Sarah

Thrylos, he has interviewed both Cory Provus and Dick Bremer (as well as Ted Robinson, former Twins announcer). They are all great interviews especially the Bremer one - he brings up some stuff I never knew and I've been watching Dick Bremer on Twins broadcasts my whole life. It would be cool if he could get Pat Hughes at some point since he was a Twins announcer way back when. But I'm guessing he's a little busy right now considering he just called the Cubs first World Series victory since 1908!

“Babies for everyone!” was one of St. Paul Saints broadcaster Sean Aronson’s more memorable calls during the 2016 season. (It referred to a hitting tear Saints third baseman Nate Hanson went on after returning to the lineup following the birth of his child.) Throughout the year, sports fans let a few dulcet-toned folks into their lives on a daily basis to bring them the sights and sounds of their favorite pastime. Did you ever wonder who these people are when the headsets are off? Aronson does, and he brings their stories to life with his podcast “The Voice Behind the Voice.” Image courtesy of Image of Sean Aronson (on the right) “Babies for everyone!” was one of St. Paul Saints broadcaster Sean Aronson’s more memorable calls during the 2016 season. (It referred to a hitting tear Saints third baseman Nate Hanson went on after returning to the lineup following the birth of his child.) Throughout the year, sports fans let a few dulcet-toned folks into their lives on a daily basis to bring them the sights and sounds of their favorite pastime. Did you ever wonder who these people are when the headsets are off? Aronson does, and he brings their stories to life with his podcast “The Voice Behind the Voice.” With nearly 40 episodes since beginning earlier this year, the hour-long chats feature broadcasters from all four major professional sports and some NCAA Division I programs. Past guests have included Buck Martinez of the Toronto Blue Jays and Bob Davis of the Kansas Jayhawks, as well as local guys such as Cory Provus and Mike Grimm. Aronson says he got the idea from his friend Jamie Flam, a booker at the Hollywood Improv, after he created a podcast titled “The Gatekeeper,” in which Flam takes listeners behind the scenes of his industry. J.W. Cox, the Saints broadcast assistant, helps him with the technical side, and another co-worker designed the logo. He pays a small monthly fee to a podcast service, which distributes each episode to iTunes and other platforms. He only does interviews in person so his guest list depends on who comes to town or where he may be visiting. “So far I’ve had about an 85% success rate for the interviews I’ve requested,” says the Southern California native who called his 1,000th game for the Saints in September and was recently named Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest. “Most of the declines are due to time constraints or travel schedules. Yes, I have tried to get Joe Buck – haven’t heard back from Fox on that one. I would also love to get female announcers but there aren’t that many out there. I’m really focusing on play-by-play, not color commentators or sideline reporters.” More than other sports, baseball’s leisurely pace dictates that announcers must have plenty of content to fill sometimes lengthy games. This seems to fit in with Aronson’s approach to his podcast – he estimates spending at least a couple of hours to research each guest and doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, such as his talk with Dave Sims about being one of the few African-American broadcasters in Major League Baseball. “These podcasts are unedited and I’ve never had anyone place any kind of parameters on what I can ask them,” he says. “But I’m not TMZ and don’t have any ‘gotcha’ questions. Everyone has a story and I simply appreciate my guests letting me share theirs.” One of his more memorable moments came when he asked Vikings broadcaster Paul Allen if he ever thought about what he would say when announcing a Minnesota Super Bowl victory. “To my surprise, he said ‘Yes I have, and here it is.’” (You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear Allen’s response – it’s episode #6.) So who is Sean Aronson, the voice behind the quirky, beloved independent team across the river? “I’m a minor league guy who grew up listening to Vin Scully and have known this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was seven years old. Would I like to get to the major leagues? Of course I would. But I can honestly say I am living my dream.” Be sure to listen to all of Sean's episodes of "The Voice Behind The Voice." View full article

