The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 27, 1990, Page 6, Image 6
Announcing
can be trick1
This summer I decided to venture
into the world of baseball announcing...on
a public address
system.
The place is Irmo High School,
my alma mater, where the Irmo
Post 174 American Legion squad
plays their home games. And
yours truly, along with my girl
friend of three years Sandi Merritt,
head up to the press box where we
sit for three to four hours announcing
batters names, keeping the
scoreboard updated and playing
music in between innings.
Now this might sound easy to
you, but it's easier said than done.
Before each game I have to get
the lineups for the teams along
with uniform numbers and positions.
That was the first stumbling
block. In baseball, a number five
on a line up card is a third baseman,
while a shortstop is number
six. I switched the two on the first
night and gave four players new
positions they had never played
before. Quickly, I was corrected
by the manager for Richland Post
6, who yelled the correction from
the field to the press box. So when
I made the corrected announcemet
over the p.a. system, I believe
everyone at the game already
knew the error.
The next problem was announcing
the names correctly, without
tv?in?T mrr(*rt(*r1 hv ttcrrivtttf*H r?o_
VV"*C) XJJ U?,i*?uuvu
rents...uh..I mean fans. "Now batting,
the pitcher, Jamie
Amick."..."Hey buddy," someone
would yell, "How about the
pitcher, Jason Dawsey!" Once
again, the corrected announcement
was a forgone conclusion.
The next problem I encounter is
Jate in the game, when the coaches
decide to substitute players. My
job is to let the fans know that, but
I don't know when it's being done.
So the next thing you know, Sandi
and I are trying to squint to see
what number is out in rightfield,
so I can annonuce his name. Half
the time we either get the number,
the position or the name wrong.
Of course, not getting tounge
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ball games e.
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FRIED-1
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tied when promoting the conces- /
sion stand is a hurdle, as is trying j|||
to announce with a faulty mike
that has died on me twice during
the games. But a good, hard hit on
the desk seems to cure it. Then
there's the music, played via a
boom box. I have to get those
tapes with good baseball songs
ready to go before the third out.
And add on to the fact that in
three games with us announcing,
Irmo has lost all three.
But despite all these hurdles,
Sandi seems to get me through
them with flying colors. She takes
care of the scorboard, with the
balls, strikes, etc.. "Here, wipe
your brow. Are you nervous?"
"Was that a strike or a ball?"
"Who's that No. 23 for Irmo? He
caught that ball good." "These
guys stink. They can't even play
That's what keeps me going
when I'm up there. It's a tiresome
job, but with a lovely companion,
the innings fly by...well they just
taxi down the runway. Baseball is DQi
not like a ratine basketball con
test, but it is a top quality sport, sum,
none the less. And by the middle
of the sixth inning, Sandi's lesponses
sound like this: T T ^
"Hey Sandi, what do you think V
of baseball up here as opposed to
in the stands?" "It's still a slow, T ^
borring game." "Hey, are you hav- JLvCj
ing fun?" "Uh-huh. Tons."
By the seventh inning, you re- prom s1
ally just want the teams to come to
an agreement, let the team which ^ ^
is ahead win, and send everyone
, J some r
home- the stad
But announcing has been an ex- USC
perience I will never forget, that I commit
will always be indebted to Sandi poratioi
for helping me out and that might more b<
just start me on my way as a athletic
sports announcer for a major cable The
company. Just as long as my signed
lovely companion can come along. USAir
By the way, soccer fans. As an were n
added bonus, here are my picks athletic
for the quarterfinals of the World goal is
Cup as of Sunday at 1:30 p.m. corpora
Cameroon will upsett England, upcomii
Czechoslavakia will defeat West Accc
Germanyltaly will take care of Ire- corpora
land, and Spain will knock off butes
Argentina. amount
place a
Brice !
arena ?
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__ David R. Owens/The Gamecock
nger: hernia zone
itailing senior Darius Suber takes advantage of regula
ner hours at the Blatt Physical Education Building.
