotions don’t ruin the broadcast’s integrity. In fact, their emotion is what makes them feel like heroes to the fans of their home town.