“Babies for everyone!” was one of St. Paul Saints broadcaster Sean Aronson’s more memorable calls during the 2016 season. (It referred to a hitting tear Saints third baseman Nate Hanson went on after returning to the lineup following the birth of his child.) Throughout the year, sports fans let a few dulcet toned folks into their lives on a daily basis to bring them the sights and sounds of their favorite pastime. Did you ever wonder who these people are when the headsets are off? Aronson did, and he brings their stories to life with his podcast “The Voice Behind the Voice.” With nearly 40 episodes since beginning earlier this year, the hour long chats feature broadcasters from all four professional sports and some NCAA Division I programs. Past guests have included Buck Martinez of the Toronto Blue Jays and Bob Davis of the Kansas Jayhawks, as well as local guys such as Cory Provus and Mike Grimm. Aronson says he got the idea from his friend Jamie Flam, a booker at the Hollywood Improv, after he created a podcast titled “The Gatekeeper,” in which Flam takes listeners behind the scenes of his industry. J.W. Cox, the Saints broadcast assistant, helps him with the technical side, and another co-worker designed the logo. He pays a small monthly fee to a podcast service, which distributes each episode to iTunes and other platforms. He only does interviews in person so guests depend on who comes to town or where he may be visiting. “So far I’ve had about an 85% success rate for the interviews I’ve requested,” says the Southern California native who called his 1,000th game for the Saints in September and was recently named Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest. “Most of the declines are due to time constraints or travel schedules. Yes, I have tried to get Joe Buck – haven’t heard back from Fox on that one. I would also love to get female announcers but there aren’t that many out there. I’m really focusing on play-by-play, not color commentators or sideline reporters.” More than other sports, baseball’s leisurely pace dictates that announcers must have plenty of content to fill sometimes lengthy games. This seems to fit in with Aronson’s approach to his podcast – he estimates spending at least a couple of hours to research each guest and doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, such as his talk with Dave Sims about being one of the few African American broadcasters in Major League Baseball. “These podcasts are unedited and I’ve never had anyone place any kind of parameters on what I can ask them,” he says. “But I’m not TMZ and don’t have any ‘gotcha’ questions. Everyone has a story and I simply appreciate my guests letting me share theirs.” One of his more memorable moments came when he asked Vikings broadcaster Paul Allen if he ever thought about what he would say when announcing a Minnesota Super Bowl victory. “To my surprise, he said ‘Yes I have, and here it is.’” (You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear Allen’s response – it’s episode #6.) So who is Sean Aronson, the voice behind the quirky, beloved independent team across the river? “I’m a minor league guy who grew up listening to Vin Scully and have known this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was seven years old. Would I like to get to the major leagues? Of course I would. But I can honestly say I am living my dream.” Be sure to listen to all of Sean's episodes of "The Voice Behind The Voice."

I may be the only one who didn't like The Fall - I'm sorry but Jamie Dornan can not act his way out of a paper bag and that ruined it for me.

Trevor is an interesting player because my feelings echo what a lot of you have already said - even though at times I didn't understand why the Twins were keeping him I didn't dislike him. Another ex-Twin to follow, good luck to him...except when he's playing the Twins!

We discussed this in a post below - just scroll down a bit.

Can we have Michael Cuddyer bring back Baseball Unplugged? Seriously, he was good at that - sad that they don't have it any more. Great to see all of these guys back with the Twins!

One of the things Levine and Falvey mentioned on their call with season ticket holders last night was that people think analytics is just stats but there is a lot more to it like medical, psychological, etc. And there is an article in the Star Tribune today about how Theo Epstein used so called "soft skills" like the ability to speak respectfully to sign the right players for the Cubs. This is interesting to me because while it shows that the game is getting so technical there is still a place for the standard evaluation - what the article doesn't mention is that I'm sure he traded for Chapman (with his history of domestic violence) not because he speaks well but because he can throw the ball 100+ miles per hour and the Cubs needed a shut down closer or I'm not sure they would have won the World Series.

I listened to this and thought the article is a good recap. My first reaction was well, these guys are different. And I mean that in a good way, not in a passive aggressive Minnesota way. Well spoken but kind of formal, I don't think they mentioned a player by name unless they were asked about them (but I suppose that could be because they don't really know them yet). They struck me as from the Theo Epstein school - the main thing the article mentioned about making the tough decisions on players came from someone who said it's disappointing when you get attached to a player and then they get traded away or not re-signed. But it reminded me of when he was with the Red Sox and traded away Nomar Garciaparra, and then the Red Sox went on to win the World Series so he was doing what he thought he had to do to improve the team. Another thing I appreciated about them is that even though the Twins were a wreck last season they didn't throw anyone under the bus - they talked about how they were going to reserve judgment until they had a chance to evaluate more and give people the resources they need to succeed and just how hard player development is in baseball. I thought those were valid points. But I may be biased on this point because I used to work with someone who told everyone on her second day how everything we were doing was wrong - that went over really well as you can probably imagine. But I digress... The one thing I thought was confusing was sometimes I couldn't tell who was speaking. But overall I enjoyed their perspective and am interested in seeing what they can do. As they say, hope springs eternal. Heck, I'm still getting used to saying World Champion Chicago Cubs so who knows what can happen!

After the World Series I was thinking now that the two most famous "curses" are over we've also seen the evolution of the game recently include the statistical revolution, new ballparks for almost every team, use of social media, etc. But the game essentially remains the same - I enjoyed all of the stories from Cubs fans about how their team has been a constant throughout the generations. What do you think is going to be the next "big thing" in baseball? Doesn't have to be strictly in MLB, could be minor leagues or baseball in general. And yes I realize if we knew we would all be consultants making a lot of money. But it's interesting to think about.

Has anyone been to any of the minor league ballparks in North Carolina? I may be going there next year and know they have several teams. I am going to be mainly in the Durham area so am thinking about the Durham Bulls and possibly making a side trip to Asheville. (Not just to see a game, I have heard that area is beautiful and I want to see the Biltmore Estate too.) Thanks!

