For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved a good story — fairy tales, biographies, mysteries, romances. I could listen to a good storyteller for as long as they would keep telling. I kept pretty quiet, myself, and in the quiet I began to pick up on the subtleties of the techniques like dramatic pauses, crafty word choices, and strong punch lines. As I got older, I tested my own skills in a variety of ways. I explored storytelling through music, poetry, photography, videography, and, yes, writing.
I certainly tried my hand at each one, learning as I went. I found myself most comfortable in conversations where I had an engaging account to retell, more often than not, thanks to some kind of sporting event. My passion for both storytelling and sports grew, and as I worked to find my way in the sports broadcasting world, I found myself establishing relationships and credibility with athletes, staff and coaches through interviews, shows, and, perhaps most notably, the bus rides.
Let me tell you, if you want to know who people REALLY are, take a 6 hour bus ride with them AFTER a brutal loss. But those are the moments where you realize that sports are about more than the Xs and Os. They're about people.
Soon enough, television broadcasting became my "real job," complete with coverage of Minor League Baseball (If you've not yet heard me mention that in relation to why I'll defend Kolten Wong to the bitter end, then you just haven't been listening). And again, it was the people involved that deepened my love of both the game, and the story of it.
Which brings me here... in a round about way.
You don't need me to try to tell you about spin rate or OPS+ or UZR. There are other people who are way better at that than I. But I'm hoping that I can help tell the story... whatever that story might be.
If I can also make you laugh now and then, or even inspire a heated debate now and then, that'd be cool, too. But I don't want to push my luck.
There's this incredible thing that baseball does in allowing for everyone to enjoy it differently. And I hope I can be part of making your baseball experience even better.