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thebronc · 11 years

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I Can't Believe I Miss Doing THAT

“I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house – that don’t bother me. I can take a few tears now and then and just let em’ out. I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while even tho goin’ on with you gone still upsets me. There are days every now and again I pretend I’m OK…but that’s not what gets me….” – What Hurts The Most, Rascal Flatts (from Me and My Gang)

I Can’t Believe I Miss Doing THAT!

What I do and don’t miss as hockey starts without me

As I start to write this blog the date is October 3rd, 2013, close to six-and-a-half months since my last blog. On that day (March 26) the Trenton Titans – ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers – were in-between games with Atlantic Division foes Elmira (an 8-2 road win on 3/24) and arch-rival and eventual ECHL Champion Reading (a wild 6-4 victory on 3/28 to start a season-ending three-game roadie ending with Elmira and Wheeling).

We had been officially been eliminated from playoff contention a couple games prior, but were on a great run. After some amazing performances and heart-stopping finishes to keep us in the hunt, the Titans would eventually win nine-of-their-last-13, including Shootout wins over a terrific Cincinnati squad (2-1 at home) and a 4-3 comeback beaut to end the year in Wheeling.

I could bore you with stats but I won’t. However the team improved its win total by 11 games and the point total by a full 20 from last year! After going 0-for-6 in Shootouts in 2011-12, Trenton was 4-4. Optimism was running high with the fans, players, coaching staff and front office. Big things were expected for the next season…

And then it was gone.

“What hurt the most was being so close…and having so much to say and watching you walk away. And never knowing what could have been. And not seeing that lovin’ you is what I was trying to do.” – Rascal Flatts.

Officially the team “ceased operations” a couple weeks into April but for all intents and purposes we were done after the team bus got back from Wheeling. I won’t get into whose fault it was and why because I don’t know the whole story – plus it wouldn’t be professional for me to do so even if I did know.

Regardless, after two seasons of fun and frustration, highs and lows, sleepless nights and long days away from home it was over. Gone. A huge chunk of my past and – I believed – my immediate future was done. Sure there were great memories, my kids loved going to games and getting “insider access” to a professional team, but there would be no more.

It hurt like hell and still does. Right now I should be in the office writing press releases, getting interns and preparing Media Guides and player profiles like the rest of the league is doing. They will be getting ready for the season opener on October 18…but I won’t be.

So as the hockey season draws near it got me wondering what I will and won’t miss doing again this year. It’s amazing what you might miss now that you couldn’t wait to get over then.

I won’t miss 10-plus hour bus rides – Even though we had a really nice sleeper bus for the majority of our trips (except to Florida and Reading) that had creature comforts, that ride can really beat you up as an athlete. Now imagine an overweight 45-year old former athlete (yea, me)! That sore back or arthritic joint isn’t real happy with you at eight in the morning after riding all night. But even with all that…

I will miss those long bus rides – There is something amazing about being around a team. The energy is evident, especially after a win. The ride to and from Indiana right before Christmas was cold and looooong. But after nice wins over Evansville and Fort Wayne, time flew by on the way home. Despite a hard-hitting game many didn’t sleep the whole 14-hour ride! There were laughs and stories in an atmosphere second to none. You would have thought it was a party bus. God I miss that time…

I will miss seeing the team virtually every day – As I have written in previous blogs, I was not on the team, but I was treated like I was. Head Coach Vince Williams took me in his confidence; Assistant Joe Trotta always had a story; I traded barbs with Equipment Manager Ross Herrman and trainer Scott Stanhibel. And the players – which there were a lot of over the season – treated me with the respect of an elder, took me in as an equal and sparred with me like a brother. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t been a part of a team and its locker room, but if you have you know it’s a bond you can’t get anywhere else. That is a huge void…

I will miss the other broadcasters – There are a lot of great guys doing amazing work in the Eastern Conference (I haven’t had the chance to meet the guys in the West) – on and off the air. They are years younger than me and several years ahead of me. All of them got into this level of work earlier than me and have a good jump. A couple have moved up to the AHL (Eric Levine: Elmira to Springfield, MA and Alex Reed: Florida – and a Kelly Cup title – to Norfolk, VA) and I’m sure there will be a couple more in the coming years.

I won’t miss driving home from games – Road games were the toughest, whether coming back to Trenton around noon or well after midnight. But home or away, I still had about an hour ride back to my house in Bucks County. It wasn’t the miles that made it long…there was just no direct route to it! When those eyes don’t want to stay open it can be very unnerving.

I will miss post-games at home – Win or lose, the fun I would have with my interns sometimes lasted hours! Telling jokes, trading movies quotes, laughing over something goofy that happened or I (usually) said. Plus the impression my “secretary” Matt Hillman did made me cry. He could do a spot-on Bill Cosby, Adam Sandler “Waterboy” or Mike “Doc” Emmerick that could fool their mothers.

I will miss the nicknames – Another sporting rite of passage. The best nicknames are usually the ones given out by others and not made up for yourself. I’ve written in the past how Coach Williams started calling me “Bronc” (after my radio station outcue) and it immediately stuck with everyone. It took a life of its own…and died all too soon since I won’t be doing regular games on 107.7 FM “The Bronc” at Rider University again.

But I got to give some out too. There was my Head Intern Bobby (Fives) Giaquinto (see if you can figure out why!), the Secretary (Hillman), and station board ops Brandy “You’re A Fine Girl” Lukas, “Thunder” Dan Marley, “Duke of Cool” J.J. Duke, Sam “Van” Morrison to name a few.

The players didn’t go unscathed either. I called our captain Andy Bohmbach “The Big Easy” after PGA golfer Ernie Els – both were big, talented, smooth and made it look so easy most of the time. Andrew Johnston came back and forth from the Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL and I called him “O.C.”, due to his uncanny resemblance to the actor who played Jack O’Callahan in the movie “Miracle”, Michael Maneuto. My best player nickname however may have been for goalie Adam Decker. After getting a win at home in his only appearance as a Titan, I even had a company he could be a spokesman for…I called him “Blockin” Decker (told you I was goofy).

I won’t miss 3 am equipment unloads in the middle of the winter…or ever! – I doesn’t matter if its Kalamazoo, MI, Toledo, OH or Wheeling, WV…trying to get yourself cranked up after little sleep on the bus is tough. It’s worse when its 10 degrees out or worse! And Cincinnati, OH is the toughest having to navigate stairs and a nasty ramp! How the Equipment Guys at any level of hockey do it day in and out is a testament to their ability. Don’t believe me? – move your living room in and out of your house in late January at 3 am. Now do it for six months…you’ll understand real quick.

I will miss the fans, home and away – It didn’t matter if it was a smaller (Elmira, Wheeling, Kalamazoo) or larger (Fort Wayne, Orlando, Gwinnett, GA, Cinncy) arena – the emotions of a crowd always helped dictate the mood of the broadcast. Of course I loved being Atop Mount Olympus at our Sun National Bank Center, but good fans can be found anywhere, and there are plenty of them in the “E”…even those no longer with a home team to cheer for…

There is so much more I could say I will or won’t miss, but I just don’t want to think about it anymore for a while. All I know is that I wish I was still telling you all about it…from my perch high Atop Mount Olympus…

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thebronc · 11 years

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Stepping Stone

Trying to improve records while advancing careers

Being a fan of a minor league hockey team has got to be the toughest thing in sports outside of playing the game. Injuries affect lineups at every level, but the constant ebb and flow of players being released or called up the food chain can drive you crazy. No sooner can you get a player, start liking him (buying his jersey, etc) and maybe see your team’s record improve, then – ZIP! – he is off to help a club in a higher league.

Football and basketball don’t have this issue, since they don’t even have a minor league system. Baseball has a HUGE feeder system of up to seven teams (Fall League, 2 Rookie League, Short A, Long A, Double and Triple A levels). But other than a trade, when the Phillies make a move, its vertical not diagonal. If I was playing Double A in Reading (going back to youthful dreams here!), the Phils would either hold me there, send me up to Lehigh Valley (AAA), PA, or down to Lakeland (AA), FL. You would never see them “loan” me to the Indianapolis Indians (NY Mets) or Syracuse Chiefs (Wahington Nationals).

Hockey is a much different animal. With the Titans being a Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, it isn’t unusual to see a guy like Jason Akeson or Blake Kessel – both originally with our AAA big-brothers in Adirondack (AHL) – be “sent down” to us or called back up when the situation warrants it. Plus, it can be for a day, a week, a couple games, a month…whatever is needed.

