A play-by-play broadcaster told me his boss gives him grief for talking about the other team, their stories and their players.

He asks, “How much of my play-by-play broadcast should focus on the opponent?”

You must spend some time on the opponent.
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In the old days, doctors made house calls. They brought with them a black kit filled with the essentials for the job — things like stethoscopes, syringes and bandages.

Play-by play broadcasters should also take a kit to work every day.

Here are 14 tools that should be in your play-by-play kit . . .
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It’s the middle of your play-by-play season and you’re feeling the grind to find new things to say about your team and the players on it.

What do you do?

A baseball broadcaster told me, “I find myself struggling to mix things up on an everyday basis. I feel like I’ve already said everything there is to say about a player or team. There’s always talking to the players before each game, but it becomes a struggle to talk to every single player and memorize all that information for the broadcast.”
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Pitchers at the University of Florida used to swim as a regular part of their training. It’s well documented how Tom House, the old pitching guru, used to have his pitchers throw footballs to improve their throwing motion.

Baseball has long been a sport that is conducive to unusual training methods. The same goes for baseball broadcasters.

Here are nine uncommon tips for baseball play-by-play broadcasters.
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A sportscaster said, “I’ve applied for a couple of hockey play-by-play jobs. I worked for a team six years ago but it was my first job. I’ve grown a ton as a broadcaster and that hockey is representative of what I would do now.

“What should I do?”

There are two solutions for replacing old demo material.
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A friend of mine was doing high school play-by-play in a small Midwest market. He couldn’t be choosy about his analyst so he ended up with somebody who had never done it. Several plays went by without the analyst saying anything. Finally, after the fifth play, the analyst piped up and said, “The red team plays good defense.”

What do you do if you’re working with an analyst who isn’t talking much?

The best thing to do is find a new analyst! In a small market with no budget, though, that might be easier said that done. Besides, having someone who talks little is sometimes better than having nobody at all.
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