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First, the videos and the funny stuff: More funny next time...but this is still pretty good stuff...
Edward Mujica is caught sleeping!
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One of the tough things as a broadcaster is you got to pick your spots on what comments to explain and elaborate on and what to just leave as is. Comments are interpreted differently by different people. Not everything you say is as cut and dry as: a routine ground ball to the shortstop Herbek, he plays it on a couple of hops and throws over to first for the out.
I have got to call it how I see it but, maybe this is just me being a 22 year-old who knows he has no skins on the wall, I am not about to use my platform to bash anyone. If someone is not playing well I have to identify it, but I am not going to sit there and rant about that player's struggles. I try, as best as I can, to put a positive spin on everything. And, I am lucky in that I have yet to have a parent voice anything other than positive towards me, but broadcasting to them has the potential of being very difficult. Because every parent is their son's (or daughter, in a different spot) biggest fan. And when their son strikes out or commits an error, they are not going to like what they hear. Hypothetically, you are broadcasting my hypothetical son's game and you say, Sandler chases wildly on the breaking ball out of the zone for the strikeout, I would hope I can translate that as: well, my son swung at a bad pitch and struck out and not as: the broadcaster just said that my son has no command of the zone and he is awful and he struck out because he swung at the worst pitch. That's
more rambling...back to the issue.
There has been a time this year when I made a comment about a player and immediately afterwards thought, wait a second, I wonder if someone might interpret it differently than how I meant it. So, what did I do? I immediately went to that player after the game and said, I said this, I meant it in this way, but I wonder if people might think of it differently. I just wanted to let you know that that is not at all how I intended for it to come across. Luckily, in that instance, I was wrong in my uncertainty of the interpretation, but if it became an issue I would make sure to address it on air if I felt necessary. Additionally, not that I make polarizing comments, but I make sure I am always available to the players in case they have a question about something I said, a right I feel like they have but, thankfully have not needed to exercise yet.
And to the point: I will not get into specifics because it is not relevant, but I made a comment on a recent broadcast that was totally misconstrued. Overhearing it, someone made mention of it to a person they thought it reflected poorly on and that person approached me. I was able to explain what I touched on above that, in making that comment I did not intend to reflect anything negative at all. Thankfully, that person and I had a very strong relationship before hand which was founded upon a mutual respect and the air was cleared. Unfortunately, I did not even consider that the comment had negative connotations so that person approached me first. Another good thing is that it did not i
nvolve a player, coach, or parent because those can be tricky. What I'd like to make clear to anyone who listens is this: If you have an issue with a comment I make or want clarification as to what I meant, please email me. radio@gfvoyagers.com. Understand this, though 22 and without skins, it is still my job to broadcast what I see and a lot of times, in addition to calling what I see, I need to explain why. Just because someone is unhappy, I cannot then lie about what is going on. But, I will never use my microphone to throw someone under the bus.
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First, the Great Falls Voyagers. The team has been playing much better. The addition of Keenyn Walker has added much-needed depth to the lineup. I think the offensive success the team has had since his arrival (the last three games against Orem notwithstanding), will rub off and carry forward even if he were to leave at some point to move upward within the organization.
One of the interesting quirks of the Pioneer League is the unbalanced schedule, half-to-half. In the first half we, along with Billings, play Orem and Ogden seven times each, while Missoula and Helena play Idaho Falls and Casper seven times each. Those matchups are then flip-flopped in the second half. But, with that being said, on paper, the teams that draw the Utah squads seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage as those two squads have clearly established themselves as the two superior teams in that division, whereas, up until the beginning of interdi
vision play, everyone was bunched together in the North.
Regardless, you still have to play the games and Missoula has gotten hot and they have established themselves as the team to beat with just ten games to go. Great Falls is not out of it, but having to battle with Helena and overtake Billings and Missoula will be tough considering almost all of the remaining first half schedule is against Ogden (4) and Orem (4, including tonight).
It isn't over. I wouldn't count any time that's just 3 games back with ten games to play out of any race, especially not this bunch, a very resilient group. But, regardless of what happens the rest of this half, I am very excited for the second half with, in my opinion and nothing factual, the team's played better baseball more consistently as the season has progressed.
Either way, ten games to go and an important one tonight. I am not sure how much home field plays a role at this level and in this particular league. I think home field in some cases is very overblown, but in others it isn't. It must be analyzed on a player-by-player, team-by-team, league-by-league, and maybe even sport-by-sport case basis. Still, to have a seven-game homestand, I would have to guess finishing above .500 is a goal. The team is 3-3 through six games and can not only avoid a three-game losing streak with a win tonight, but they can secure a winning record over the weeklong return home. Jarrett Casey is on the mound. Let's Get It!
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Two players are leaving today (or, will have left by the time you read this): J.C. Casey and Jerry Puentes. Let me give you a little brief on each as, in such a short time, I am not sure how exposed people were to either.
