Today, more and more minor league announcers are getting a chance to show their skills at the major league level.  Many big league teams are dipping into the minors to call up broadcasters from their minor league affiliates to fill in for their major league announcers.  This has provided plenty of opportunities for broadcasters to gain valuable big league experience, if only for a weekend or a series.

When I was in Triple-A Tucson broadcasting in the Pacific Coast League, I was given an opportunity to join the parent Houston Astros broadcast crew for a weekend series.  It was a great learning experience, and although I didn’t do any play-by-play, I assisted in the booth and recorded some pregame interviews.  The experience taught me one major lesson:  I belonged.  Although I realized that the Astros crew of Milo Hamilton and Vince Cotroneo were much more refined as announcers and their level of experience dwarfed mine, I felt that I could hold my own if I was needed to do any play-by-play.  And that in a nutshell was the biggest thing that I learned that weekend.

I have a feeling that the minor league announcers getting a fill-in opportunity these days will likely come away with the same feeling.  Once you get past the expanse of the major league stadiums and get accustomed to the surroundings, the mechanics of calling a game are the same.  The stadiums are bigger, the players are more skilled and the listening audience is much larger, but in the end, relying on your experience and just calling the game will come naturally.

If you are fortunate enough to get a fill-in, major league call-up, here are three things to keep in mind to make the most of your opportunity:

1.  Take prep seriously, but not too seriously.  You definitely want to make certain that you are prepared for the series or games that will be calling.  It is definitely better to  have a little more information available because you can never tell what kind of games you will be calling.  You may get a quick, well-played contest, or one that lasts fifteen innings.  Be ready for anything.  With that said, don’t lose sleep and stress about your amount of prep.  Too much information can bog down your broadcast.
2. Get your rest.  Easier said than done.  The excitement of getting the opportunity to call big league games will surely make it difficult for you to relax and sleep the night before.  The worst thing you can do is to stay up until four o’clock in the morning stressing over your prep.  Get your rest and use the next day to tie up any loose ends.
3. Be yourself.  It sounds like a cliche, but it’s great advice.  You earned this chance by being who you are.  Fight the urge to try to do too much on the broadcast.  Don’t create a new catch phrase or change your style just because you are in a big league booth.  You belong, or you wouldn’t be there.  Stay true to who you are.