Afternoon everyone
Well, well, well, what a crazy few days this has been and it'll only continue in recent light of the new stadium opening.
So lets jump straight into it shall we. Thursday June 9th 2011 will be a date that'll live long in the memory of soccer fans in Kansas City. The opening of Sporing KC's brand new state of the art stadium 'Livestrong Sporting Park' was finally upon us. For me, it was months of waiting, for many fans, it was an absolute lifetime. The opening ceremony was spectacular, with fire works, promotional video's, build up songs, the national anthem and much more. Anything you could have wished for in the opening of a new stadium was there and i'd just like to take this opportunity in saying well done to everyone single person involved in game day operations, you were spectacular. I spent most of the week at the stadium with these guys until 2/3am, never had I been more prepared for a broadcast!
It was an absolute honour to be there and to be apart of such a historic event. ESPN were there covering the game, so no TV appearance for me that evening, instead, I did the game on 810 Sports Radio (which I thoroughly enjoyed). The game was full of thrills and spills and in my opinion, Sporting were denied the perfect opening night in the new stadium when Omar Bravo was mauled to the ground by Ristic of Chicago Fire inside the penalty area. Ristic went through the back of Bravo, taking down the mexican, only for the ref to wave play on. I really do hope Major League Soccer take a look at this. I accept the fact that we are all human being and we are going to make mistakes, but I still have absolutely no idea how or why the ref did not call a penalty kick. I remember going absolutely barmy on the radio alongside Jake Gutierez, we were both absolutely astonished as to how there was nothing given. I also came very close to dropping the 'f word' as well, I was absolutely disgusted.
Either way, it was a momentous and historic day for soccer in Kansas City, a day which I was very proud to be apart of and a day that'll live long in the memory. The one memory I have of the whole evening was watching the teams come out and watching Davy Arnaud fight back the tears as Ida Mcbeth sang the national anthem. I remember having a huge lump in my throat and thinking 'wow, i've only been here 11 weeks' but already I feel so attached to this club. I felt so happy for Davy because I knew this was the moment he'd waited his whole career for and just looking around at the fans singing the national anthem with such passion and pride. I get it guys, I really do get it and i'm absolutely honored and privileged to have been apart of it. Thank you.
So after the game (which tied 0 - 0 for those in the UK) I made my way down to the press conference and then gave an interview myself to KCTV 5. After that I met up with a few people from the front office and had a couple of beers whilst signing autographs and sharing thoughts of the evening with several Sporting KC fans.
Friday, after 5 hours sleep, Dan and I headed into the office once again to concentrate on putting together the TV show for the upcoming road game in Dallas. However as the clock came to 4pm, we were all so tired, we left early and I finally spent a friday night in KC doing absolutely nothing; but it was so nice!
The next day we flew to Dallas (still quite tired) but settled into the hotel quite nicely before finishing the script and research, then going out for a quick beer. I woke up on the Sunday morning with a strange feeling. This was the first broadcast we'd done on the Sunday, it felt very odd, but either way, we got on with it. So came the game, I must admit I did enjoy doing the game with David Dir, the guy seemed knowledgeable about MLS and comfortable on screen (which is always helpful).
What a performace! Sporting played with so much confidence in the 2nd half, we desperately needed that result! Great performance from Zusi and a wonderful goal. Speaking of wonderful goal, how about that from Eric Hassli against Seattle! Josh Whisenhunt, Dan and I all screamed when we saw it live in a bar in Dallas. Unbelievable strike, i'll say it now, that is the MLS goal of the season.
So my alarm went off at 3.30am this morning in Dallas, we eventually got to the airport and on our flight after some minor difficulties and caught our 6am flight to Kansas City. So here I am, 4.20pm in the afternoon, eating and drinking as many sugar products as possible in the office having spent all day working on voice overs for TV and prepping the radio show. On that note, i'm on 610 Sports Radio tonight from 7-8pm with Kansas City Star writer Charles Gooch. We'll be talking about the opening of LSP and the result at FC Dallas, speaking with Graham Zusi about THE goal and taking your phone calls as well. The number to get on air ........ 913-576-7610.
