Havard Gould
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Photography has helped me in my recovery. In the early years, I was extremely motion-sensitive. Slowing down the world to a shutter speed of, say, 1/250th of second became therapy of an unplanned kind.  Staying "in the moment" in nature (my favorite photo subjects are found in the wild)  was a double dose of brain support.  The point of this page is to show a possibly interesting image and post a few words, all in the hope that it might get my brain back in the habit of writing often.

Who's on first? Heck, who's playing?

6/8/2025

2 Comments

 
Picture

I took this shot of a baseball on a car dashboard to make a point. I'm not picking on any particular baseball broadcasters here. 
​
It's summer. People are hitting the highways and trying to tune out the tedium of long drives. Finding a baseball game on an AM radio can make the kilometers (or miles) slip away more easily.
Unfortunately, it is also true that listening to a game in the car can be more aggravating than the most obnoxious tailgater.
Picture this. 
You are deep into a highway cruise and are thrilled you have discovered a baseball game. You're rambling around the countryside, so there's a good chance it's not your usual team. A distant signal may even have bounced your way, temporarily transporting you to a ballpark you will never visit. Or it's a network game and so likely a chance to listen in as two premiere squads clash in a high profile matchup.
Unfortunately, the announcers are neglecting to pass on the key details of the game. As in which teams are playing.
I recall drifting to Montreal on a four lane blacktop and being told that "The Red Sox lead 1-0"  a total of seven times before being able to figure out who Boston was facing that afternoon.
I once spent more than twenty minutes suppressing radio road rage wondering which New York team was beating which Chicago team. Yankees? Mets? White Sox? Cubs? 
It's radio. You can't see who is on the field. You're driving. You can't legally (or safely) check the box score. Unless you have memorized the schedule or have a deep knowledge of the lineup of every major league team you can empty your gas tank (or drain your battery) before the announcers fill you in on who is on the field. 
On the road or at home, it is sublime summertime joy to find a far off game delivered by a polished play by play team, one that pauses just enough to let you hear the cries of remote popcorn vendors. Baseball is a game that plays beautifully on radio. If you know who is playing.
So here's my plea to baseball broadcasters this summer. 
Please tell us which teams you see in front of you. Tell us fairly often, because we're getting in and out of cars, frequently far from home. Or maybe we have an AM radio tucked under a pillow and have unexpectedly come across a game from Ohio or Pennsylvania or somewhere else. We're often picking up broadcasts from teams we don't follow and we can't follow along unless you tell us who's batting and who's in the field.

"Who's On First"  was a baseball routine by the legendary comedy team of Abbott and Costello. No one ever says it was a bit by Abbott. Or a sketch by Costello. It only works when you say both names. Sort of like baseball on radio.

Here's Abbott and Costello with their classic routine.
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOUFGfK4bU

2 Comments
Simon Dingley
7/13/2025 12:40:15 pm

Very well written and good advice for baseball broadcasters who sometimes forget the information the audience needs to know.

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Michael link
11/4/2025 11:29:06 am

Great post.
As a recent fan of the Blue Jays, following their recent World Series run, I appreciated both your insight and humor re. accessing baseball on the road.
Keep up the wordplay.

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