Laying the Foundation
• What matters most about this game?
• How does each team want to win? (low-scoring or high-scoring, grind it out or gorilla ball)
• Who are the stars on each side?
• Which players are newly available or unavailable?
• What happened the last time they met up?
• Are the teams coming in hot or cold, improving or slumping?
• What’s ahead on the schedule?
Legwork: Sit down with the manager. Prepare and practice the pronunciations of the teams’, coaches’, and players’ names. Read about their past games. Watch their tapes. Attend practice. Talk to coaches, players, athletic directors, reporters, broadcasters. Hang around the cage. Take advantage of when the clubhouse is open to the media. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times.
Broadening the Scope
• What is the weather, and how will it affect things / which team will it help?
• How will the field affect the game: Does the ball fly? Is the infield fast or slow? Is there a difficult batter’s eye? Does it have weird dimensions, short porches, deep alleys, or other interesting idiosyncrasies?
• What is the atmosphere at the ballpark like?
• What is the surrounding city like?
Legwork: Get out and about. Walk the full concourse, explore the ballpark, check the field. Talk to the players/coaches about their impressions. Enjoy the pregame atmosphere.
Narrowing the Scope
• Who are the head coaches/managers? What are their coaching philosophies? What are their coaching styles? What were their paths to their current positions?
• Who are the team leaders?
• Who are the biggest surprises?
• What is the team identity/culture?
Legwork: Research the backgrounds for coaches and players. For each player, find at least one pertinent statistical note (e.g., leading the league in a category, entering in on a hitting streak) and one interesting non-statistical note.
Topics to Put in Your Back Pocket
• Find a classic/interesting game from the all-time history between the two teams.
• Research the background behind a team’s chosen nickname / uniform / colors.
• Find a well-known person with a connection to the game/teams.
• Dig up interesting anecdotes connected with the ballpark / city / team, or perhaps simply “Today in Baseball History.”
• Check out the food options around town / at the ballpark.
Legwork: Jump down some rabbit holes, go on adventures.
If you have further suggestions for broadcast preparation strategies, email [email protected].
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