A Hall of Famer

I often kid with people that I peaked, in my professional life, at 21. Since, then it's been downhill. Don't believe me? How many people do you know worked for a coach who would eventually win a NCAA Division 1 basketball title (Rick Pitino) and work with someone who was a few electoral votes shy of being President of the United States (John Kerry)? Well, you can add worked with someone who has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame to that list.

Earlier this month, Jon Miller was selected the recipient of the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award and will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. (click here for the story). And, I worked with Jon when I was first out of college at a radio station called WITS.

At the time, Jon was the Boston Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer along with Ken Coleman. WITS was the flagship station for the Red Sox and even had their studios in the Fenway Park complex. I was the producer/board operator for the Boston Red Sox at the time. What was my job? I was the guy who played the commercials, jingles, top of the hour IDs, and sitting in the studio during the ballgame. It was a fun job, especially for a kid straight out of college.

In 1981, the unthinkable happened. Baseball went on strike. No one could believe baseball would ruin the summer for millions of people. There would be no sitting outside on a summer's night listening to a baseball game on the radio. The people in the Boston area were depressed. So, WITS came up with an idea to give the audience their baseball 'fix'.

While the strike went on, Jon Miller 'broadcasted' Red Sox Strat-o-Matic baseball games. So, Jon would play the simulated game first, write down the results inning-by-inning, and then go into the studio to record the 'game'. My job, in working with Jon, was to set up the studio for him to use and help where I could (like play the commericals). It was a wild and crazy idea but amusing to be part of it. Some people loved it, some hated it but Red Sox nation got it's 'fix' of baseball until the strike was over. Click here to hear Jon Miller describe those times in an NPR interview.

Of course, Jon has gone on to bigger and better things as he did play-by-play for the Baltimore Orioles, now with the San Francisco Giants, and ESPN's Sunday Night baseball game. I know Jon will never read this but congratulations, Jon. It is well deserved.

(Notes: This past weekend, the Philadelphia area got socked by a major snowstorm. Philadelphia got 28.5 inches. Bucks County (north of Philadelphia where I live) received about 18 inches or so. Well, tomorrow we are expecting another round of snow with the same amount predicted. If it happens, it will be the snowiest winter in the area's history. I guess the little groundhog was right when he saw his shadow. )