Long Days In Single-A Baseball

I am not sure too many people realize the amount of work and hours it takes to be a broadcaster in Minor League Baseball, at least at the Single-A level. I am not sure on the hours put in by Double-A and Triple-A broadcasters since I have yet to reach that plateau, but in Single-A, the days were long and grueling.

I was in a discussion with a college kid the other day about working in broadcasting and the day to day work expected. We got on the subject of my days in baseball and he, like I am sure everyone else in college or people that are not familiar with the industry, assumed I worked just the game. So a typical day was about four, maybe five hours long.

On the contrary, I usually was at my desk at 8:30 in the morning and did not leave the office until 11:30 p.m., sometimes later if there was a rain delay, double-header, or the game just dragged on. If you want to know what I did exactly, you can read about a typical day on the job here.

Try doing seven, eight, 10 days like that in a row. Try doing six days in a row like that, then having to be back at work at six in the morning because you have a game at Noon to prepare for.

Those days were the trickiest for me, games that started at 10:30 a.m. or Noon games. Sometimes the stats were updated instantly on the web and most work could be done after the game so I would stay up until one and two in the morning getting my game notes done for the early game the next day.

However, there are those times when other games in the league and in the organization go long and the stats don’t get updated. So the only option is to wake up at five or six in the morning to get the work done in time for that early start.

The hours I put in during a typical week usually added up to around 90 hours a week on average.

There are also the long bus rides and overnight trips to and from cities. Don’t expect to get too much sleep on those buses, they are not the most comfortable things in the world. The seats are usually close together and are tough on the knees, back and neck. If we have a sleeper bus, the rookies and first year guys immediately head to the beds thinking those are the prime seats.

Within an hour of the trip, guys are pouring out of the beds because if you have a bed at the top of the bus, it’s hot as hell and you are dripping with sweat. If you have a bed at the bottom, it’s usually the coldest place on the earth.

During a typical summer, a broadcaster can expect maybe 12 days off with three days off in a row for the Mid Season All-Star Game. So take away those three days off, and during a five month season in which 140 games are played, a broadcaster can look at having nine off days. Now depending on where a broadcaster is working and the league, some of those off days have to be used for travel days because cities are so far away, so an off day is not really an off day.

I was fortunate to work in Augusta where most cities were three-four hours away, so our travel was usually done the day of the game, or after the last game of a series.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved working in baseball. Going to work everyday and getting paid to watch baseball and talk about, what more could you ask for? I loved every minute of it!

It is work though, and requires a lot of hours at the lower levels and not much free time. Summer time growing up was the best time of the year. Pool parties, BBQ’s, hanging out at the lake with friends and just enjoying the long summer days.

However, if you want to work as a baseball broadcaster, you need to realize when everyone else is making plans to head out after the game, go to the lake, or whatever, more than likely you will still be working.

So that’s it in a nutshell, a little peak into the world of Minor League Baseball for all those out there who are not familiar, or thinking about getting into it.

A lot of fun, but a lot of work and a lot of hours.

You're Booing? You Just Won the World Series!

How great are Philadelphia Fans? They have the reputation for being the most rude, passionate and flamboyant of sports fans. Everyone knows the story of them booing Santa and throwing snow balls. However, I couldn’t help but to chuckle just a little bit during the presentation of the World Series Trophy.

Keep in mind, the Phillies just won the World Series, just their second in franchise history! They have not won since 1980 and they have just two Championships in 120 years.

You would think that the city and the fans would be so full of euphoria and excitement that they would be cheering like crazy during the Trophy presentation. Nope, not Philly Fans.

As soon as Commissioner Bud Selig was introduced to present the trophy, the cheers immediately changed to a large chorus of BOOOOOOOOOOOOS. It was loud too.

Then, when the Phillies GM Pat Gillick and manager Charlie Manuel gave praise to the Tampa Rays for a great season, another strong chorus of BOOOOOOOS came down. Some say the only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner.

Come on Philly, act like you have been there before! Sure, you only had one other time in the previous 120 years, but come on, so some respect.

Only in Philly.

At least there were no chants of E-A-G-L-E-S. I will never forget going to a game in Philly back in 2006 when the Phillies were playing the Nationals and Washington took a 2-1 lead in the second inning, the second inning now, and boos started raining down and chants of E-A-G-L-E-S started coming from the stands.

I turned to one of the fans and said, “It’s the second innings, are you serious?” His response, “These guys are terrible, I can’t wait until football.”

Congratulations Philadelphia fans and enjoy it. You are World Champions.

I'm Heading to Free Agency...

Augusta, GA - After two years of successfully broadcasting baseball in Augusta, GA, Nick Barrale is hitting the open market as a free agent. When the 2008 season comes to an end, Barrale will have broadcasted all 280 games over the past two years including the playoffs for the GreenJackets.

Hired as the first broadcaster for the Augusta GreenJackets when Ripken Baseball purchased the team, Barrale’s voice brought the action of GreenJackets baseball into the homes of GreenJackets fans in the Augusta area and around the country.

“I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been given the honor of working in Augusta with the GreenJackets and Ripken Baseball,” Barrale said. “The fact that they had enough confidence to bring me on as their first broadcaster means a lot.”

Barrale was the first person set in place that handled both the Media Relations department along with broadcasting games for the GreenJackets, Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

“They really did not know how to structure the broadcasts and they had no radio equipment,” Barrale said. “I had to research and acquire equipment while staying under budget and set up the broadcasts.”

Barrale’s previous skills working with KMOX as a production assistant and producer for St. Louis Cardinals baseball paid off. Barrale produced, edited and voiced many spots and promos that aired not only during the broadcasts, but also over the six other Beasley radio stations in the Augusta area.

Broadcasting skills were just one of the many that made the St. Louis native an attractive fit in Augusta. Barrale’s networking ability along with his creative writing has garnered press releases that brought the GreenJackets national attention in 2008. Working with Minor League Baseball and Baseball America, Barrale was able to arrange and coordinate interviews with players for national exposure for online and printed articles over the past two years.

In April of 2008, Barrale pitched ideas to the Golf Channel’s Adam Barr that resulted in a feature story on the ’Jackets that aired during the Master’s, one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world.

Barrale again worked his creativeness into a press release for Brett Favre Night that gained national attention on news networks such as ESPN and CNN. Barrale appeared on Chris Myers’ nationally syndicated show on Fox Sports Radio talking about the promotion and the GreenJackets season.

Along with writing over 500 game recaps in his five years in baseball, close to 300 press releases, and broadcasting nearly 500 games, Barrale set himself apart with his skills on the computer with his web and graphic design work.

Barrale helped in creating custom graphics for the Augusta web site that highlighted player accomplishments and press releases. Barrale also used his web design skills and audio editing talent to create links to game highlights so fans could read the game recaps along with hearing the highlights from the previous night’s game.

“I really wanted to give fans another reason to go to the web site,” Barrale said. “I looked at all these other web sites out there and they featured highlights and fans get a real kick out of hearing them.”

Along with the highlights, Barrale created a link on the web site so fans could access the in-depth game notes he worked on daily to stay informed on all the latest stats and trends.

The GreenJackets have no plans right now to continue with radio in the 2009 season.