And – as you could imagine – those needs are based on what is needed by the higher level club. Last year when the Flyers’ Ilya Bryzgalov got sick, an Adirondack goalie was brought up. Did they run out to find a netminder? No, and why should they? A simple call to the Titans and up came Brad Phillips, a Philadelphia signee. Same thing happened this year, causing us to lose Cal Heeter for a spell. It was the Titans and Head Coach Vince Williams who had to search to fill their void for however long it might be. And there is nothing wrong with that – that’s the way it should be and is for every “lower level” minor league team. That is what we are here for…to help our higher affiliates.

But as stated earlier hockey is a much different animal. When this year’s NHL lockout was over and the NHL-AHL shuffling was finished, teams needed bodies…a lot of them. Many with ECHL affiliates not only brought up players in their system, they went looking everywhere to fill their rosters. And rivalries be damned, they would get them.

While Trenton is affiliated with Philly, it has a very good professional relationship with New Jersey. Players like Kelly Zajac, Bryan Haczyk, Kory Nagy and Scott Wedgewood have been sent to us by them and their AHL affiliate in Albany. Our own Eric Baier was loaned by us to them last year. This season he spent a bunch of time with the Providence Bruins, AHL team for Boston – think there is any bad blood there considering recent Stanley Cup Playoff history? Plus add Toronto to the mix. They have no ECHL team, so when the Toronto Marlies (AHL) needed a defenseman, they found our Ryan Grimshaw to their liking and called him up. That’s three Eastern Conference foes – with AHL teams that face Adirondack often by the way – that do business with their rival.

Below is a partial list of the players we have lost just this season to the AHL (team and date included), with some still there:

Jason Akeson (ADK, reassigned 11/19), Matt Konan (ADK, reassigned 12/4), Mike Banwell (Worcester, loaned 12/11), Phil DeSimone (ALB, recalled 12/24), Marcel Noebels (ADK, reassigned 1/1/13), Blake Kessel (ADK, reassisgned 1/3/13, now back with us), Ian Slater (ADK, recalled 1/3/13), Ryan Grimshaw (TOR, loaned 1/7/13, with rights now traded away), Shane Harper-Andrew Johnston-Matt Mangene (ADK, all recalled 1/9/13, though Harper & Johnston are back now), Kelly Zajac (ALB, recalled 1/16/13) and David Laliberte (ADK, signed AHL deal 1/24/13).

Did you get all that? That is a lot of firepower gone in just over a month or so. Noebels, the ECHL Rookie of the Month for December, has continued his scoring ways in Adirondack, and is in the Top 10 on the team in goals. Konan and Laliberte have also picked up points, while Slater has continued his up-tempo, aggressive play. Zajac and DeSimone have scored plenty since their call-ups, Banwell has scored in his AHL time and Grimshaw has appeared in six games for the Sharks.

We have been fortunate to get some guys back, like Baier (lost again by his 3rd trip to the AHL – now with Charlotte), Nagy and Hostetter (lost due to injury), Berube (back in Albany) and Haczyk (ALB). Then don’t forget Cal Heeter, who was reassigned from Adirondack after Niko Hovinen was released by Philly. Heeter was 7-11 with a 2.97 goals against through the first 20 games in his rookie season. We have since lost him due to recall back to the AHL, but Scott Wedgewood was loaned back to us after a call-up to Albany and Brooks Ostergard has done well since joining us about a month ago.

But for every player coming, there is another one leaving. You are only allowed 20 active players and two on reserve. So when multiple players leave – even for only a game – an equal number take their place. Here are those who have been with us, even if only briefly:

Second Lt. Marcel Alvarez (reported to Ft. Benning, GA, rights traded to Gwinnett); goalies Matt DiGirolamo and Jody O’Neill, emergency goalies Eric Swanick and Brian Markowicz; defenseman Gentry Zollars and forwards Chris McKelvie, Pier-Olivier Moran, Brad Peltz (recalled by Ottawa), Ray DiLauro, Kelsey Wilson, Harry Young, Drew Akins and Adam Presizniuk.

And that list doesn’t include the following players who were traded – Mitch Versteeg, Luke Pither, Justin Taylor, Jim McKenzie, Ryan Hayes, Andrew Conboy and Alexandre Beauregard to name a few. All told, 55 players (including the current ones) have gone through the locker rooms at the Sun National Bank Center during the regular season alone so far this season. There were 60 during all of last season. That’s a lot of name plates for jerseys and corrections to programs for us alone! The other 22 ECHL teams and their fans have dealt with similar situations.

So fans, hang in there and be proud of what your team is doing. Sure, wins are the primary goal, but the ability to offer a future generation of players to the AHL and beyond is quite important as well. To date, over 500 ECHL players made the NHL, and Trenton wants to continue adding to that number.

#trenton titans #new jersey #hockey #ice hockey #echl #nhl #ahl #Philadelphia Flyers #adirondack phamtoms #athletes #nhl lockout

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thebronc · 11 years

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High Atop The REAL Mount Olympus

A night in the press level of an NHL game in Philadelphia

“We’ll get higher and higher, straight up we’ll climb…So baby dry your eyes, save all the tears you’ve cried…Cause that’s what dreams are made of.” – Dreams, Van Halen (w/Sammy Hagar)

Philadelphia, PA (March 26, 2013) – There are a lot of perks to being an athlete at any level – even high school kids get treated well during whatever season their sport is in. But as you can imagine, professional athletes see the most and coolest perks, whether its transportation, best seats in restaurants, theaters, concerts, other sporting events, whatever. Even on practice and game days the players are taken care of so they can go and perform at their very best.

But what about the media? They get treated pretty well too – even at high school games. They get into games free, usually good seats – very important in games with possible bad weather like football whose fields usually have press boxes – access to players and get paid for it! Broadcasters tend to get put a notch above that, first radio then television though both are important for the fan who can’t attend. Every now and then, quietly, even those guys get to enjoy some benefits.

Just like I am tonight.

Thanks to Zack Hill and the Flyers’ Media Relations/Communications Department, I got to take in a Flyers game at the Wells Fargo Center against the New York Rangers. It wasn’t the game, opponent, or that the Flyers were celebrating Kimo Timonen’s 1,000th NHL game that made it cool (though it was), it was that I got so sit high atop the ice from the Press Box. Actually its more than a Box…it takes up a whole side on the top level of the Center. This IS Mount Olympus, at least for those associated with the Flyers organization.

The view is higher than that in the Sun National Bank Center (my Mount Olympus), but I think it is actually closer than Allen County War Memorial where Fort Wayne plays. It is at a sharper angle than both and almost feels like the view in the NHL video games. Still it’s a good look and you could probably call a game from where I’m at.

Even with a sold-out arena (on a Tuesday no less!), it is amazing how clear the view looks and sounds – it looks like you are watching the best HDTV ever made. And every sound is amplified. The stick contact is so loud you think your ears are right next to it.

The TV/Radio guys sit off to my left – Jim Jackson and Bill Clement (with producer) for CSN, then comes visiting TV, Flyers’ radio then visiting radio. Our booth has former Flyer Chris Therien paired with the dynamite pipes of Tim Saunders, whose voice belies his size. After several phone calls and emails – he was going to do some games in Trenton before being sent to Adirondack (AHL) during the NHL lockout – I finally got to meet him and he couldn’t have been more gracious with his brief time before his broadcast. I look forward to talking with him again to hear his stories and pick his brain.

The broadcasters have live-game monitors to help follow the action, but they tend to use them mainly for replays. They are similar but much smaller than the HDTV’s that hang in front of us (showing the game on a slight delay), which have the Comcast SportsNet (CSN) feed going.

Just below me sits a huge volume of print media from NY and Philly. It almost seems ridiculous there would be this many for a late season game, even against a division rival. I can only imagine what a nationally broadcast or playoff game would be like with coverage. There wouldn’t be room to move!

The off-ice officials sit right below me. I never get to see what our guys do during a game, but if it is half of what these guys do, it’s amazing and impressive. I can hear them during play and it sounds like a very detailed play-by-play call of the game, as one guy is calling out various items like who shot the puck, blocked by whom, what player over the blue line on a break and much more. They detail enough information to provide three times what they do (or need!) in the ECHL. Our staff is good, but these are the best of the best…you have to be to work these games.

At the moment I write this our Boys are down 3-0 in the second, but just had Wayne Simmonds (who left earlier in the period after being hit in the face by the puck on a teammate’s clearing attempt) score in the final two minutes on the power play. The place erupts, but it was the goal horn that caught my eye (ear?). Even in a bigger arena than WesBanco in Wheeling, this horn sounds louder than the volume the Nailers had theirs set at last year. The big difference is that it isn’t 100 feet from your ear!