3C gets new athleti(
idy Gamecocks first
[aff reports The sponsors will also appear
n football season starts up tickets for designated games, pre
1, don't be surprised to see rams and concessions, such
lew signs hanging around cups.
lium. Last years sponsors inclu
has received two verbal Coke, Diet Coke and South C
ments from two major cor- olina Federal, who already ha
ns and hopes to get* three signs on the stadium scoreboj
jfore the football season for and message board,
event sponsorship. Baker also said most of t
two companies who have signs at Williams-Brice will
on for sponsorship are placed on the ramps in each ci
and Bi-Lo. The other three ner, while another one or t>
ot identified by associate could be placed on the ramps f;
director Art Baker. USC's ing George Rogers Boulevard a
to gross $1 million from Bull Street,
te sponsorship during- the
Ser, a .ajor USC men's prOgrOI
tion is one which contri- finishes SeCOnd
at least $40,000. That
gives them the right to Florida State and USC split l
dvertisements in Williams- 1989-90 Metro Conference A
Stadium, Frank McGuire Sports Awards, with the Seminol
tnd other USC facilities, claiming the top men's progra
nn tr e
3U.U VV UJVT
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give aways subject to change, as everything ir
BANDS PLAYED FIRST ON WUSC
Cure Smiths REM Madonna Red Hot Chili Peppers B-52's
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" Six USC ai
test positiv
By The Associated Press -
Six South Carolina athletes
turned up positive in drug testing
S during the spring semester, one for
cocaine and five for alcohol, the
| university's athletic department
? said.
The university, which reported
one positive test for alcohol in
ieach of the latest two reporting
periods, released the test results to
The State newspaper under terms
of a settlement of a Freedom of Information
Act lawsuit.
The report said 404 of a possible
422 athletes were tested for
drugs and alcohol from Jan. 1
through May 31, the newspaper reported
Tuesday. Eighty also were
tested for steroids. Two of the tests
for steroids were termed "quantity
not sufficient" for complete testing
by the Indiana Sports Medicine
Laboratory, an internationally recognized
center used by the NCAA.
South Carolina reported one positive
test for alcohol during the
fall semester and one during two
summer sessions of 1989. From
March 1988 through May 1989,
the school reported 38 positive
tests.
Under the school's program, a
first positive test for a Level A
substance (alcohol, prescription
drugs without a prescription or a
r test no-show) requires an athlete to
undergo counseling and notify his
parents. It also makes the athlete
: sponsors;
: in Metro
on -and the Lady Gamecocks taking
)g- the top women's program,
as The USC men's programs finished
one point away from the top
de spot, settling for second,
ar- The Lady Gamecocks took the
ive title over the Lady Seminoles by
ird half a point, 44-43.5. They won
championships in basketball, cross
he country, tennis, and golf. Virginia
be Tech was third.
or- The USC men won two titles, in
N0 tennis, and swimming and diving,
iC~ but finished second in golf and
track and field. The Seminoles
took championships in baseball,
golf and track and field to capture
the award. Virginia Tech finished
third.
"We're absolutely thrilled to receive
this recognition," South Carhe
olina athlectic director King Dixon
11- said. "I accept this on behalf of all
les our coaches and student-athletes
'm and for the university on a job
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???????Tthletes
e for drugs
subject to non-random testing for
18 months. Two positive tests -result
in suspension from team competition,
and three positives result
in suspension from the team.
In the case of a Level B substance
(cocaine, marijuana or steroids),
a first positive is treated as a
Level A second positive. That is,
an athlete is suspended from team
competition in addition to counseling,
parental notification and nonrandom
testing.
Athletic Director King Dixon
would not say whether any of the
tests were a repeat offense. As for
the increase in the number of positive
tests from the fall, Dixon said:
"I think a trend will show;.up
that alcohol consumption is more
so during the spring months than it
is during the fall. I don't know the
reason to that. Maybe it's because
of the heat and the weather. Maybe
it's because of a lack of
involvement."
But Dixon said he was not suggesting
the positive tests came1
from football players because they
were out of their season.
Dixon also said the school's
drug-testing program appears to be
working. The school upgraded the
program in 1988 after published
reports of a steroid scandal resulted
in an internal investigation,
results of which were reported to
the NCAA.
South Carolina officials meet
with the NCAA's Committee on
Infractions on Friday in Kansas "
City to discuss its five-volume internal
report on steroid use in the
athletic department from 1983. to
1987.
"I am very pleased with the administration
of our testing procedures
and the people involved in
it," he said. "However, anytime
you have a student-athlete test po
siuvc iur any lype or aiconoi or
drug, it's a matter of concern.
"But we feel as though as a result
of our random testing and educational
program that we are making
inroads."
well done. I'm sure our stucfent
body will be as elated by this
honor as the athletic department."
Point distribution is based on
team placement in each sport.
Eight points are given to the team
champion, seven to the runner-up,
and so on. In sports where less
than eight teams compete, such as
swimming and diving, points ar
adjusted accordingly, with the
number of competing teams
matching the amount of points received
by the champion.
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