One of my favorite posts is one I did called "Are You A Kurt or An Axl?" where I riffed on the differences between Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose, the two most prominent figures in rock music in the early 1990s. On a totally different note, I've been thinking a lot about Vin Scully and Harry Caray due to Scully's retirement and the Cubs being poised to perhaps win the big one this year. Caray and Scully were my favorite baseball announcers growing up, despite their obvious differences. I wondered, which one is truly more my style? In case you're wondering, here's a quiz:
1. What is your feeling about broadcast partners?
A. I don't need one, because my words tell stories and paint a rich tapestry, which back and forth banter is unsuited for.
B. Absolutely necessary for when I space out or I've had too many beers.
2. The team just won a really important game on a walk off hit. How do you call it?
A. Let the moment breathe and let the people back home hear the cheering crowd of the stadium rather than me yelling about it.
B. Scream at the top of my lungs in incomprehensible gibberish like I'm having a heart attack. After all, the fans are doing it too, and I'm really just one of them.
3. What's your pregame routine?
A. Studying my notes and remembering especially interesting anecdotes to utilize during the day's game.
B. A sixer of Budweiser.
4. Preferred attire for broadcasting a game:
A. Shirt and tasteful tie.
B. Shirtless.
5. The fans see you as:
A. A kindly, wise father figure dispensing wisdom.
B. Their fun-loving rowdy uncle.
6. You're more likely to be parodied:
A. In a subtle way by The Simpsons.
B. By an over the top Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live.
7. Your catchphrase is:
A. The warm inviting "time for Dodger baseball" before the game starts.
B. A maniacally shouted "Cubs win" after a victory.
8. Your first postgame phone call after a road game:
A. Is to my wife to see how she's doing and hear about her day.
B. Is to that bar to see about paying for the damages from the night before.
9. What's your attitude about being a "homer" for your team?
A. I'm way too professional for that. The fans don't need me carrying on while watching their team.
B. It's my job to be a homer. I'm a Cubs fan and a Bud man, after all.
10. Have you ever left a job announcing for a major league team?
A. No. I even moved with the Dodgers when they went from Brooklyn to LA, and why not? The Dodgers have been very good to me.
B. Well, occasionally you have an affair with the owner's wife and have to hightail it out of there. That happens to everybody, right?
11. Have you done national broadcasts for the major networks?
A. Yes, for many years.
B. No. They told me drinking on the air was"unprofessional." Whatever.
12. If they did a biopic of your life, you would be portrayed by:
A. Cary Grant
B. Jack Black
13. During the middle innings of a slow game late in the season you are likely to entertain your audience by:
A. Going off on a fascinating tangent about the history of warning track dirt.
B. Trying to say "Andres Galarraga" backwards.
14. If your announcing style was a jazz artist, you would be:
A. Dave Brubeck. Precise and complicated, yet smooth.
B. Ornette Coleman. Free, loud, and unpredictable.
15. At the end of your career, were your fans ready to see you go?
A. No
B. No
Give yourself zero points for each "A" answer, and one point for each "B" answer.
If you have 11-15 points, you are definitely a Harry Caray. You're the lovable life of the party, and even if you have the smell of beer on your breath at inappropriate moments, people still love you.
If you have 6-10 points, you are mix of Harry and Vin. You are a professional with professional standards, but you wear your heart on your sleeve and you love to party every now and then.
If you have 0-5 points, you are a Vin Scully. You are a highly dependable, highly skilled person who other people admire for your hard work and talent.
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