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Growing up in Northeast and going on to graduate from Temple University,
you had always dreamed of being a play-by-play announcer for a professional
team in Philadelphia. How special has it been for you to live out that fantasy
for the Sixers for the past seven years?
I am thankful literally everyday I wake up. Ever since I was nine years old, when my father took me to a Sixers' game in their first year of existence (1963-64), I was infatuated by the idea of one day being able to call the games. I would turn down our television and try my own rendition of broadcasting into a recorder. I would play back those tapes and try to become better. Just like Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie practicing hoops on a playground, I was trying to hone my skills in a different way.
Philadelphia is a city in which sports broadcasters have seemingly always been synonymous with the teams they have covered. Which broadcasters were the most influential to you, in terms of who you admired and tried to emulate?
There have been four such broadcasters who I have tried to pattern myself after. From former Flyers radio broadcaster Gene Hart, I learned excitement. From former Flyers television broadcaster Mike Emrick, I gained an understanding of how to develop different catch phrases to describe action that viewers could already see on the screen. In the late 70's and early 80's, I had the opportunity to intern under Bill Bransome at KYW radio. Bill taught me the importance of accuracy. It wouldn't be unusual for Bill to ask me to call the sports information director at Alabama State at one o'clock in the morning and ask for the exact spelling of the second-string defensive lineman who had recovered the game-sealing fumble. And, of course, from the legendary Bill Campbell I learned passion and drama. I can remember growing up and hearing him describe a Willie McCovey home run ball as flying out of Connie Mack Stadium and into the night sky like a satellite. As a kid, that was such an incredible visual, you could just imagine this ball that had been hit so hard just floating away into space.
Before becoming the play-by-play man for the Sixers, you were involved with covering the team with Prism for 12 years. Describe your years of waiting and how they prepared you for the present?
I had a much different role at Prism. I would mostly work on pre-game, post-game and halftime shows doing a lot of interviews and feature work. While in my heart, I always wanted to be the play-by-play announcer for the team, doing those other things for so many years definitely laid the groundwork for what I do now. Overall, what I did at Prism was a great servitude that was loaded with well-grounded pre-requisites that all helped me learn various things. Now, in hindsight, it all makes sense.
Currently in your seventh season together, you and partner Steve Mix are now the longest running broadcast team in Philadelphia sports. How has the chemistry you two have developed over the years enhanced the broadcasts?
The interesting thing about Steve and I is that we are so different. For instance, he is an athlete and was raised in the Midwest who has a lot of views that are quite different than mine. On the other hand, I am a true Northeasterner and I was never much of an athlete growing up. However, while we come from two very different backgrounds, Steve and I have spent a lot of time off the court learning each other. The most important part of our relationship hinges on the fact that we don't take each other too seriously. I have a deep respect for what he has done, coming up through the league through lots of hard work and dedication. Conversely, I think that while he knows that I never really played the game, he understands that I have gone to practices for many years and studied the game and, because of that, he respects that I have a certain love and knowledge for the sport myself.
What would be the one adjective that you would most like people to use to define you as a broadcaster?
Fun. After all, it is just a sport. Basketball is not nuclear physics and it is not education. We are not trying to keep someone alive as a doctor might or influence a young person like a teacher tries to do, this is just fun. Sure, I take my job very seriously and I prepare very hard, but ultimately, I want to project a feeling of fun to the audience. People tune in for a diversion from normal life, and we try to make it entertaining for them.
You employ a lot of nicknames and catch phrases into the broadcasts. How do you come up with your various phrases and how easy is it to gauge their popularity?
Some of the names and phrases I use come to me spontaneously, others after a conversation I have with a player, some pop into my head right before I go to bed. None of them are contrived, they just seem to come to me at random times. It is startling to see one of those phrases on a fan's poster at a game or in a headline in the newspaper. It just goes to show that what we say and do is registering with the audience.
You have won the Emmy for best sports play-by-play broadcaster in six of the last eight years. What does an award like that mean to you?
I believe we are all victims of our own ego. While I do believe it is best to suppress that ego for the greater good in most situations, it is certainly nice to be acknowledged in some way for what you do. Although it sounds clichéd, just getting nominated is great because it is special to know you are among the best. The awards are something I do value.
Throughout your career, you have had the opportunity to interview such NBA greats as Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson. Of all the players you have ever interviewed, what is your favorite interview story?
It is ironic; my favorite interview is also my worst. My first interview for Prism was with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I went in with a lot of set questions; I quickly learned that it is essential to let the questions flow as the interview does instead of just reading off a set list. Kareem posted me up and scored 50 that day. I learned the hard way that people are humans and if you put them at ease, they will respond much better. That interview was a disaster. Kareem was pretty stoic and bored with me. I was extremely nervous and it resulted in a bad interview. I learned many lessons that day that have helped me tremendously throughout the rest of my career.
Since Pat Croce took over the team in 1996, the Sixers have become involved in numerous community relations initiatives. How important is it for you to give back to the community?
One of the most wonderful parts of my job is that I am working for an organization
that has, as a centerpiece, a devotion to giving back. I think it is a responsibility
of all humans to try to give back at every opportunity you can. Some people
cannot give their time because of the nature of their job. I have been fortunate
that I have a lot of time off in the summers and, therefore, have some time
to help in different facets of what the community relations department is doing,
whether it is a Sixers Summer Hoops Tour or visiting a hospital. Pat Croce,
as a credo, has established that this organization is to give back to the people
who give to us, and that is a great thing. I think it is my obligation as an
employee and as a human to do something to help.