There was a call for review as the puck went in off Simmonds’ skate, which set off the crowd. But a quick review confirmed the goal, immediate releasing an ear-splitting blast from the horn and the crowd. The noise sure doesn’t hurt as much when it’s for you and not against you!

(Side note for Trivia Time: Name the two coaches to take the Flyers and Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals! Answer at the end of the blog).

Just above and in front of me are all the Flyers and Sixers banners, showing the titles that were won and the retired numbers of those great heroes that helped achieve them. The Phantoms banners have accompanied them to Adirondack, while for those whose banners no longer hang (Billy Joel and the Arena Football League’s Philadelphia Soul to name a few), their location remains a mystery.

Philly makes it 3-2 now with under 14 minutes to play thanks to Jakup Voracek’s face (or somewhere near it) as it deflected and redirected a Claude Giroux blast past Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers counter a couple minutes later with Rick Nash’s second of the night, setting off the fans into a different kind of frenzy. Scribes all around me are feverishly pounding away on their computers so stories can beat early deadlines. They will finish them before they head down to the locker rooms to get the post-game quotes that they will insert into their stories before sending them to whichever medium will be printing them.

Three media timeouts are taken each period (14, 10 and 6 minute marks) and the Flyers “grounds crew” comes out with some of the Flyers Ice Girls. All are on skates and equipped with shovels go clear the “snow” that is created from all the violent stops and starts these amazing athletes create. The whole dance takes about two minutes to finish.

A fifth Rangers goal sends a good chunk of this sold out crowd home for the night, as the Flyers now have seven points to make up with 16 to play. A daunting task, but one they can do. The media guys (and ladies) will start to head down to the locker room for those quotes. I will be with them, but only to observe how Media Relations is handled at the NHL Level. I have seen the private and game locker rooms for the Flyers, but any description will have to wait another night. I have to get home to prepare for the final three Titans games this season, so I can bring it all to you from Atop Mount Olympus!

(TRIVIA ANSWER: It was Fred Shero and Mike Keenan. Shero took the Flyers to 3 consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 1973-76 (winning 2 & losing the last one), then went with the Rangers in 1978-79, losing to Montreal. Keenan lost the 1984-85 (in five games) and the 1986-87 Finals (seven games) to Edmonton. He led the Rangers to the Cup in 1993-94, winning in seven over Vancouver).

#Trenton Titans #echl #ice hockey #nhl #ahl #Philadelphia Flyers #adirondack phamtoms #media #press #wells fargo center #new york rangers

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thebronc · 11 years

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Dealing In Wheeling

Wheels…stay under me, stay under me. Wheels…stay under me. ”Wheels”, by Restless Heart.

Another chance to hit the road for the Titans – and a chance to peek behind the curtain of the Traveling Stick Show that is Trenton Titans Hockey. This time it is a rare, but tough Wheeling, WV, to Elmira, NY, 3-game roadie.

Wheeling is first and the Nailers are always tough at home against us. Part of their success is the rink at WesBanco Arena. While an older venue, the outside looks more modern than inside, where the respectful term “barn” is appropriate (as when hockey players say “this is a great barn to play in”). Seats surround the rink, but a vast majority of the 5,406 orange chairs are on the sides, with only a very small handful at each end. There are no boxes for goal judges, only a seat in small area between the glass and a wall, as every inch of space seems to be used.

While the broadcast area is inside one of the offensive zones, you are close enough to the action that you seem to be able to see everything at the opposite end with very little trouble. The toughest part of the rink is the neutral zone, which is much smaller than normal and maybe the smallest in the Eastern Conference if not the league. While stats are probably not kept, I’ll wager that WesBanco has the most icing calls in the league each year.

But while the middle is small, that means the offensive/defensive zones get a lot of action, so you have to be on your toes. That 3-line pass tends to happen even quicker so you have to guard against the odd man break even more, even if you are probably already on you blue line defensively to start.

The horn in the arena is also unique, as I have mentioned in previous blogs. It was louder than a jet engine and made your teeth rattle, especially sitting nearly right under it like I do. Fortunately the volume has been turned down somehow in it, so your ears don’t scream at you after a goal, even though I still sit near it.

The greatest part of the Arena is the concourse, which has displays and tributes to all the professional teams, high schools (Ohio Valley Conference) and great players that have come through the area.

Bill Mazeroski (Pittsburgh Pirate great), Lou Holtz (NY Jets and Notre Dame National Champion football coach) and 70’s-80’s actor Robert Urich (TV show Vegas and the inspirational sports movie The Rocky Bleier Story about the former Steelers’ running back) are just a few of the national celebrities that have come from the area. There are pictures, articles, programs, trophies and uniforms dating back several decades, along with a Hall of Fame and large pictured banners of coaches and players with the names of their respective high schools included. If you are a fan of sports and sports history – no matter the team or level – it is an amazing journey through time…maybe even back to when you had your own glory days. Whoever came up with that idea, kudos…it’s a real class move.

The staff is cool and a lot of fun. I have been lucky to hit it off with most if not all the announcers in the East, but DJ Abisalih and I can laugh and talk like brothers and professionals. Odds are I do something ridiculous on the air (really, me?) that makes him laugh and it just takes off from there. We headed out to dinner last time we were in town and this time I got to go with him and some of his staff, which was a blast.

As for the guys, their locker room is actual 2 smaller ones connected with a hallway. It’s a tight fit but the guys can handle the space. They will sit in one room for their pregame meeting before getting all their gear on to do battle. Afterwards they prepare in their own way – some stretch, some redo their sticks and others relax with music or loosen up with a little soccer.

And the games, well, the place is still a house of horrors after a 3-2, OT loss (fighting back from a 2-0 first period deficit AND killing off a 5-on-3 penalty to end regulation) and 5-0 whitewash (we won’t discuss further…). But the real struggle comes when we leave. Not only do we need to wait for new man Shane Harper (getting stitches after a mouth injury), but we have about 5-plus hours to Elmira, which means the boys are getting to bed about 4:30 am (following a 7 pm game and just prior to a 4:05 pm start that day) and I will hit the pillow around 6 after helping unload the gear (anyone want to talk about the glamorous life of a professional athlete/broadcaster now?).

Still, in Elmira all of us are focused, even me surprisingly. The Jackals are one of the fastest teams in the league with arguably the best line (last year’s Rookie of the Year and scoring leader Dustin Gazely-Titan killer Artem Demkov-sniper Andrew Rowe), so you have to dig deep on every shift and be alert at all times.

First Arena in Elmira, NY (home to Mark Twain, by the way) is a combination of professional arena and public skate venue, but can still host other events. It holds just under 3,800, but when its filled and rocking feels like its twice as big. The arena is well lit with a nice view to call a game from – not too close or far away with a good sight line even from my spot on our defensive blue line (1st & 3rd period). The boys have it a little rough again, as being a smaller arena means it’s a smaller locker room again out of necessity – only the newer, bigger venues like our SNBC have been given larger rooms for the players. Still, the players and staff take it in stride as they prepare for another night on the ice.

Their PBP man is Ray Schmitt, who looks young enough to be carded in any bar he might go to. But the good, young voice of the Jackals is no pup in this business. He is in his first year there after being with the Greenville Road Warriors for the last couple (taking over for another great voice, Eric Levine, now with Springfield of the AHL). With an easy going demeanor, he always seems to have a bright smile and firm handshake when he sees you.

On this night he is really smiling, as the Jackals come back (then hang on after a Titans goal was waved off late) to trip the Titans, 4-3. But it’s never gloating and usually sympathetic, especially when some big parts of a game are, let’s say, interesting.

The 4-hour ride back will get us to Trenton about 11:30, with most of us getting back to our homes from a rough trip about an hour or so after that. The trip still has the familiar feel – some sleep, some play cards, game videos are reviewed and personal phones/computers become private retreats. But even though there are some laughs and smiles, it’s nothing excessive as a tough loss is still fresh in everyone’s minds.

There you have it, some more insight about life on the road for a Trenton Titan. Trips can be long and tiring, but they can be fun also – more so when you win. And when they occur, you will be able to catch a glimpse of it here with our View From Atop Mount Olympus!

#trenton titans #echl #ice hockey #new jersey #wheeling nailers #elmira jackels #wesbanco arena #first arena #broadcasting

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thebronc · 11 years

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“Hoosier” Hockey Team?

