“Hey why don’t they just cut that guy, he’s a bum and can’t get anyone out…”. How many of us have heard that call on a postgame show before? How many of us have had to answer that question on the air?
I see your hands raised out there and its more of a common thing than you may think. How do you handle it, considering your radio station is partners with that player’s team and you’d like it to stay that way?
The average postgame caller is part of your “P1” or active listening audience. He or she is a hard-core fan. Fully invested in the team and passionate, sometimes to a fault about the success and failure of that ballclub. They are looking to vent. They are emotional. They are sometimes irrational. You have to be more of a psychologist in this respect. Let them get it off their mind, you don’t necessarily have to agree or disagree, just by saying “I hear you; I get what you’re saying” this may appease them.
You can cut the call loose and follow it up with the numbers, if they support the caller’s argument so be it, if they don’t, so be it as well. You can really diffuse the situation by saying “do you think he’s trying to give up runs?”, or if you have knowledge of the player working on something with the pitching coach, this would be a good time to mention it.
Listen you aren’t supposed to lie, listeners are too smart, this is a better way of being diplomatic to a guy that is scuffling. You are also educating the audience that doesn’t realize what’s going on behind the scenes. In this case you’re protecting yourself while not completely protecting the player, but doing it in a manner that diffuses the situation.
As host of the postgame show, you have to hope you have a producer that is an excellent call screener. He or she can save you from being put into a situation that can be detrimental to the relationship. It’s an art form to be able to weed out the good calls from the bad calls. In this scenario the producer becomes the psychologist and you are none the wiser. Sometimes a loose cannon will sneak through but with an experienced producer those situations will be few and far between. It’s a good idea to establish what topics you are going to take calls on and which you aren’t for that particular show.
There are going to be times where a manager’s choice in lineup, or decision about bringing a certain pitcher in over another, or something to that effect. The first temptation is to rip and openly question. I get that. It happened to me early in my career, where I questioned a choice that the manager made on the postgame show. I knew the manager well and he knew me, but still I made the unconscious choice to make the statement.
The next day, he summoned me to his office. I knew what was coming but took it anyway. He said, “I heard you on my way home, I was a little surprised”. His tone changed a bit when he said, “do you think that I got dumb overnight? Don’t you think I know my team better than anyone? Don’t I deserve that break?”.
In thinking about it, I felt he was right. I had no idea that the pitcher who normally would work that inning was unavailable that day. The manager didn’t make it known as to not alert the other team. From that moment on, I would give the manager the benefit of the doubt, until he spoke to the media after the game, or until I talked to him the next day.
Remember you don’t have to be a ‘shill’ for the team your station is partner’s with, you just have to be fair and professional. A 10-2 loss is what it is, a bad loss, you can say it without calling people out. Being true to the fans and the team is not as hard as it sounds. What took place on the field was seen and heard by too many people to try and revise history.
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Point out the facts, usually they are indisputable. Don’t take cheap shots, more than likely you’ll have to face the people you called out at some point or another. Unless you are intentionally trying to rile up a fan base, there are ways to talk about delicate things without being over the top.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