J.C. was an undrafted free agent signee. While I did not know him, I broadcasted for a team in a league he played in in the Northwoods League last summer. He was one of the league's best pitchers. An all-around athlete, he has several of high school's records for various sports. A great kid, a hard worker, and a really neat story. He basically was picked up by the White Sox after going 10 scoreless relief innings in a big conference tournament game. Through the baseball inner-circles and a scout being from his area and a friend of his coach and there to support the coach happening to see the outing, J.C. was picked up. I spent a decent amount of time with him because I had to carpool him and other new guys to and from the field to their hotel until they get put up with a host family. J.C. was about as thankful for the rides as anyone. The rides weren't tough, but I think it just shows how genuine of a person he is. No one wants to just get up and leave but he had a positive attitude about the move and is excited to hopefully get more innings. I am taking him to the airport to catch a 6AM flight and am excited to see him off.
Jerry Puentes was the youngest member of the Voyagers and, unt
il his birthday yesterday, the team's only teenager. Unfortunately, Jerry heard the news he was being sent down on his birthday. Both he and J.C. are being sent "down," but I don't think, at this level, that should have as negative of a connotation as it might as player progress in other levels. To me, it's kind of like the whole, A coach who doesn't yell at you is a coach who doesn't care maxim. If the organization didn't care as much, they'd just let Jerry stay in Great Falls and play in 3 games a week. Instead, he'll go to Bristol and get more consistent playing time. I didn't know how the dynamic would play out between the American-born players and the Latin-American born players, and I can only speak for this clubhouse, but EVERYONE gets along really well. Jerry, or, "Yeddy" as his teammates called him, was always smiling and having a blast. His teammates loved him and would tell you, despite his inconsistent grasp of speaking the language (he understands just about everything), he is the funniest guy on the team. He was such a joy to be around. He would always go out of his way to say hi. And was always trying to make people happy.
The tough part of sports, whether it is as a player, a coach, a fan, or a broadcaster, is the turnover amongst the personnel. I spend a ton of time with these guys and it's tough seeing them leave. I am not going to lie and say that I have an amazing relationship with everyone I have ever broadcasted, but when you witness the work these guys put into their craft and the pressures they deal with and the odds they are trying to defeat, its so tough to not outwardly want them to ALL succeed to the degree that they want to. I hope Jerry and J.C. continue to improve as ballplayers and that they do not forget that, while they are still chasing a dream, they are, at the same time, living a dream.
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I have talked about how special it is for me to broadcast Joe and the USC players that we play (Adam Dedeaux and Logan Odom) because that was my USC family. I also had a close relat
ionship with a core group of broadcasters at USC. Not coincidentally, this group happened to be the group who were pursuing broadcasting seriously as a career, not just doing it because it was fun to do in college--which, for those who approached it in that way I had no problem with at all. Of those in our group who have graduated, all four are broadcasting professionally. To me, that is really neat. We all remain in good contact and are very supportive of each other's careers. On top of the four of us, another who was a senior my freshman year, and another who didn't overlap at USC with us but, ironically, is from Dallas, like me, and went to the same school (Greenhill), are also both broadcasting professionally. I really take pride in that. That we came from the same program at USC--a program that is not nearly as heralded as Syracuse's or Northwestern's--and are all chasing our dreams.
Inevitably, our careers are going to take us to different parts of the country but also bring us together. One of the group of four of us (the other three are a year older) is the broadcaster for Orem, Brandon Marcus. It has been really neat to see him and spend time with him before games just chatting. It's a nice change to be able to chat with a broadcaster about life and not just the assortment of pitches their starter throws. I will see him again in a week and I am excited.
Keep an eye out for all of them: Jason Schwartz (Tri-Cities, LEFT), Grant Tunkel (Mahoning Valley, MIDDLE LEFT), Brandon Marcus (Orem, RIGHT), and then Chris Fisher (Eugene and USC Men's Basketball PBP) and Josh Feldman (Kannapolis).
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I just touched on it, but getting broadcast more Trojans that I spent countless hours with while at USC like Adam Dedeaux (Ogden) and Logan Odom (Orem) is really special. Adam threw three innings of relief against us and Logan will start next time around.
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I love getting to meet the parents of players. It really is neat and if you are reading this and will be coming to games, please take time to introduce yourself. I would say that I would go and find you, but I have no clue what you look like. Not that you know what I look like, but, when we are at home, you know where I am and, really, same with the road. Plus, I am the only Jared who will be walking around in a Voyagers polo constantly getting pulled in 12 different directions usually for screwing things up ;-)...just kidding....I hope.
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It was scorching in the press box last night. Gametime temperature was 98 degrees? In the press box, courtesy of official scorekeeper, Mike Lewis, it was 104.1 at gametime. I felt it. I almost an entire roll of paper towels wiping off my sweat. I have a fan but it was just blowing hot air. I am used to getting sweat in my eye as an athlete, but never before as a broadcaster. And, being from Texas, it wasn't the heat that bothered me as much as it was the sweating and pressure that resulted from being in a small enclosed space.
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I am very proud of Blair Walters, who just won Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week. This league is all about improving, right? He has improved each time out, but even at the beginning, you still saw signs that suggested he has great potential. It's funny how good scouts are. For all the times people think they mess something up, there is a Blair Walters. Blair was an 11th round pick, which is a pretty high selection. At Hawai'i he was a reliever, and it's not like he was battling with a staff like UCLA's which featured a Freshman All-American pitching behind two top-5 picks, including the first overall. Yet, they took this lefty in the 11th round committed to making him a starter and he has, allow me to use a baseball term, CARVED! He was made the transition to the rotation seamlessly. I am excited to see him as the season plays out. And, might I mention, another great kid.
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