I really love baseball. The guys and the game, and I love the challenge of describing things. The only thing I hate – and I know you have to be realistic and pay the bills in this life – is the loneliness on the road.
When I was very small, maybe 8 years old, we had a big radio that stood on four legs, and it had a cross piece underneath it, and I used to take a pillow and crawl under the radio.
One of my favorite expressions ever uttered by a player is Roy Campanella’s line about how, in order to be a major-league player, you have to have a lot of little boy in you.
I try to call the play as quickly as I possibly can and then shut up and let the crowd roar because, to me, the crowd is the most wonderful thing in the whole world when it’s making noise.
If I categorized home runs that I’ve seen, without a doubt the monumental one is Henry’s. But I’ve seen a lot of classic, great home runs. Gibson’s was probably the most theatrical home run I’ve ever seen.
If I can get a story about a player, I would give you a ship load of numbers, batting averages and all just for that one precious story. That’s the kind of thing that I love to do.
I think when I first started, I tried to make believe I was in the ballpark, sitting next to somebody and just talking. And if you go to a ballgame, and you sit there, you’re not going to talk pitches for three hours.
To be honest, I’ve never been interested in how many games I’ve done and seen. It doesn’t mean anything to anybody. All I know is I’m eternally grateful for having been allowed to work so many games.
In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you’re no longer a fan. I don’t root for the Dodgers, really. I just try to do the game as best I can. And the winning and the losing will take care of itself.
