Returning to the Broadcast Booth!

Yes—a return to the booth, to broadcast baseball, Texas Collegiate Baseball… sorta where it all began!

Back in 2004, while broadcasting a high school baseball game at the Ball Park in Arlington, I was asked by someone if I would be interested in interviewing the General Manager of the Highland Park Blue Sox, where I naturally said “sure, why not.”… during the fourth inning of the game, this very young red headed guy comes into the booth, and we put a microphone in front of him, and start talking about this team and this league that no one had ever heard of, but they were going to start playing in June of 2004.

During the interview, I asked him “ where can people hear the game at?” To which he replied… “No where”… that’s when I decided right then and there that we would take on the task of broadcasting their games.

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into… BUT!!!! WE were able to put it together and make it happen.  And by doing that, other teams fell into place with their own broadcast on the internet, and so we blazed a path for others to follow.

That first season, Texas had the wettest June on record.  I figured if you ever wanted to end a draught, just plan a new league or build a swimming pool in your back yard, and you are going to guarantee the Rain Gods will open up the heavens and make it pour. 21 days of rain! A lot of doubleheaders to make up, but we had fun. The first All Star game in Graham, Texas, with Jim Morrison (the Disney movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid) threw out the first pitch and we had a chance to interview him. Just a great time.

The Highland Park Blue Sox moved after the 2005 season to Plano, changed their name to the Plano Blue Sox, and that was the last year we did any broadcast for the TCL, but in some ways, it saved my life (that’s a long story, and I will have to tell that in another article when I have a grasp of it)

During the ’05 season we took on not just the Blue Sox, but we also took on the Coppell Copperheads and the Weatherford Wranglers, and we were blowing and going for the TCL. WE made them look and sound like a league that people were paying a attention to.

We then took on the Continental Baseball League in 2007 and in 2008… that was the last time we broadcast baseball.

Then comes an opportunity to work with the Coppell Copperheads again, for the 2011 season, and with some creative scheduling, we are back in the booth to finish out their season and give the listeners, not just the fans of the Copperheads but the other teams that travel into the area, to be heard.

This is more about having parents, family, friends, colleges, scouts and professional teams to hear about these young players, and see the future of the great game of baseball improve.

For those of you not familiar with the TCL, it’s a wooden bat league that is similar with the Cape Cod or Alaskan League, for college athletes to hone their skills with not just the bat but also pitching and fielding, and baseball fundamentals to take back with them to either their school or maybe increase their stock to be drafted in the future.

Our part is small in comparison to what the coaches do with these players, and we are proud to have that small part, but in the grand scheme of things, we also give a link for the players and their families to have the opportunity to showcase their skills and have some fun doing it.

So one more time we are basking in the summer sunshine, and we hope that you will log on to listen to the games, and hear the future of this game we love so much, and call America’s Past Time, and interact with us when you have a chance, because we do enjoy the feedback!

You can find the games listed on our website, http://www.davradioproductions,com/ , and when this season comes to an end, we will start up high school football for our 10^th season with the Richardson ISD, and we hope you will enjoy that as well!

We will thank you in advance, and appreciate you listening.

Just a thought