Sing a song about the Heartland, the only place I feel at home. Sing about the way a good man works until the day light’s gone. Sing of rain on the roof on a summer’s night, where they still know wrong from right. Sing a song about the Heartland…sing a song about my life…”Heartland”, by George Strait.

After a (successful) 4-game home stand it’s time for the Trenton Titans to hit the road – this time we are back in the Hoosier State of Indiana for a pair against Evansville and Fort Wayne. So this blog will be a two-part, as-we-go-through-the-trip piece, which will hopefully culminate with a 4-point ride home for Christmas!

We have discussed the should-have-been-13-hour bus ride to Evansville in a previous blog, so all I will say is that we had the same delay issues as last time. PLUS, we drove through remnants of “Winter Storm Draco” in the Midwest. We didn't get the major snow that Madison, WI and other areas surrounding the Great Lakes did, but we had to travel the last couple hours through constant 50-60 mph winds. The wind was so strong that the large fiberglass cap that covers one of the AC units on top of the bus got ripped off and ended up hitting the roof of a woman’s car in front of us as we were stopped at a light! Fortunately no damage was done (other than to our AC cap!).

The start of the ride was fun, after capping off a 7-point home stand with a dramatic 5-4, late come-from-behind win over Elmira. Everyone was in good spirits and rolling with adrenaline – that is until that adrenaline wore off and bodies starting hitting the sack. Most bodies anyway.

I was still wired after doing my post-game responsibilities and trying to get some stuff together for Evansville in two days, and so were some of the players. As happens with teams a card game broke out in the back of the bus. So with my work done and nothing worth watching on TV, I snuck my way back to check out the action.

At a table there was Blake Kessel, Justin Taylor, Kory Nagy, Ryan Grimshaw and Connor Goggin playing Shnarps (sp?), a version of Spades…laughing, telling stories, busting on each other and having that fun and camaraderie that is unique to sports teams and locker rooms.

After watching a bit they invited me to play – I know Spades but this was a bit different, especially since you play by yourself and don’t have a partner to work with. But after a quick lesson and a mock hand to get the feel for it I was in neck-deep. I hung in there pretty well for a while and was even leading for a spell. Eventually some bad cards, bad choices and bad luck did me in (surprise!) and I was out first. Still, it was a blast…I hope I get the chance to play that game with them again. While I am with the team I am not on the team – it’s a different and understandably private dynamic with players. I remember that from my time playing ball in college, so I appreciated them bringing me in.

As for game day, I am writing this at ice level, just to the right of our bench at the beautiful Ford Center during the Titans pregame skate. As usual they are loose and fun loving as young guys are, but concentrated and professional in their preparation. As tends to be the norm, Ryan Hayes is the first guy out. It’s almost a superstition that he should be. While it may be only an hour skate, he will be one of the last guys off the ice too, as will Andy Bohmbach and whoever is scratched for the game, so they can get some extra cardio in (today that appears to be Alexandre Carrier (healthy) and Stephen Schultz (mouth injury)).

The starting goalie is always the first one off when he is done – tonight that is Niko Hovinen. Drills disguised as games go on to my left, with Scott Wedgewood as the “steady goalie”, getting his work in during the process.

Despite struggling in their first ECHL season, the IceMen (10-16-0-3, 5th North Division) have a loyal fan base which averages just over 5,000 per game (6th best in the league) and should fill this 9,100-seat arena pretty well.

The building is also the 12,000-plus-seat home to the University of Evansville Aces basketball program, whose men’s team has done well in the Missouri Valley Conference and the NCAA tournament. But unlike the hoops announcers who get to go on the floor, I will be over 70 feet in the air, looking down from just under the rafters. It’s a nice view and the broadcast booth is spacious and loaded – similar to the Huntington Center in Toledo. Both times we faced Evansville, we defeated them in one-goal games with a SHG early in the third period. You take them anyway you can, but it would be nice to get an easy win tonight. We will see…

Post Game – What a night at Ford Center! Titans come away with a 6-3 win and I lose my mind as usual. They lost the lead in the third, but roared back with 3 unanswered to end it. Five straight games with points – first time since the end of the 2009-10 season. This team may have found a little something out about themselves. Losing is contagious, but so is winning…

Right now it is 3 am and the bus ride is real bumpy. Some guys are still up – even Coach Williams, who is working his iPhone to death – due to the jolts. Hope that won’t affect the boys’ play. They will get dropped off at the hotel to get some well-deserved sleep, while Ross, Scott (both asleep) and I will offload the gear in Fort Wayne. It’s a thankless job to say the least and not one I was aware of in my job description as Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations!

As it stands I have received nothing from the gang in Fort Wayne, so I am currently flying blind with the Komets’ roster & stats. That means not only will I be sleeping through breakfast AND lunch (one look at me and its obvious I can skip a few meals!), but I will not be sleeping in too late either. I will have to get up & make sure I have my roster info ready to go, with or without their stuff. Plus, I can’t look like a schlep, so I will have to iron my shirt as well. Not the most time consuming thing in the world, but when sleep is limited, time is precious.

Come to think of it, I probably won’t have a chance to hit the gym either. Now where have I heard that one before…

Fort Wayne – Titans win 5-2

Allen County War Memorial Arena is an amazing mix of old and new. From ice level it looks like you flashed back to the 50’s or 60’s. The ceiling appears low, the seats dark and close together. Even the walls (indoor and out) scream “cool old-fashioned hockey barn”.

But after a lengthy walk and ride up two different elevators, you get an entirely different perspective. The new press box makes the players look like ants you are so high up. But it is roomy, modern and definitely gives you a different perspective of the arena.

When the lights come on and the suites come into view, everything looks brand new. Much of that is due to the fact that it really IS new. A few years ago they raised the roof – yes, actually LIFTED the entire roof off the foundation – in a process that took less than two days. New seats, suites, girders and a press area with updated connections and electronics were added. The seating was increased too – from about 6,000 to 10,900 – with most of them filled on any given night.

The concourse is amazing too, with wide walkways, good food, plenty of great concessions and plenty of rooms and displays that showcase the rich history of hockey in Fort Wayne. That is only part of that area of the complex, as there were several rooms and floors I never had a chance to get to.

I say complex because a brand new show arena was built next to and connected with Memorial Coliseum. Our area just houses hockey and hoops, while next door they have basketball, concerts, monster truck racing and more – sometimes at the same time as a hockey game! It is a cool mix of the old and new.

As for the game, our guys had to survive heavy Komets pressure in the first, dodging several misfired bullets in a scoreless period. Four goals in the second blew the game open for the good guys and Wedgewood was outstanding in the win. They tried to bully our boys a bit and get physical, but we held our ground and never bit. It was a mature win for a very young team before over 7,000 of Fort Wayne’s finest.

The ride home was long and tiring, but you hardly noticed it. The Titans were on a 6-game point scoring streak, winning 4 in a row. Plus it was the Christmas season and everyone was in a great mood and ready for a bit of a break. It may have been the most fun, 13-plus hour bus ride in history.

Well, I hope that give you a little insight to life on the road for a Trenton Titan. We have a good thing so far with this bus and are definitely better off than most teams in that respect. Hopeful it will pay off in more wins this season…and you will be able to catch a glimpse of it here with our View From Atop Mount Olympus!

#trenton titans #echl #ice hockey #new jersey #evansville iceman #fort wayne komets #sleeper buses #road trip

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thebronc · 11 years

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On The Road Again

On the road again...just can't wait to get on the road again. All my life is making music with my friends...and I can't wait to get on the road again - Willie Nelson

With all the back and forth to Reading over the last couple weeks, I all but forgot about the bus rides and how tough they can get. Living in Bucks County it made more sense for me to drive back and forth from my house – it saves me nearly 3 hours instead of driving east to Trenton for 45 minutes, then passing right by my general area with the team on the way to the game. But with Elmira looming on the horizon this weekend, I’m reminded of how long and difficult they can be.

The ride to Elmira is only about four hours – enough to catch a quick nap or get a little work done – and only the second time we have really “hit the road”. The first time was our Evansville-Cincinnati run October 19-20. We left on Wednesday the 17th at 10 pm so that we could be in Indiana on Thursday in the early afternoon.

But it didn’t work out that way…as a 13-hour trip took nearly 19 hours. There was the obligatory breakfast stop at a Denny’s and the needed pit stop for gas, etc. But with one driver who needed a break to keep us safe, it really added to the length of the ride!

Still, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. In some ways it was better, because last year we travelled by coach bus. This season, we roll like rock stars…sort of.

