BBB: When did you know you wanted to broadcast baseball?
MVW:I was probably about nine or ten years old. I was watching a Tigers
TV broadcast (Hall of Famers George Kell and Al Kaline) with my Dad. For
whatever reason, I began asking him about the broadcasters and how
they got their jobs. Once he told me not only do they get to go to all the
games but they actually get paid to go, I was sold and knew what I wanted
to do when I grew up.
BBB: What is the most challenging thing about broadcasting in the
minor leagues? How do you deal with those challenges?
MVW:There are quite a few things that can challenge you as a baseball
broadcaster. There are different challenges that a minor league guy faces
that maybe a big league guy doesn’t. A major league broadcaster has
what most of the minor league guys want, a big league play by play job.
The challenge for the minor leaguer is to get in position to get taken
seriously by a big league club when there is an opening and you send
something out. Most times that means getting to AAA. That doesn’t mean
that someone from A or AA won’t get a big league job, there have been a
couple of A guys the past few seasons that have made the big jump. So, it
certainly does happen. Moving up in the ranks certainly is not an exact
science, for every different person you ask on how to get there, you may get
an answer on how to do it that is different each time. The best way to deal
with that whole issue is to do the best job you can where ever it is your
calling games. All you can do is the best job that you can do. Worry about
what’s out of your hands and you’ll drive yourself nuts. There are a few
things that all broadcasters have to deal with regardless of level. The most
difficult thing can be trying to avoid “hitting the wall.” 140 games in 152
days is a lot of games without a whole lot of days off. You miss out on a lot
of things during the summer that people with “normal jobs” are able to do.
You make a lot of phone calls and send out a ton of email to try and stay
as “normal” as you can and try not to miss out on a whole lot. Being the
eyes and ears for the team’s fans and the parents of the players, it’s
important to sound upbeat and professional at all times, even if the result
of the at bat or the game is not positive. I’ve always found as the
broadcaster, I need the field staff and the players a lot more than they need
me. It can sometimes be a tight rope to walk, to try and sound professional
and objective without being overly critical. The team I broadcast for the past
three years has not qualified for the playoffs and is a combined 80 games
under .500. That’s been difficult, because all of us in the business would
love to broadcast for a winning team. I’ve always tried to go by mantra that
you talk about what takes place on the field and you keep (or try to as best
you can) your personal feelings out of it. You’re not always going to like
every player on your team or all of the coaches assigned to the club either.
But from a career longevity standpoint, you had better figure out a way to be
professional. I keep a 3×5 note card in front of me during the season that
says “Be Professional.” As cheesy and as simple as that sounds, it has
kept me (more than once) from saying something that could have
potentially gotten me in hot water. It always helps me to have that reminder
in front of me. I don’t think there is a perfect formula to try and deal with all
of the obstacles that you run into. I just try to take it one day at a time and
have been very fortunate to have supportive and great people behind me.
BBB: Who did you listen to growing up? Favorite announcers etc..?
MVW:I was pretty fortunate growing up in the Midwest, where there were
hall of fame announcers for virtually every team. Ernie Harwell with the
Tigers, Jack Buck with the Cardinals on KMOX, Jack Brickhouse and Harry
Caray on WGN with the Cubs and Bob Uecker with the Brewers. On the TV
side, I got to watch and listen to George Kell and Al Kaline on Tigers
Broadcasts. Both had hall of fame careers as players but were also
outstanding as announcers. The NBC Game of the Week featured Vin
Scully. You’re obviously not going to do any better than that. Each one of
those announcers is/was so skilled in telling the story and painting the
picture. The quality of the broadcasting and the entertainment value with all
of them is second to none. It gave me a great idea of what a play by play
announcer should try and sound like.
BBB: Who has had the most influence on you professionally?
MVW:I have gotten a lot of help and a lot of great advice from numerous
people, both in the industry and outside of it. I’ve learned more about the
game of baseball from a strategy standpoint and what the game is really
all about from former Michigan State Baseball Coach Tom Smith. I had the
privilege of working with Coach when I was the broadcaster for the
Lansing Lugnuts in ’96 and ’97. He is one of the funniest people you’ll
ever meet and taught me more about the game than anyone I have ever
known. Over the past few years I have gotten invaluable advice from (in no
particular order) Mario Impemba of the Tigers, Steve Stewart of the Reds,
Mike Capps of the Round Rock Express and Bruce Gilbert of ESPN Radio.
It means a great deal to me that four true pros have offered up their time
and advice to try and help me improve and progress in my career. My
parents, Ken and Sharon, have also had a big influence on my career. My
dad is always there to tell it like it is. Even though he is not a broadcaster
by trade, he’s a pretty knowledge sports fan and knows what he likes to
hear from a game broadcast. If I’m not getting the job done, he let’s me
know. My mom is the same way, although I think your mom is required to
tell you you’re doing a great job, even if you aren’t. She’s always been
there to pick me up when I need it.
