...with
Dave O'Brien.
As an ESPN play-by-play announcer, one
of the really enjoyable aspects of the broadcasts for
me is working with such a variety of partners. This baseball
season I've been partnered-up with no fewer than 9 analysts
since Opening Day, which may be some sort of record! But
from Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan to former manager Buck Martinez,
they all have the common thread of being able to teach
an audience something we didn't know before we tuned in.
And as a play-by-play man, your challenge should be --
aside from being a traffic cop and accurate chronicler
of the event - to bring that out of the analyst as often
as possible.
Rick Sutcliffe (N-L Cy Young winner) is my regular Monday
Night partner, and Rick is one of the best in the business
at revealing the mind of the manager in key situations.
So you have to give him room. And you have to be a good
listener. If I could give one piece of advice to a prospective
announcer, it would be: "Listen to your partner."
Rick is so sharp, so insightful (I think he'll manage
a M-L club one day), that you are wasting his talent if
you don't listen, and work off that.
Joe Morgan is as talented as anyone I've
ever seen at breaking down why something happened with
a single glance - he doesn't even need the replay! But
to me his #1 strength is in his ability to express opinion.
Joe has great conviction, he's incredibly bright, and
he deserves the platform. But again, you have to hear
him - or you'll miss an inning's worth of good baseball
conversation.
I realize it is difficult during the
clutter and pace of a network broadcast to force yourself
to listen to what the guy next to you is saying at times.
You have a producer in your IFB, a director too, a stats
person handing you a note, a stage-manager giving you
promo copy - and a game on the field all at the same time!
But when you realize the goal is not only to entertain
and inform, but also to make it sound like simply two
guys sitting there talking baseball ... well, that sort
of clarifies your duty in the booth.
I make it my mission before I enter the
booth every night to try and find the best in my partner.
I want him to be the best he's ever been on our game -
to find something in the game he hasn't touched on before,
on-air. The better your partner is, the better the broadcast.
Dave O'Brien joined ESPN as a full-time
baseball play-by-play man in 2002. He had previuosly worked
for the network on a freelance basis. Prior to joing ESPN
O'Brien spent time as both the radio and TV voice of the
Florida Marlins.
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