Now for those of you who haven’t ridden in a coach bus, understand you can get comfortable in the short run. But as the miles and hours add up it can be real difficult on a body, whether you are a well-tuned athlete or an old, out of shape athlete like me.

Stout’s provided the charter coach bus service last year and they did a fabulous job, plus our bus driver “G” was about as cool as they come. The biggest thing I miss is not having G to talk to before games, on the bus, dropping off the gear at 3 am. Our driver now (Dewey) is good, but G was special. He even provided “protection” for me at one particular game in Elmira, but that story will have to stay silent for now!

But I digress…the bus we use this year is a sleeper bus and it is nice. Twenty players, two coaches, equipment manager, trainer and one overweight broadcaster on a bus – tight enough on a coach, but more comfortable in the sleeper.

The biggest positive would have to be the ability to stretch out to sleep. Some of the beds are near the ceiling and some are low to the floor about as tight together as the bunks in a submarine, but everybody has about six feet or so to lie down and get as decent a night’s sleep as you can expect. In the coach it was like trying to sleep in an airplane seat – though you had both seats to yourself and don’t have to share a row. Sleeping was awkward for anyone, let alone the bigger guys, even if you could stretch out across the aisle to prop your feet up. Players made due and worked out ways to get some comfort, but it’s nothing like the sleeper.

Our bus has two TVs and a sound system so guys at either end can watch something different – even tune into Direct TV if they wish. The coach bus has video monitors if you bring some movies, but everyone has to see the same thing. That may not seem like a big thing, but the choice to have variety is nice.

What I like the best however, is the freedom of movement. The walkway might be narrow, but you can walk back and forth on the sleeper and stretch your legs without stepping on or over people, gear and luggage. You can actually go talk with several different people, get a card game at one of the tables, or sit with a coach and go over video. Cliques don’t form and you feel like a team, not just a bunch of guys riding together.

Oh, and since you don’t have to step on seats to try and move on the bus, if you wake up in the middle of the night or you are the first up in the morning and really have to answer the call of nature…well…it’s a lot easier to access the john at the middle of the bus than to dodge players and risk waking them up to get to the back!

It is definitely an upgrade, so thanks to the front office for setting it up for us. The ability to get rest, stretch out and relax is huge for an athlete with long rides and short turn-around times for games. While we used it to go to our second game in Reading, it paid off on that Evansville trip – we won a hard fought 4-3 contest in a game where we played the aggressor and looked more crisp. It shouldn’t be that way for an away team, but it worked for us.

It even helped me when we moved on to Cinncy. Helping move all that gear with Ross and Scott (Equip mgr & trainer) is tough enough, but to try and get loose in the cold at 3 am? Forget it. After the sleeper ride I actually felt like I had some energy that early in the morning. I hope I didn’t jinx myself by saying that!

#Trenton Titans #the bronc #hockey #echl #daughtry #trenton #new jersey #sleeper buses #road trips

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thebronc · 12 years

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W.W.L.T.

Wherever you are is where I wanna be. Look around and tell me what you see – everything, everything but me. No matter how many miles stand in between, in my heart is where you’ll be…holding on, to all our dreams. With everything…everything but me…”Everything But Me”, from Daughtry’s Break The Spell.

It’s October 12th…Opening Night of the sophomore season in the rebirth of the Trenton Titans. Hockey fans, players and broadcasters alike are fired up for the return of this incredible sport, and yet I can’t help but find myself wondering…

W.W.L.T….

This new position as Media Relations Director has given me a couple restless night’s sleep, worrying how to do a job I have never done before. It is both scary and exciting all at once. It has also been a challenge to try and find a starting point for a series of responsibilities I have seen but never really been involved in as a broadcaster. And again it makes me wonder…

W.W.L.T….

The players have that anxious, excited feeling – tired of hitting their own teammates - ready to take the ice and start putting the puck in the net for real. The coaches are just as eager to see if the picking and planning of a whole off-season will bear fruit. But still, in the back of my mind I keep asking…

W.W.L.T….

As you might have guessed by now, it’s not a typo. I know the acronym is WWJD, but this is much different. WWLT stands for What Would Linda Think. Linda was a vibrant woman – forced into single mother status with two kids under the age of eight. She paid her mother back - $10 a week – for a tuition loan that allowed her to attend college and become a nurse back in 1976. She landed a job at Jeans Hospital in Philadelphia and then Delaware Valley Medical Center in Bristol (now Frankford-Torresdale Hospital in Langhorne), eventually becoming an Operating Room nurse and – on her own time – becoming with her friend Bonnie Kohler the first Certified OR Nurse the hospital ever had.

She survived the removal of two brain tumors in 1963 (age 16) in a surgical procedure no one had previously survived. At age 21 she fought the State of PA for two years for the right to drive, after she showed her seizures were under control. She spoke – again on her own time – of the dangers of drunken driving to students and parents from the hospital point of view, going to schools and malls to spread the word and save lives.

She fought hard, but the cancer fought harder. For 17 years she endured 20-30 operations ON HER HEAD ALONE, including cranial reconstruction – yes, they rebuilt her skull. She had two broken hips while trying to recover, among countless other ailments, suffered through two bouts of full-dose radiation on her spinal column and spent 4 ½ years in a nursing home as her brain and body fought a losing battle.

That Linda was Linda Louise Dobos, and at 10:30 am tomorrow, October 13th, it will have been seven years since she lost her battle to brain cancer and its aftereffects. She was just 57 years old…she was my mother…

(apologies for a brief timeout as the Bronc needs to regroup himself a bit)

I realize this is a happy, special day as we get to welcome the Titans back for what we hope will be a successful season, but this story isn’t meant to be a downer. Sure it still stings a bit and yes I am paying homage to the most incredible fighter I have ever known, but believe it or not there is a connection here.

For starters, with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to remember those who have fought the valiant fight – in a win or a loss – against cancer. And it’s important to realize not only the strides we have taken to defeat this disease, but how far we still have to go. Different types of cancer (brain, breast, prostate, pancreatic, colon, lung, etc.) have to be treated in different ways, and sometimes differently from one person to the next. So while we bring awareness to the need to defeat breast cancer (as well we should) by thinking “Pink”, remember the colors Yellow, Blue, and all the other shades as well, for all the people battling this horrible disease. To paraphrase the late Jim Valvano about the need to find a cure, “It may not come in my lifetime. It may not save my life, but it may save someone I love or someone you love”.

(This note: a member of Valvano’s family was diagnosed with cancer not too long ago, but it was caught early, treated, and now they are cancer-free, thanks to money donated to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, so we are making progress, though there is still much to do. If you haven’t seen it and want a passionate speech that will bring a tear to your eye, just Google Jimmy V’s “Never Give Up” speech – it’s worth it.)

Next, I wonder WWLT of the Titans franchise. She was a fan of all the Philly teams, so between the affiliation and the fact that her son was associated with the Titans would have made her an instant and passionate fan.

Like everyone associated with the team she wouldn’t have been happy with last season, but she would have been supportive…and proud. Yea, I said proud. She would have been amazed as well, when I would have told her of how the team came to be…how they returned and in such a ridiculously short time managed to get a team on the ice at all.

She wouldn’t have known the whole story, but she would have been proud of how Rich Lisk, Frank Susino, Vince Williams and all the behind-the-scenes staff fought the odds – and occasionally each other – and managed to put a team of tough, character men on the ice that gave everything they had and (for the most part) were competitive in each game. She would have liked the class they showed off the ice as well, no matter what happened on it.

As I mentioned, she loved all the Philly teams, but all too soon she couldn’t watch the Flyers on TV as the play was just too fast for her surgically-effected vision to follow. But she would always ask how they did and show how disappointed she would be with a loss.

She still faithfully watched the other major sports and was a fan of Duke Basketball too – kind of out of nowhere. I asked her why and she told me she just liked the way Coach K appeared to handle himself and his team…the passion in which they played. It wasn’t about the wins…it was about how you handled yourself no matter the pressure, no matter the outcome. So yea, I think she would have loved this franchise.

I also wonder WWLT about me and what I’m doing. The details of how I got into this job have already been documented in previous blogs. I hope she would be proud of me, not just for what I’m doing, but also for how I managed to hang on in a business that is very difficult to stay in and even tougher to break in to.

Understand, this woman wanted nothing more than for her sons to succeed. When she was scheduled for that skull reconstruction, I had a chance to go back to Florida to continue chasing a shot at a job as a professional baseball umpire. Not one other member of my family was happy with me wanting to go – and honestly I don’t blame them as even I didn’t want to leave with my mom facing life-threatening surgery – but my mom demanded that I go and give it every possible shot that I could, while I could. She knew these chances don’t come along every day. She may not have known how difficult it was to break into a particular job, but she did know that it would be difficult.