BBB: What is the off season like for you?
MVW:The off season can sometimes drag. I always stay really busy during
the season with 140 games in 152 days. Once the off season rolls
around, it takes some time to adjust to the fact that there won’t be a game
to broadcast at the end of the day. I keep busy with the “Dragons Speaker’
s Bureau,” a part of the team’s community relations program offering free
speakers to area organizations. Since I took over the program at the end of
the 2000 season, we’ve made close to 600 appearances on behalf of the
organization. I also keep busy with the Dragons Media Guide and helping
out with our Play Ball! game program. I get to keep my feet wet from a
broadcasting stand point, hosting a portion of the University of Dayton
Basketball Pre game Show. I have a lot of fun talking college hoops and
trying to show that I know more than just baseball.
BBB: In what ways are you a better broadcaster now than when you first
started?
MVW:The fact that I have called more and more games over time I think
has improved me. During the first week of the 2005 season, I broadcasted
my 1000th minor league game since my first back in 1995. In going back
and listening to the audio, there is certainly a huge difference between
game number one and game number 1,000. In the ten years since I
started working in baseball, I’d like to think I have gotten a lot smarter, both
from a broadcasting standpoint and in general terms. You don’t have to be
the most cerebral guy on your block to be a broadcaster but I think it helps
and goes a long way to making your broadcast more interesting and
entertaining. I think I have also become a better listener. One of the best
pieces of advice (and earliest in my career) I have ever gotten came from
Lee Shirvanian, the long time broadcast voice of the University of South
Alabama Baseball and Basketball teams. He told me that the better a
listener you become, the easier it will be to improve yourself. He’s
absolutely right. At the end of each season I send out a few CD’s to
selected broadcasters to get their opinions on where I am at with my ability
to call a game. While I enjoy getting back positive comments, what helps
me out the most is the “constructive criticism.” Those comments on what I
could and should do to make my work better. When I first started, I was
very defensive about anyone trying to point out ways I could improve taking
those comments as a negative. Once I realized those comments were/are
being said to help me call a better game and to improve me as a
broadcaster, I look forward to getting them.
BBB: Describe some of the positives about working at Dayton.
MVW:Dayton is the closest thing to working for a AAA team without working
for a AAA team. In each of our six seasons, we’ve been in the top 10 in
attendance in all of Minor League Baseball averaging over 8,300 people
per game. The Cincinnati Reds have been outstanding to work with. I don’t
think we as an affiliate could ask for a better parent club. Fifth Third Field
looks better heading into year seven than it ever has. As great as all of that
is, I think the best thing about being in Dayton is the people. Out of all the
places I have been fortunate to work, Dayton has the most knowledgeable
fan base. They support the team win or lose and pack the stands every
night. One of the neatest things I have ever seen in six seasons with the
Dragons was the standing ovation given to a Quad City pitcher by 8,500
people after he no-hit Dayton at Fifth Third Field. The fans here are 100%
pro Dragons but also know when to applaud an outstanding effort or
performance even if it comes from some one wearing a visitor’s uniform.
BBB: What is your favorite road stop in the Midwest League?
MVW:Without a doubt West Michigan. I grew up about forty minutes from
Grand Rapids in a small town on Lake Michigan called Port Sheldon. For
me going back there is going back home. My parents now live in GR so it’s
great to be able to get them out for games when we travel there. The
Whitecaps front office staff is first class and always makes it a real special
trip for me. Fifth Third Ball Park is a great place to broadcast a game from
and the food at the ballpark is the best you’ll have. The best…any stadium,
any sport. Trust me on this one, as a broadcaster if nothing else, I know
food!
BBB: How would you describe your style?
MVW:I try and broadcast a game like someone that I would enjoy listening
to if I were in the audience. Be descriptive, paint the picture. If you close
your eyes, you should have a clear image of what’s going on based on my
words. The broadcaster’s I listened to growing up were all story tellers,
they told you about the action and gave you background on the players and
the game without jamming worthless stats down your throat. Stats have
their place and a lot of times are necessary. But what a player hits against
a left hander with two outs and a runner at first base in his third at bat of
the second game of a double header doesn’t mean much to me. As a fan I
don’t care. I like to think of myself as a fan lucky enough to have the best
seat in the stadium (which in Dayton, I do). I try to make it as fun as I
possibly can. I’ll try and be poignant in my commentary but will always be
the first person to laugh at myself. As a broadcaster I never want to try and
become bigger than the game by making it about me. It hasn’t been, it isn’t
and won’t ever be about the person telling you what’s going on. It’s about
the players on the field and the man at the plate.
Originally published on TheSoundofBaseball.com in 2006.
Tags: Dayton Dragons, Mike Vander Wood