From the Broadcast Booth to… the Other Broadcast Booth

I’ve heard from many successful people that difficulties often lead to great opportunities, and I learned that firsthand on Saturday night. The entire first period of my broadcast in Worcester didn’t go on the air, and the issue couldn’t be fixed until period three. In the meantime, I tried to work around the issue with a few potential solutions while the broadcast company solved the problem, but to no avail. Instead, I spent the second period calling the Providence Bruins–Worcester Sharks game with somebody I figured I would have been working with all along.

One sunny summer afternoon in 2010, I was preparing for a Hudson Valley Renegades broadcast in the press box. I received a phone call from Eric Lindquist, the Voice of the Sharks, discussing a potential on-air partnership the following hockey season. (I noticed one of my current colleagues, Carmine Vetrano, was already working in the AHL as a number two broadcaster, and figured I should aim for the same role, so I emailed Eric and a few other broadcasters trying to create some airtime.)

My conversation with Eric went well, but it ended with the advice that I should pursue other opportunities instead, since I could not commit to a full season if I landed a baseball job elsewhere, and it might be better for my career as well. Ironically enough, I could have taken the position with him, since I ended up with the Worcester Tornadoes (like the Renegades a short-season team) the following summer.

I wouldn’t trade my lead broadcaster job with the P-Bruins for the #2 Sharks gig now, but it’s funny to think I deal with Eric at the ballpark (when he’s calling games on TV for Charter TV3) and in the rink too, including the same arena I thought I would be driving to more often. The Tornadoes front office is only a couple of blocks away from the DCU Center, so I park in the same garage I would to go there.

Calling a period was even easier with Eric than I expected. He made me sound better than I have at any point this season, and he let me give me a shameless plug to the Tornadoes for WTAG‘s listeners. In an ironic twist, I even got to be the play-by-play guy. Eric has been one of a few great mentors for me. I’m glad I’ve been able to work with him one way or another. It’s funny how things work out sometimes.