So, if she were still alive, she would be asking me how the team is doing, where she can listen to the game, where and how far the next road trip is…and most of all, when will I be calling Flyers games. Hey, she’s a mother – she always wants the best for her kids. Those of you reading this should know that – as a child or a parent.

(sorry - another brief timeout as the Bronc regroups once more)

So as this opener is being played, I’m sure there will be thousands of fans – in person and listening on the air – that will be cheering and cringing all game long. And there will be another fan watching from above, following the puck with perfect eyes…and wondering where she can tune in to listen to her son call the game.

And for a brief moment when there is a stoppage of play, I’ll look up and simply say “Thanks Mom”, because until the end she believed in me. And I know she will hear me say it too…because it’s a little easier to hear and see from Heaven…when you are Atop Mount Olympus.

#trenton #trenton titans #hockey #echl #breast cancer #breast cancer awareness

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thebronc · 12 years

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If I Grow Up

“Hey Skitch…how did we get here?”

“I led you here sir…for I am Sparticus.” – from the TV performance scene in That Thing You Do

When I grow up I wanna be…

Think about it…when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Athlete? Doctor? President?

I ask this because no matter how hard we dreamed, how hard we practiced, how much we sacrificed, the majority of us are not doing what we thought we would so many years ago.

And that’s OK. Many times we realize as adults most of the things we have enjoyed and people we have met would never have been possible if we became what we dreamed of.

Still…it doesn’t stop up from wondering what IF we became what we dreamed of as kids.

Me? I would have been a Hall Of Fame baseball playing paramedic.

Yes…I said paramedic. Back in the 1970’s there was a ground-breaking show called Emergency!. Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe played Gage and DeSoto – firefighters for Squad 51 who become part of a trial group in California, trained to handle what ambulance companies do…(limited) first responder medicine. Sunshine, flashing lights and just a hint of occasional danger, Hollywood made it look cool to be a fire-fighting paramedic. Couple that with the fact that my mom was a nurse and I was hooked.

(Note: I’m not saying it’s not great to be a paramedic/EMT now! What they can do now far surpasses and is more important than what they ever portray on TV)

Now to appear even cornier – I could recite the entire response by the doctors after the vital signs were relayed by Squad 51 to Rampart General Hospital – even today! Not showing much originality for the time, the same words were used on every run, on every show, with very few variations (I promise not to bore you by reciting it here!).

As for baseball, well, that is simpler and much easier to understand. It was (and in some ways still is) my entire life. Even when I played football and basketball, the ball cap and glove were hanging on my bedpost. The Phillies were (and still are) my team. I watched them on TV with my mom and listened to the radio with my grandma (still do).

Mike Schmidt is still my favorite player ever. I remember in the late-70’s center-fielder Garry Maddox – the Secretary of Defense – dropping a fly ball late in a playoff game in Los Angeles that eventually led to the Dodgers going to the World Series and sending the Phils home again - crushed.

I remember Maddox’s redemption catching the final out in 1980 to end a classic five-game playoff in extra innings with Houston, then seeing MVP Schmidt jumping into the arms of reliever Tug McGraw after Kansas City’s Willie Wilson struck out on a screwball with the bases loaded for the final out to give the Phils their first World Series title in their 98-year history. I remember the dent my 12-year old head left in my ceiling when I jumped for joy in that moment.

The only thing I wanted to be was a baseball player…a Philadelphia Phillies baseball player.

Despite being in a generation that didn’t “sport-specialize” like they do now, I was pretty good. I helped win a District and nearly a State Senior Babe Ruth title and played a couple years in Division III (hit .515 my sophomore year). Seattle and Pittsburgh asked about me…and I tried out for St Louis and my beloved Phils. While the Phils’ tryouts went well, they didn’t go well enough…I never signed and the dream ended.

But I never gave up on baseball and tried to get in as a professional umpire (yes I did get a psych evaluation before I chose that!) in 1995. Again, good but not good enough. I did get to work a couple years in Single-A Independent ball, but that dream died even quicker.

Undaunted I tried the media route (you can read my last blog to learn about that). I had gotten the broadcast bug while in college, so why not? Football, volleyball, basketball…I didn’t even see a hockey game from the broadcast booth until the late-90’s and into 2000 when I was thrown into the fire to work the USA Hockey National Championships for six seasons – by myself!

Really? Hockey? Me?

It was just another gig for me…another chance to get behind the mic. I gave it my best effort like any other job, but I wasn’t a hockey guy! Baseball was still my ultimate goal, though I only worked one game as a color commentator in my career. I could do a decent football game and my basketball call was getting better. But hockey? Never…

Fast forward to Never.

How does a little boy who saw himself as a baseball-playing TV medic, end up calling hockey for an affiliate of his home town/area team in the Flyers?

I wish I knew…

When I was younger I had a little fun with the “black arts” once in a while when walking down the Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore – astrology, tarot cards, fortune tellers – just to see if I really could see my future. All I got were completely different answers…all completely wrong. So while I can tell you how I got to this place in my life, I wish I could tell you HOW I got to this place in my life.

And yet still I dream. I still dream about what I want to be if I grow up. Because while you have to work this like a job, it’s not a job. Jobs are not supposed to be fun. Jobs are places you hate waking up early in the morning to go to. Jobs aren’t places where thousands of people wish they were doing what you are (present economy not withstanding).

This “job” is fun and the line is long with those who want to do what I do – at an amateur or professional level. Trouble is that my dreams are dashed! I’ll never play for the Phillies (though maybe like the Flyers’ Jim Jackson I’ll get to call a couple innings of their games!) and I won’t be that paramedic that I watched on TV.

But every day I step into the booth and get ready, or in the locker room and bus to see the guys, I feel like a kid. Sometimes I feel like an athlete again – hurting after a loss and euphoric after a win. And to top it off I’m working in sports…professional sports no less…and getting paid for it. And for a team/organization I loved as a child – just not the same organization I dreamed of being a part of nearly 40 years ago.

And as I wrote earlier that isn’t all bad. Great things may have been there if I became a Phillie, but just think what and who I would have missed here if that happened.

Still, even with where life has taken me so far, the question remains, “If I grow up I wanna be…”…and will it look anything like the view I now have Atop Mount Olympus?

#trenton titans #hockey #echl #the bronc #that thing you do #broadcasting #Philadelphia Flyers #adirondack phamtoms #baseball #careers

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thebronc · 12 years

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A Bed of Roses...and a ton of fertilizer

So you wanna be a broadcaster, huh?

Got 26 years, blind faith and a lot of patience to spare?

Then you are on your way!

Seriously, though…the roads people take to get to the top of their profession (Jim Nantz, Al Michaels, Vin Scully, Dan Patrick, etc), or even just to do high school games on the local AM station, are varied, unknown and full of pot holes, pitfalls and heartbreak…and that’s just for those who make it!

That 26 year number I threw out…that’s how long it took me to get a job in professional sports as an announcer. No joke. I got my first taste as a freshman at Juniata College in Huntington, PA (WKVR 92 FM). Somehow I snuck on as a DJ (we still spun vinyl – ask your parents!) and when they found out I was playing a little men’s club volleyball, I got offered to cover our outstanding women’s team at the Division III National Championships in Wisconsin. Blind luck and good timing.

Now a bit of clarification – every event you broadcast (for a paycheck or not) may not be a professional one but every one should be done professionally, or at least try to be (many still say I have yet to do that!).

Plus, even at the local AMs (and maybe especially there), some of the sports guys have been doing games so long its near impossible to break in – they are local legends. You try to intern or do jobs for free. Sometimes you need experience – which you can’t get unless you get in and get a shot. But see above about that…it can be a vicious circle.

Still interested? Later on I’ll break down what my job entails. For now let me give you a couple examples in the ECHL alone of what broadcasters have gone through.

Florida’s Alex Reed and Wheeling’s DJ Abisalih are professionally joined at the mic about as close as you can. Reed was working the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL. In what ended up being his last year, DJ caught on as the #2 man. Reed left for Wheeling after the season and DJ became Lewiston’s main guy on the mic.

A couple years later the team folded and DJ looked for work. He lucked out as his connection with Reed brought him to Wheeling. Impecible timing stepped in again as the Florida Everblades' job opened up, letting DJ get the main mic once more as Reed – a two-time West Virginia AP Sportscaster of the Year – went to the Sunshine State.

