When Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette snagged a liner in the ninth inning of Saturday's 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers, Blue Jays broadcaster Ben Wagner called the play with the energy of an observer who was clearly on the scene.
The natural rise in his voice and quick sharpness in the description worked in perfect harmony with the roar from the home crowd. It provided a great example of why the radio medium works so well from the baseball broadcast booth.
"I'm thinking about it as a broadcaster and thinking I feel as if what I'd be missing is that 1,000-foot view," said longtime newscaster Paul Cross, a radio professor at Toronto's Humber College. "That experience, that overview of the stadium, I can see the entire field, I can feel what the crowd is feeling. I can hear it, I can smell it, I'm immersed in it.
"On radio specifically you are the eyes for the fan," Wagner said in a recent interview. "You are the eyes for that medium. Face time can be particularly invaluable, especially on the road where things tends to be more relaxed and access can be better. The Blue Jays, who opened the regular season with a three-game home series, will kick off a four-game series Monday night in New York. A six-game road trip with stops in Boston and Houston is set for later this month.
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