See you there!
Cheers
Cal
@calwilliams2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Sunday Morning Call
Afternoon all
I sit here writing this to you from my new TV booth overlooking the glorious view of Livestrong Sporting Park. Just 2 days away! I can't quite believe its come around as quickly as it has. Only a few more tickets remain for the home opener, so if you haven't got yours yet, make sure you do asap!
So, the last time we spoke, we'd not long come back from Colorado. Well, the week after was an interesting one as we ventured into June. Once again the week was filled up with voice overs, TV interviews, research and more. We rather surprisingly had Monday off, so I made the most of the lie in (ish) and got up at 9.30 to watch the Championship play off final and see Swansea City secure promotion to the EPL.
Then after a bit of a chill out, Dan, Spence and I rather randomly ended up at the KC Royals baseball game. If i'm totally honest, I didn't really have a clue as to what was going on, but I understand they lost to the LA Angles. Our housemate Brian (B-Rob) joined us before the game, as I tailgated for the first time. For those in the UK, tailgating means parking up the car in the car park, opening the boot, sitting there and drinking beer (very good). So anyway, we proceeded to watch the game and perhaps drank a bit to much during the day as we met up with Adam (our other housemate), Blake (who works in the front office) and his wife in Westport. Never the less the week was busy as per usual as we prepped for our trip to Toronto, another city i'd never thought i've ever visit, I certainly didn't think i'd be calling a soccer game there!
The main highlight of the mid week prep for me was the phone in show on Wednesday evening. It was brilliant to have so many callers, for me, that is exactly how phone in's should be; it gives fans an opportunity to have their say. So thank you for making it such a great show guys, I really enjoyed it. The next show will be on Monday, June 13th, 7-8pm, Charles Gooch from the KC Star will be my co-host.
So we took off from KCI on Friday afternoon, sharing a small 80 man plane with the players and coaches. The flight was just under 2 hours and I have to say, it went very quickly for me as I spent the whole journey watching 'Long Way Down', my favorite documentary of all time. If you haven't had a chance to see it, i'd highly recommend it.
Toronto was a very cool place, very metropolitan (much like Kansas City) and very lively. The broadcasting team and I went out for a few beers that friday night before I met up with them at BMO field the next day. We'd taken one of our interns along for the trip, Spencer, who i've mentioned in these blogs before. His second road game of the season, he's very handy with a camera and lighting and he seemed to have a great time. So we got to the game, lets be honest, it was awful wasn't it. Not a great advertisement for MLS but a shut out was vital for confidence. I enjoyed working with Kristian Jack, a fellow englishman, who's enjoying life in Toronto, I look forward to seeing him when they come to Livestrong Sporting Park. Now some of you may have noticed the rather odd looking man behind my head in the final segment; let me explain. Basically, we had technical problems thanks to that guy you all saw behind my head. As Kristian and I came back on camera, we both couldn't here Chris (executive producer) at all, so after I asked Kristian the 4th question, I knew something was wrong because I'd not heard anything from Chris. So I basically guessed saying something along the lines of 'I wonder if we can look at the Sprint save of the game'. So up came the clip, i'm then off camera making it clear I can't hear anything. So this guy decides the fiddle with a few wires, then comes behind me and starts to mess with my earpiece. I remember saying to him 'you do know we are back on screen in 5 seconds' to which he didn't reply. Then, all of a sudden, BANG, we're on screen and I have some long haired guy bahind my head. After he left the shot, he then realized he hadn't plugged us in properly, so in actual fact, didn't need to come into view! Thanks mate!