Reed got the ultimate ECHL thrill and called Florida’s Kelly Cup title run this year, so here’s a news flash: Wheeling wins the Cup in the next two years. It only makes sense, as DJ follows what Reed does…or maybe his arrival ends up running Reed out of town! Either way, you heard it here first.

Seriously tho…these are two talented guys who had that, coupled with timing and luck, to hang in this league.

Another one is Bob Mills from the now (unfortunately) defunct Chicago Express. He was the broadcaster with the Bakersfield Condors in the Western Conference of the ECHL. Being a Midwest boy, he was thrilled to “come home” to work Chicago games when that job opened up last season. But after just one year they folded and he was out of work again. However luck and timing stepped in, as the expansion Orlando Solar Bears (can’t wait to go there!) needed a Media Relations/Broadcaster. He landed the job, boosted by the fact that he is very good and also the 2011-12 ECHL Broadcaster of the Year (jealous!). Chicago’s loss is Orlando’s gain.

Ray Schmitt was Greenville’s man last year…let go, now he is in Elmira, thanks to another outstanding voice Eric Levine, who at just the right time landed the Springfield job in the AHL.

Dizzy yet? And that’s just a little taste of the revolving drum that is broadcasting. The list of guys (and girls) trying to break into this business is long – not local AM station or ESPN-long but still.

And now to me.

Like I said earlier, it took me 26 years to get here (technically 25 as I was the PBP man in Trenton last year). Rather than bore you with the blow-by-blow of each year, here’s a quick rundown:

Two years in college (until 88); Stringer for the Bucks County Courier Times (89-98); DJ/PBP for WBCB-1490 AM (91-94, started doing games free by making friends with announcers at games I covered for the paper); Nauticom Sports Network (last half of 2000 – Internet company folded).

Then there was high school football for Strath Haven & Cardinal O’Hara for an independent producer for four years – a time when I gave up a #2 spot at WNPV-1440 AM in Lansdale…a spot that would have been #1 by 2009…talk about about a bad time for a misstep – so it seemed.

But I latched on at NPV in 2005 working Internet only games mainly – football and HS/college hoops. From there I lucked into USA Hockey (7 years) and Rider Women’s hoops for five years…which led to Rich Lisk, Frank Susino and Jed Weissberger hiring me (2nd choice by the way) for the lone season of the Trenton Steel Indoor Football team March of 2010 (sorry to see that go – that was fun).

Then comes the Trenton Devils ceasing operations in April 2010…which led to the Titans. Somehow, dumb luck and timing prevailed, cause here I am now, thanks in part to – as I have said tongue-in-cheek and with all the respect in the world – the idiots who hired me.

Which leads me to the people who you don’t hear but are very important to me for various reasons. I’ve already mentioned three and family who puts up with me being gone a lot goes without saying. But there are many more out there.

The Titans alone have Brian, Megan, Sarah, Biebs, Becky, Marisa, Woody, Matt, Bobby Fives and several more working the boards at our flagship station 107.7 FM The Bronc. Mike Ashmore from the Trentionian is a valuable resource as I learned during our Steel days.

Before that there was the uber-professional GM at WNPV, and great guy Phil Hunt who took me on. Kyle Berger – who stepped in when I didn’t – might be doing amateur sports, but is as professional and talented as they come...anywhere. I’m always trying to learn from and top him, but its damn tough.

Ultimately, the biggest reason I’m in this job is probably one of my best friends, Jeff Nolan. A man who could skate rings around me as a hockey announcer and Flyers historian...he kept me in it when at times maybe I should have been kicked out. Whether it was something I did/didn’t do, said/didn’t say, knowingly or otherwise, he had my back and took the heat. Some things he told me about…others not told too I’m sure.

He has been a great friend and professional guardian angel. And with every job in broadcasting after college – including the Steel and Titans since that came through the Rider gig – he blazed the trail and told his bosses “hey, I know a guy”.

He was my Alex Reed…

Talent, timing, tons of patience and plain old dumb luck. So, do you have what it takes to do this job? Maybe you do and that’s great – I wish you nothing but luck and success.

But understand this…some might think this job is a bed of roses…but below the flowers are a whole lot of thorns…and it all sits in a huge pile of fertilizer…

Remember that next time you want the view from Atop Mount Olympus.

#broadcasting #trenton titans #echl #hockey #ice hockey #philadelphia flyers #adirondack phamtoms #rider university #radio #mercer county #trenton

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thebronc · 12 years

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Trenton Titans - Best & Worst of 2011-12, Part Deux

Those that know me have learned first-hand that when I start talking and get on a roll, I’m very tough to stop (and I’m sure the Titans’ fans have found this out as well!). When it came to blogging I thought it would be tougher, especially with my first…though 1,000+ words later I guess I can ramble on just as well in cyberspace as over the airwaves!

Therefore, since my Best and Worst of…Part 1 was so much fun, I’m going to act like a film producer and give you a sequel!

So without further ado, I’m proud to give you Trenton Titans Best and Worst of 2011-12, Part Deux…

Best Arena – The Huntingdon Center, Toledo, OH: since I already alienated the Wheeling faithful, let’s get everyone else in the East! All kidding aside, there are things I love in all the rinks – old and new. It would take too long here so in future blogs during the season I’ll bring you a written “tour” of our stops. For now, Toledo’s beautiful arena – built in 2009 – has nice sightlines from a very big, private broadcast box. The entire Flyers crew (TV and Radio) would be comfortable in it! Deep, wide and high with a glass partition from both the home broadcasters (soundproof) and the fans (enough to muffle sound but not lose it completely). Plus, not only do the Walleye have a HUGE HD TV on the wall right of my spot for a scoreboard and replays, we have 40-inch HD TVs in our booths! Not only do they allow us to see a replay during the game, we can watch one of over 70 channels before and during (which I have never done!) the game. A very class job from a broadcaster’s standpoint!

Worst Bus Movie – The Ringer: I might catch some grief from the team for this, but I can handle it. I have a little bit different taste in movies than the guys. And usually they do pick some good ones for those long rides. Still, you wouldn’t want to waste a rotten tomato to throw at the screen for this one. For those who haven’t seen it (count yourself lucky) a brief description. To save his uncle and cover a huge gambling debt, a non-athletic loser fakes being mentally challenged to try and win the Special Olympics (which is being bet on). If not for this blog I would try to have a Total Recall moment and erase that part of my memory.

Best Road Trip Walk – Estero, FL and N Charleston, SC: There are lots of great towns and hotels we go to, but our hotels are sometimes in areas where we can’t walk anywhere. Our hotel in FLA is right in the heart of a huge complex with plenty of shops and restaurants and easily reached on foot. Our digs in SC are not only right up against that same setup (including several outlet stores and a great restaurant…See Below), but is an easy walk to the rink – which many players do for practice skates and games. Plus, the weather ain’t too shabby either.

Best Dinner – Jim N’ Nick’s Bar-B-Q, N Charleston, SC: While one of the best single things we have eaten is the Cheesy Bread at our hotel in Wheeling (actually just inside Ohio), the BBQ at Jim N’ Nicks is just flat-out awesome! You don’t need sauce as the dry rub is amazing on the brisket, pulled pork and chicken, but even their different flavors and temps are great. Forget dessert and definitely don’t have it before a game or bed, cause guaranteed you will eat WAY too much of this nirvana!

Toughest Broadcast Rink – Sovereign Center, Reading: now defunct Chicago had a beautiful facility in the Hoffman Estates’ Sears Centre, but no lights at the broadcast table and no direct route back and forth to the rink made it very difficult on these failing eyes. They would be tied for this spot, but folding after one year I didn’t want to pile on. The Sovereign Center seats over seven grand, but the broadcast areas (home and away are cross-rink from each other) are just about on the endline on Reading’s defensive end for the 1st and 3rd periods. The sightlines are fine and like all the rinks the people are great, but when play goes to the other end, especially bench-side (my side), its real tough to identify the players. Wheeling’s setup at WesBanco Arena is similar, though not quite as deep into the zone. But their barn is more intimate, seating 5,406, letting you get closer to the action and have a good view. I enjoy going to our nearest division rival, but you better be prepared to pay closer attention when play goes away from you. And remember…toughest doesn’t mean worst…

Best Broadcast Rink – First Arena (Elmira) and Wings Stadium (Kalamazoo): Florida and Toledo’s newer digs are great…and you think I would choose Toledo based on the description above. But First Arena (3,800) and Wings Stadium (5,100) both have great sightlines. Neither has a large booth, but that’s OK. Wings has me right on center ice and both have rink designs that make you feel close to the action but not too close.