I'd agree with that Mazeville. Of course as a Twins fan I'm going to say 1991 but I have to disagree with some of you - I thought 2016 was epic. I loved that the ball fell between Chisenhall and Davis allowing two runs to score and then Davis was the hero later in the game with his home run. I loved questioning some of the managerial decisions throughout the game. I loved that there was a rain delay and that must have been some divine intervention because it allowed the Cubs to re-group and score in the next inning. And of course the storyline of two teams battling to end their long droughts. After the Cubs had taken the lead in the 10th there was a shot of Anthony Rizzo standing on third base with his hands on his head and you could read his lips when he said "Oh my god." Kind of summed up the emotion of the game!

I can't remember the last time they had spring training during the WBC (it was obviously very memorable) so maybe I'm missing something - do we really need six weeks of spring training games? Despite the Twins struggles this season I'm sure they will sell well in Florida but just looking at the schedule it seems excessive. Maybe with our new GM and baseball ops guy though it's a good thing.

I remember game seven vividly because it was a school night (as I recall it was Sunday?) and my parents were at the game so my grandmother came over to babysit me and my sisters and tried to get us to go to bed before it was over. I protested long enough that she let us stay up. God rest her soul.

I agree with what you have said about game six, I don't think it was a mistake to use Chapman in that game because of what you said - this was just game six. Who knows, game seven the next day could have gotten rained out. I get your point about Hendricks going through the order for the third time but I still don't understand that move - he was dominating, he was on regular rest and he took him out to bring in a starting pitcher who is on short rest. Also, I thought it was entertaining how the announcers were saying that Maddon had told them before the game he didn't want to bring in Lester in the middle of an inning...and then he brought him in the middle of an inning. I was wondering if Maddon had intentionally said that - I always love it when they ask managers what their strategy is going to be before the game. Yeah, like he's going to tell the entire viewing audience. A lot has been written about how the Cubs won the World Series but the Indians did also blow a 3-1 series lead and they had the last two games at home. But given the state of their pitching (heck, they didn't even really have a starting pitcher for one of their playoff games) I guess it wasn't too surprising. In this era in baseball I didn't really expect Kluber to be able to pitch effectively three times in a seven game series. Yeah, I'm biased because I'm a Twins fan and I still think game seven in 1991 was the ultimate but game seven this year was almost as epic. Maybe this is elementary but it reminded how much the game is the same whether you're watching a town ball game or extra innings in the seventh game of the World Series. When Edwards walked the batter in the bottom of the 10th to bring the tying run to the plate I thought how irritating it is when a pitcher starts walking guys to bring the tying run to the plate! What a great World Series.

I am a member of SABR and am doing one of the research presentations at the local fall meeting next weekend. From what I've seen there are many options to get involved remotely since you live in South Dakota - there are a lot of research opportunities you can do from anywhere like the games project, where you select a single game and write a comprehensive summary of it. If you're up for a trip the national conventions are fun too (next year it is in New York City, I think they are going to a Mets game and Citi Field is a great ballpark if you haven't been there). You can do as much or as little as you like (or have time for), it's mostly just people who love baseball.

Sorry I can't tell if you're trying to be sarcastic but I'm still upset about that trade. Even with his injuries, Wilson Ramos is still playing in MLB. What is Matt Capps doing these days? Ramos was having a great season and it would be nice to still have him in the Twins organization.

Obviously it's most sad for his friends and family but I found it a big loss for baseball fans to lose such a bright light in the game so young. Pitchers like him don't come along every day. And then to have Dee Gordon hit a home run in the first game after that...just amazing.

I'm not a Vikings fan but I would say the Vikings because they've never actually won anything. But being a Minnesota sports fan in general can be pretty brutal. I don't know much about Bridgewater other than he's the Vikings hot young quarterback but when I heard about his injury my first thought was, "Well, that's typical for a Minnesota sports team." Sometimes I think we are like Sisyphus but our Scandinavian resolve makes us just keep going. Even now I know in a few months I will be looking forward to baseball season starting again - as they say, hope springs eternal.

What about an Indians-Cubs World Series? Neither has won it in a long time - maybe because I'm a Twins fan but I'm a sucker for fans who deserve some joy...

Joe Simpson (one of the Braves announcers) was just talking the other night about how players with elite vision have a sometimes forgotten advantage on other hitters. Interesting article, thanks Parker.

I finally got a chance to listen to this and really enjoyed it, thanks Seth.

I'm going to Toronto but unfortunately not until October. Yes, for a work conference or I obviously would have scheduled this better. I'm crossing my fingers that they will be in the playoffs, it would be cool to go to a Blue Jays game. I went to a conference in St. Louis last year in November - apparently they didn't feel the need to consult me when they chose those dates. I have to second the Quad Cities ballpark - that is my favorite minor league stadium, completely renovated and just so picturesque along the Mississippi. If you live in Minnesota and haven't been to CHS Field (St. Paul Saints new ballpark) I would recommend that one as well. Nice to have some close options since it gets pricey galavanting across the country to see all the ballparks!

Yeah, it's not just filmmakers - I know a lot of authors who work on books for years before they ever get published. Unless you're rich or have the backing of someone who has a lot of resources it just takes a long time. I hope they finish it, I would definitely watch it!