Homer? Stick to the line drive.

(Here's a link to the highlites of last night's broadcast of AM Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: http://mountainfm.net/?q=node/3634)

"You need to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

In the case of the college announcer, that audience is familiar with, and very interested in the success of, the team you’re following. You should, however, always treat the game and the team with respect, and with the eye of an impartial observer."

http://www.johnshradermedia.com/SoyouwanttobeaSportscaster.htm

Play by play broadcasters are always called out for favouring certain players or teams. I have a vivid memory of my dad absolutely blasting Bob Cole when I used to sit with him and watch Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights. Oh the days of Todd Gill and Alan Bester on the Ballard Maple Leafs. Dad's a die hard Leaf fan, and for years used to tell me that it's clear Cole couldn't stand the Leafs.

Tell that to an Ottawa Senators fan. They even had newspaper articles in Ottawa about the blatant and obvious bias Bob Cole apparently showed in favour of Toronto. Cole kind of encouraged that at first by often forgetting the name of certain Ottawa players. He sure seemed to like the Senators during last year's playoff run though! I also remember Edmonton Oiler fans complaining that Cole appeared to be cheering for Anaheim (and especially Perry) in the 2006 Western Finals. Cole always denied any kind of bias. He would never (that I could tell) admit who his favourite team was. He was born in the Maritimes so there was no obvious choice for him.

I don't think I've seen any announcer take more criticism on a national level than the legendary CBC broadcaster. He certainly has his moments. There were times I remember wondering why Cole said a puck hit the post when it missed the net... or why he said it was out of play when it was still bouncing around in the zone... but then I started doing it myself and I realized as fast as hockey is, you do sometimes miss things. You often miss things. You've just got to do your best to follow along.

I've listened to Cole call a lot of games and the only time to me that his bias is really obvious is when he calls games for Canada. That makes sense, it's easier to get wrapped up in something when you're watching a team that represents your country. I don't think the guy is perfect. He may be a bit slower in following the play than he used to be. However, I think Cole has that job for a reason. He's a legend, he has an iconic voice, and he knows how to convey the excitement of a big moment in the game.

Cole's case is a funny one though. Since he is a national broadcaster he's faced accusations of bias for and against pretty much every team in Canada. I don't know if there's a fan base across the country that hasn't accused him of not caring about or actively cheering against their team.

Fans are passionate. That's why when a ref makes a call against the home team, no matter how obvious a call it was, there are going to be boos and cat calls. I've been reading hockey message boards as long as they've existed (and posting... which can get me into a bit of trouble sometimes, eh?) and us broadcasters are as big a target as any at times. Even the most blatant homer broadcasters get called out for not supporting their teams enough. On the other hand, the most impartial and professional guys are called out for being homers by their fans and the fans of other teams. Some fans love that a guy keeps an even keel and mock the guy who gets really excited. Other fans prefer the enthusiasm and can't stand if someone doesn't dial it up in big moments.

You can't please everyone.

This of course stems from a few comments in the previous blog entry about my level of enthusiasm for opponents of the Trail Smoke Eaters. One anonymous blogger saying that when the Smokies have opportunities it seems like it's "water off a duck's back" to me. You can listen to the calls yourself and take from that what you will. At times I think I've been a little over excited and sound kind of silly. I remember someone chiding me for my call of the Aiken game winner against Penticton... saying they thought I was going to break their windows. I try to tell myself to keep things a little bit calmer, but I can't help it. I love this sport, and when you're watching a great game or exciting play it's hard not to get a little carried away with the emotion in your voice.

I don't know what my goal calls would sound like if I was more enthusiastic about the Smoke Eaters. I'm not sure they'd be comprehensible.

As for my support or enthusiasm for the "other guys" in the picture...

I've always believed that announcers should try to call the game down the middle. I had the NHL and OHL packages on my TV in Owen Sound, so I watched a lot of hockey games in that time. One after another I'd listen to home broadcasters who sounded like they were having a heart attack when their teams scored, but they might as well have been dead when the other guys scored. In my opinion that sounds unprofessional and boring.

When I got the chance to be a play by play broadcaster I always said to myself that I would be different. I wouldn't cheer for the team I was covering. I wouldn't ignore the names and the stories of the opposing team. I wouldn't say the refs made a bad call anytime the team I'm covering was sent to the box. I would be as enthusiastic as I could for everything that was happening on the ice when enthusiasm was warranted.

Doesn't mean I accomplished that, though.

I underestimated how much you grow to like the guys on a team you're covering. I don't know if it's just the group of players and staff on this team or if it would be like this with anyone... but I want the Trail Smoke Eaters to succeed. Game in and game out I find myself hoping for a Trail victory, hoping the guys I know make good plays and don't screw up, hoping the coaches I know get victories they can be proud of, hoping the executive and fans that I know get the kind of success they deserve.

As a result, I do find myself giving Trail goals a bigger response and a more enthusiastic call. I do find myself pumping my fist and cheering when I'm watching a home game and doing Overtime live at the rink. I do know and care more about the Smokies players and coaches than I do about the other teams. It's inevitable.

When I'm critical of the team or enthusiastic for the opposition it's not because I have a problem with the Smoke Eaters, it's because I'm trying to do my job the way that I believe it should be done. I want to be more interactive with online fans than announcers generally are. I want to bring enthusiasm to all aspects of a game and to both sides of a game. I'm trying to paint a picture of what's happening for fans who can't be at the games. If a play is an exciting play I think that excitement should be evident in my voice. If a play is a good play or a lousy play I think the listener and home should be able to get a sense of that. If my call is completely one sided, I believe it's actually doing a poor job of conveying what is happening.

On top of that, I do have to be aware that parents and fans of the opposing teams often end up stuck with my calls of the game when the Smokies are on the road. Some teams (like Trail) don't have broadcasts of their home games. Fans on the internet have to listen to the road team's broadcast. I hope for those fans, parents, staff, players... that I'm able to do a decent enough job that they don't feel ripped off every time they end up with my broadcast. I know some of the Smokies parents have told me they sometimes get frustrated when they don't get my call on the internet feed and don't know how their kids are doing. We all try our best to give the other teams a fair shake, but it's hard to keep track of it all. I'm not going to know nearly as much about the other team team as their guy would, but I'm going to try to give them as balanced a game as I can.

There's a school of thought that the "home" announcer should always favour the home team to a great extent. Some fans expressed that opinion in yesterday's blog. That's absolutely a justifiable opinion and they have every right to believe that. I just disagree. Maybe if I was an employee of the Smokies themselves. Often play by play guys will work for the team and have some kind of PR or management role on top of their broadcasting gig. In that case I guess it would be reasonable to ask them to give a more favourable call. I still think listeners are better served by balance.

That being said, rip away. Negative feedback is better than no feedback. I'm glad people are listening even if they have complaints. (*note* I originally used "bad" as the describer here, but as pointed out by a comment that wasn't really the right word.)

Don't forget, the Smoke Eaters are at home against Westside on Tuesday. Sounds like David Arduin may be hurt and unable to play in that game. That's disappointing for a lot of Arduin fans in Trail hoping to see him on Tuesday. However, it should give the Smokies a better chance to win. I just hope Arduin will be back in their line-up sooner rather than later.

Also my best wishes to Logan Proulx and Stef Decosse who are both still out with injuries for Trail. Hope they're both closer to being back after the holidays. I know that's the plan for Decosse. Everyone's hearts are also still with #23 and we know he'll be back.