As I was about to graduate from college, I figured that five years out, I would have taken one of several career paths. Even though my major was vocal music education – and the top option was becoming a high school choir director – I could envision myself doing something completely different.  Perhaps I would be singing in a vocal jazz ensemble (still the preeminent dream of mine). Perhaps I would still satisfy my weather jones as a storm chaser.  Perhaps I would have a show on the radio (thus far, this one is correct).  Or, perhaps I would become the next Pat Summerall or Bob Uecker and do sports play-by-play.

As you have gathered through the years of my column, my sports fascinations are more aligned with the accoutrements of the game – the uniforms, the stadiums, the way the games are televised and covered – as opposed to the athleticism  and in-game stats.  Describing the action in front of me gave more of a thrill than being part of the action. No surprise that in elementary school at Arlington Heights in Eau Claire, my friend Jon Osborne and I would stand on the sidelines of our gym class kickball games to conduct our “broadcast.” I would say we were pretty good for 11-year-olds.

The interest for play-by-play was there; now I needed an outlet. Luther College’s radio sports coverage was done by student volunteers. At the beginning of my sophomore year, my pal Jarrod Leder called me in my dorm and asked if I would like to help out with that Saturday’s football game at St. Olaf.  With that, I was on my way to Northfield, and made my radio debut with a few sideline reports. Soon enough, I was in the booth for color analysis and, finally, play-by-play.

I did mostly play-by-play for football, basketball (my favorite, due to the constant activity), and even a soccer and baseball game in my college years.  Upon returning home, I had some opportunities to broadcast here in the Chippewa Valley, with the most-fruitful being Community Television’s tape-delayed showings of high school football, basketball and hockey (a real challenge – Mike Sullivan, how do you do it?).  My last game was on a rainy night at Chi-Hi in 2007, and I drifted away from play-by-play, as CTV did fewer games and my interests went elsewhere.  However, I recently got a call from the CTV folks to announce a Chi-Hi/Memorial game at Carson Park, and decided to dust-off the ol’ sports voice and “un-retire” from play-by-play.

Play-by-play is my preference to color analysis. Color is best done by someone who has played the sport they are covering, with an intricate knowledge of strategy and tactics.  The play-by-play announcer excels in accurately describing the game with vivid, succinct enunciation.  While possible to be good at both, most people in the booth are good at one role or the other, and I quickly discovered my preference and pleasure at being the relay from the field or court to the radio speakers many miles away.

When in the booth, you need to know what you see. Numbers have to match the players, and players have to match pronunciations.  Names like Knapp and Miloszewicz may not be said the way you might think, and saying them consistently wrong lessens your credibility as an announcer. Know the difference between mediums.  A radio announcer must create a picture for the listener, so every movement of the ball, every pass, every man in motion, should be acknowledged. A television announcer has plenty of pictures doing the work, so that person mainly needs to say who is involved, sound solid and let the game “breathe” (allowing for pauses when the action speaks for itself).  You need to constantly update the score and time, as a person may have just tuned-in the see what’s happening.  Plus, a little poetry provides a balance to the prose.

Getting back in the booth a couple times this autumn was like the proverbial riding of the old bike – a fun old bike.  I’ll do it again this winter for basketball games.  Play-by-play announcing will remain a rare side hobby, a chance to release my inner Chris Berman.  And he could…go…all…the…way!