Anyway, after another few beers in the evening to celebrate the end of the road trip, the Sunday morning call from hell came! After eventually getting to the airport after the highway had been shut down in Toronto, we were told to go to terminal 1, so, naturally thats where we parked. Only to find out that customs was at the other end of the airport! So Spence, Chris, Eric and I were lugging all this heavy TV equipment back and forth to get the carney signed. Then we had to carry it to another terminal because we were told we were in the wrong terminal. Eventually we got to check the bags and after filling in details and convincing them that I had a work visa, we eventually carried the bags through security and then got ourselves and our carry on's through security. We just about made the gate in time only to find out the flight was delayed! One of those days eh.
And so the madness begins. I'm writing this on Tuesday afternoon because I had a bit of spare time, but surrounding this has been absolute chaos with the new stadium opening! With that in mind, we have to film, cut, edit and produce the whole of our TV show on friday because we fly to Dallas on Saturday for the broadcast on Sunday, plus we have 'Off the Pitch' to record as well! Its been Ok for me, I just feel sorry for the guys who are actually opening the stadium, this week will be hell.
Anyway, if you do find yourself for some strange reason, not attending the game, i'll be live from 8.55pm on 810 Sports Radio with Jake Gutierez to bring you the whole game live.
See you all Thursday evening :-)
Cal
I sit here writing this to you from my new TV booth overlooking the glorious view of Livestrong Sporting Park. Just 2 days away! I can't quite believe its come around as quickly as it has. Only a few more tickets remain for the home opener, so if you haven't got yours yet, make sure you do asap!
So, the last time we spoke, we'd not long come back from Colorado. Well, the week after was an interesting one as we ventured into June. Once again the week was filled up with voice overs, TV interviews, research and more. We rather surprisingly had Monday off, so I made the most of the lie in (ish) and got up at 9.30 to watch the Championship play off final and see Swansea City secure promotion to the EPL.
Then after a bit of a chill out, Dan, Spence and I rather randomly ended up at the KC Royals baseball game. If i'm totally honest, I didn't really have a clue as to what was going on, but I understand they lost to the LA Angles. Our housemate Brian (B-Rob) joined us before the game, as I tailgated for the first time. For those in the UK, tailgating means parking up the car in the car park, opening the boot, sitting there and drinking beer (very good). So anyway, we proceeded to watch the game and perhaps drank a bit to much during the day as we met up with Adam (our other housemate), Blake (who works in the front office) and his wife in Westport. Never the less the week was busy as per usual as we prepped for our trip to Toronto, another city i'd never thought i've ever visit, I certainly didn't think i'd be calling a soccer game there!
The main highlight of the mid week prep for me was the phone in show on Wednesday evening. It was brilliant to have so many callers, for me, that is exactly how phone in's should be; it gives fans an opportunity to have their say. So thank you for making it such a great show guys, I really enjoyed it. The next show will be on Monday, June 13th, 7-8pm, Charles Gooch from the KC Star will be my co-host.
So we took off from KCI on Friday afternoon, sharing a small 80 man plane with the players and coaches. The flight was just under 2 hours and I have to say, it went very quickly for me as I spent the whole journey watching 'Long Way Down', my favorite documentary of all time. If you haven't had a chance to see it, i'd highly recommend it.
Toronto was a very cool place, very metropolitan (much like Kansas City) and very lively. The broadcasting team and I went out for a few beers that friday night before I met up with them at BMO field the next day. We'd taken one of our interns along for the trip, Spencer, who i've mentioned in these blogs before. His second road game of the season, he's very handy with a camera and lighting and he seemed to have a great time. So we got to the game, lets be honest, it was awful wasn't it. Not a great advertisement for MLS but a shut out was vital for confidence. I enjoyed working with Kristian Jack, a fellow englishman, who's enjoying life in Toronto, I look forward to seeing him when they come to Livestrong Sporting Park. Now some of you may have noticed the rather odd looking man behind my head in the final segment; let me explain. Basically, we had technical problems thanks to that guy you all saw behind my head. As Kristian and I came back on camera, we both couldn't here Chris (executive producer) at all, so after I asked Kristian the 4th question, I knew something was wrong because I'd not heard anything from Chris. So I basically guessed saying something along the lines of 'I wonder if we can look at the Sprint save of the game'. So up came the clip, i'm then off camera making it clear I can't hear anything. So this guy decides the fiddle with a few wires, then comes behind me and starts to mess with my earpiece. I remember saying to him 'you do know we are back on screen in 5 seconds' to which he didn't reply. Then, all of a sudden, BANG, we're on screen and I have some long haired guy bahind my head. After he left the shot, he then realized he hadn't plugged us in properly, so in actual fact, didn't need to come into view! Thanks mate!