Best Regular Jerseys – Gwinnett Gladiators, dark: With a black primary color , deep maroon and gold secondarys, and a design pattern similar to the Phoenix Coyotes (one of their NHL affiliates with Buffalo), this is one sharp jersey. The logo is good too, but it’s the color combos/patterns that make it look so good.

Best Specialty Jerseys – Trenton Cammo, Greenville and Cincinatti “pinks”: any jersey to be worn and auctioned for a cause is great, so kudos to the entire league for that. I’m admittedly biased for Trenton, but I thought they nailed the cammo look (military donation) with the black/green/white and rank stripes added. Cinncy’s grey/black was real sharp too, just too tough to read names/numbers when calling a game. Still their all-black jerseys with pink trim were really cool, and Greenville encorporated the pink (both for breast cancer awareness) into its logo. It wasn’t a lot, but it, like Cinncy, was still classy.

Best Bus Trip Snack – Honey Crisp apples and Target Trail Mix: here is another little “taste” of life behind the scenes with the Titans. However this one is a bit more personal. The players are finely tuned athletes and have their own choices when it comes to food, pre, post and travelling to a game. Plus the team provides lots of healthy, energy filled snacks for the guys. While they are good, I don’t want to take any away from the players…so I bring my own. To add to it, when I offered some of each to Head Coach Vince Williams one trip, I got him hooked. Honey Crisps are the best. As for the trail mix, I’m sure there are more great flavors from Target and other companies – and even healthier too! But the Black and White Mix, as well as the S’Mores, are money and a must have on a long ride!

Best Soapbox Rant – “Failing Physics”: Two crazy goals gave Wheeling a 2-1 win at Trenton on February 4, but the game-winner by former Titan Peter Lenes got me going. A blast from left-circle wide and almost straight down the endline got past Dave Caruso, hit the far post and bounced out at a 45-degree angle. The goal light went on and all heck broke loose. The ref had no goal but the goal judge said otherwise. After a talk with the goal judge, the ref and linesmen (all top notch officials who went deep into the Kelly Cup playoffs) didn’t have enough to change the call…and a rant was born. I didn’t rip anyone (especially the on-ice officials), but that didn’t matter. To paraphrase, he biggest line was “I know I failed Physics and got a D in Geometry, but there was no physical way that puck crossed the line”. DJ Abisalih, Wheeling’s broadcaster, had a great laugh after hearing what I said after the game…as did I. It even made YouTube. So Google it…check it out…and have a laugh yourself.

So, there you have it…my Best and Worst of 2011-12, in my inaugural season in the ECHL. I can’t wait for what this year will bring. But whether you hear it or not, odds are you can read about it here…Atop Mount Olympus!

#trenton titans #echl #ice hockey #hockey #philadelphia flyers #adirondack phamtoms #roadtrips #broadcasting

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thebronc · 12 years

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Trenton Titans Best & Worst of 2011-12, Part 1

I have often wondered what it took to write a blog – what website, how to post, what to write. When I found out I was so embarrassed! I am partially technologically challenged, so when I found out how easy it was I couldn't wait for a reason to write.

After landing the Trenton Titans broadcasting gig, nicknames were bound to come along. That’s how Mount Olympus – the name I gave our home press box – came to be. It’s also how I gave birth to a blog…”Atop Mount Olympus: Opinions and Observations from the Press Box”.

Being my first foray into blogging (here in my second year with the Titans), I wanted to do something memorable…something poignant and moving…for release on Opening Day, October 12th. That one will be coming, but it won’t be the first installment. I couldn’t wait anymore…so I decided to sell out to an old standard.

Therefore, the first-ever “View from Atop Mount Olympus” is going to be a Best and Worst of 2011-12 during my rookie season in the “E” (that’s the ECHL for those in the know!), but not just any best of. No best players, shots, saves or anything like that. I decided to have some fun in covering some things a bit different than normal…and I hope you do too.

(Note to all the Titans’ fans reading this: just because I don’t include my home team in this doesn’t mean I hate them and what they did! It was quite the opposite, as I loved everything about my first year…except not winning enough! I just want to give you an idea about the other teams in the Eastern Conference).

Best Titans Game – 3-1 W at South Carolina (1/27/12): Three thousand fans came to the North Charleston Coliseum looking for a tenth-straight Stingrays’ win, but they wouldn’t get it. The first visit of the year saw Ray DiLauro – who gave away his first goal as a Titan a week prior by having it awarded to a teammate – score on a PP late in the third for the game-winner. It was easily a great game for any fan to watch…especially any of ours!

Best Media Spread – Cincinnati: There was a lot of good food provided to the media from all the teams, but Holy Cow! Trip two saw us get Chicken Alfredo, while the first visit showed us some of the best BBQ pulled pork I ever had! I wanted to drop some weight and hit the gym when we were on the road, but the Queen City Spread sure didn’t help!

Best Goal Call – GWG, 4-3 L at Elmira (1/20/12): We had some nice wins to call, but sometimes a loss brings out your best. A late Titans goal knotted the game at 3-3, but despite being held to a team-record low 12 shots to that point, the Jackals would send the home crowd out happy with unlucky #13. After I predicted it less than a minute before (sorry!), Rookie of the year Dustin Gazely caught a pass on the left wing, went into the circle and lifted a backhand to the top-left corner with 21 seconds left. I won’t forget my call…Pass down the left side…Gazely…backhand…shot…NOOOOOO! After that all you heard was the crowd for about 10-15 seconds before I came back on - stunned. That’s all that was needed. Sometimes simple and quiet says it all.

Coolest Person I Met – Bernie Parent and Bill Clement: does this even need an explanation? (My apologies to DJ, Eric and Alex!)

Most Improved – D Eric Baier: Many of the guys got better, but the most obvious was Baier. If you asked him, EB would probably tell you the that first month he was trying to get his feet wet. After that – he was arguably the best D man we had. No wonder we lost him twice to the AHL. If he keeps that play up, he will stay there awhile.

Best Midseason Acquisition – D Ray DiLauro: As the injuries and call-ups mounted, grabbing the local guy from Bensalem, PA, was a huge, stabilizing force. Ray has played all around the world…and we are lucky he landed back with us for a second season this year.

Best Win – 8-1 over Elmira (2/18/12): The last trip of the season to NY gave the Titans their biggest win, tying a season-high in goals with the home-opening win over Florida

Worst Loss – 4-3 at Elmira: See above. This was close with the two losses to Gwinnett on the last southern swing in early March (lost four solid leads in game one and a 3-goal lead in game two), but losing a game like that after allowing just 13 shots is a real kick below the belt.

Worst Trip (games) – the second SC trip (3/2-6/12): a 6-3 Greenville loss was sandwiched by those Gwinnett games. What made it worse was the reported tornado that touched down less than ½ mile from the Arena during the first GWI game. The game continued. The club level fans were moved to the lower bowl away from any glass for safety. And we continued to broadcast from the rafters. Most people didn’t know, though there was nothing we could do if we did. So…the show must (and did) go on!

Worst Trip (travel) – the first trip to SC/GA (1/27-29/12): 12+ hours on a coach bus with little to no sleep cause you can’t get comfortable with ol’ athlete’s injuries…no fun when you don’t know what to expect.

Worst Goal Horn – Wheeling: Speaking of not knowing what to expect on my first visit! Now, before the Nailers and their fans get mad, some clarification - I DO like their barn. I dig the new arenas and the older ones with charm (which they have). What I hated (and they love) was what I call the Wheeling Wailer…that damn goal horn! Stick your head in a jet engine and you’ll get the idea. The first time I heard it – it sits 100 feet or so from my press spot – it literally moved me! And after goal #6 (we lost 6-4), I couldn’t think or speak for 10 seconds. Talk about a home-ice advantage!

Coolest Arena – Cambria County War Memorial , Johnstown, PA: Talk about a venerable old arena! This was where the classic hockey movie Slapshot was filmed. And calling the game is like playing NHL ’12 in Classic View mode. You are right on top of the players. In fact I’m sure they might have heard me in the booth. The Nailers had 10 of their home games in the former home of the now defunct ECHL Johnstown Chiefs. I’m glad two of them were ours.

Well, that’s enough rambling for one blog. So much to say and so little attention span to read it! Thanks for being part of my first ever blog. And stay tuned! Part Two of the Best and Worst of 2011-12 will be coming down shortly…from Atop Mount Olympus!

#trenton titans #echl #minor league hockey #broadcasting #roadtrips #away games #philadelphia flyers #hockey #ice hockey

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