I do something that I don't think anyone else does. I warm up before a game. Baseball and basketball players warm up, so why shouldn't the announcer warm up?
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The game's the thing. That's why people tune in. They don't tune in to hear an announcer.
Tiger Woods, Larry Bird, Wayne Gretzky, a pitcher just before a game, I would imagine they all have nervous energy. But as you perform, the nervous energy dissipates and you start to relax and you start to do what you do best.
There's been times where I've come out of the bullpen thinking I was going to throw a no hitter, and I've lasted two or three innings. So I try not to use my pre-game warm ups as a barometer of how I'm going to pitch.
Announcers don't do enough of the cat-and-mouse strategy and all the work that goes into it. You watch a broadcast and guys get the pitches wrong.
I warm up at home. I hit the stage, I'm ready, whether it's rehearsal or anything.
I don't think enough players channel the energy of the crowd. If it's done properly, and you don't let anger overwhelm and distract you, it's like a shot of adrenaline in the arm, and it gets the crowd pumped up.
People making it like I sit there and eat a whole plate of candy before I play a basketball game. I don't think anyone could do that.
I am very slow to warm. I've always been sort of a loner. I didn't play team sports. I am better one-on-one than in big groups.
It's a question of keeping one's eyes and ears open and watching how other people play the game. They're watching me too, to see what my attitude is like.
I practice every day, I warm up before I play.