Anyway, after another few beers in the evening to celebrate the end of the road trip, the Sunday morning call from hell came! After eventually getting to the airport after the highway had been shut down in Toronto, we were told to go to terminal 1, so, naturally thats where we parked. Only to find out that customs was at the other end of the airport! So Spence, Chris, Eric and I were lugging all this heavy TV equipment back and forth to get the carney signed. Then we had to carry it to another terminal because we were told we were in the wrong terminal. Eventually we got to check the bags and after filling in details and convincing them that I had a work visa, we eventually carried the bags through security and then got ourselves and our carry on's through security. We just about made the gate in time only to find out the flight was delayed! One of those days eh.
And so the madness begins. I'm writing this on Tuesday afternoon because I had a bit of spare time, but surrounding this has been absolute chaos with the new stadium opening! With that in mind, we have to film, cut, edit and produce the whole of our TV show on friday because we fly to Dallas on Saturday for the broadcast on Sunday, plus we have 'Off the Pitch' to record as well! Its been Ok for me, I just feel sorry for the guys who are actually opening the stadium, this week will be hell.
Anyway, if you do find yourself for some strange reason, not attending the game, i'll be live from 8.55pm on 810 Sports Radio with Jake Gutierez to bring you the whole game live.
See you all Thursday evening :-)
Cal
Sunday, May 29, 2011
LITTLE BY LITTLE
HELLO ALL
SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THE BLOG FOR A WHILE, ITS JUST BEEN SO BUSY! I’VE HAD TO HOST 2 TV SHOWS A WEBSTREAM AND A RADIO SHOW IN 1 WEEK AS WELL AS HELP THE TEAM PREPARE FOR THE TRIPS TO SEATTLE AND COLORADO
ITS BEEN AN INTERESTING FEW WEEKS FOR SPORTING KC, WHO’VE IMPROVED FANTASTICALLY AND LOOK A LOT MORE CONFIDENT.
LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO LAST WEEK, WE HAD THE USUAL RESEARCH OF THE OPPONENTS, PRESS CONFERENCES, TV PACKAGES AND INTERVIEWS TO PREPARE, WHICH WAS FINE, AS WELL AS OUR INDOOR PLAY OFF GAME WHICH WE WON TO FINISH 3RD IN OUR LEAGUE! SO AFTER A BUSY WEEK WE SPREAD OUR WINGS ONCE AGAIN AND FLEW TO SEATTLE. ONCE AGAIN, A CITY THAT I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. INFACT THE ONLY THING I KNEW ABOUT IT, WAS THE TV SHOW ‘FRAISER’ WAS BASED THERE. I SPENT MANY DAYS WATCHING THAT SHOW IN THE UK WITH MY MOTHER WATCHING NILES AND FRAISER DRINKING CHERRY. ANYWAY, I WAS PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEATTLE, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS REALLY. NUMBER ONE, IT WAS ANOTHER CITY I’D NEVER BEEN TO, TWO, I’D HEARD MUCH OF ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE CROWD AT QWEST FIELD AND PROBABLY MORE BECAUSE I WOULD FINALLY GET TO MEET THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS ANNOUNCER, FORMER BBC MAN ARLO WHITE. I WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN MEETING ARLO, BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE I SPOKE TO WHEN IT FIRST BECAME APARANT THAT I COULD BE MOVING TO MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER. HE SPOKE VERY HIGHLY OF THE LEAGUE AND RECOMMENDED THAT I GET OVER TO THE STATES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO EVENTUALLY I DID MEET HIM, WE SPOKE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THE GAME HAD IN THE USA, THE RAPID FROWTH OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, WORKING FOR THE BBC AND OF COURSE, BEING A BRIT AND MOVING ACROSS THE POND. HE WAS A TOP LAD, ASKING ME HOW THE GIRLFRIEND WAS, MY CAREER PATH, ETC AND I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A BEER WITH HIM IN KANSAS CITY.
THE GAME ITSELF WAS DESPREATELY DISSAPOINTING IN TERMS OF THE RESULT. SPORTING MATCH THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS THROUGHOUT THE GAME AND DESERVED A POINT AND TO BE DENIED AT THE LAST MINUTE WAS BOTH PAINFUL AND DEPRESSING. WORKING WITH CLIFF MCGRATH WAS ENJOYABLE AND INTERESTING, WHAT A LOVELY MAN, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM AT LIVESTRONG SPORTING PARK IN THE REVERSE FIXTURE. AFTER THE GAME, CRAIG (ONE OF THE ASSISTANT PRODUCERS ON THE SHOW) LEAD THE BROADCASTING TEAM AND I TO A LITTLE IRISH BAR ON THE DOCKS IN SEATTLE, WHERE WE ENJOYED THE DELIGHTS IT HAD TO OFFER.
THE NEXT WEEK LEADING UP TO THE COLORADO GAME WAS HYPED UP TO BE OUR BUSIEST YET, IT CERTAINLY LIVED UP TO EXPECTATIONS! MONDAY SAW ME HOST MY FIRST RADIO SHOW ON ‘610 SPORTS RADIO’ WHICH FROM MY POINT OF VIEW DIDN’T GO EXACTLY HOW I WANTED DUE TO THE LACK OF PHONE CALLS WE HAD. THANKS GOODNESS FOR THE PRE ARRANGED INTERVIEWS! TUESDAY WE HAD ANOTHER ALL STAFF MEETING AT 8AM AND SOON AFTER THAT’D FINISHED, JAKE AND I LEFT FOR TRAINING TO GET SOME FOOTAGE FOR THE TV SHOW. WEDNESDAY WAS POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING DAYS I’D HAD SINCE MY ARRIVAL OVER 2 MONTHS AGO (CAN’T BELIEVE ITS BEEN THAT LONG). I HAD MY FIRST TORNADO EXPERIENCE IN THE MID WEST. I REMEMBER ROB HENIEHMAN TELLING EVERYONE TO GET TO THE BASEMENT AS THE SIRENS WERE GOING OFF. AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME I HAD MY EARPHONES IN AND WAS EDITING SOME AUDIO SO I ACTUALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. I STAYED UPSTAIRS WITH A COUPLE OF THE SALES GUYS. I SOON REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND SAW WHAT KCTV 5 WHERE REPORTING, BUT TO BE HONEST, I HAD SO MUCH WORK TO DO IN PREPERATION FOR OUR WEBCAST IN THE EVENING, I JUST STAYED UP STAIRS. SO ANYWAY, WE EVENTUALLY GOT TO THE LIVESTREAM OF OUR US OPEN CUP GAME (SIMILAR TO THE FA CUP IF YOU ARE READING FROM THE UK). I HAVE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY WELL DONE TO THE GUYS IN THE BACKROOM. THEY DID EXTREMELY WELL, BATTLING WITH ALL SORTS OF WEATHER AND WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A BROADCAST AT ALL. I ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION PLAY BY PLAY ANNOUNCER, BRAD AND I SEEMED TO CLASH A FEW TIMES IN TERMS OF LEADING THE BROADCAST, BUT I EXPECTED THAT, HE’S USED TO LEADING BECAUSE HE’S AN ANNOUNCER. ANYWAY, IT WAS WONDERFUL TO FINALLY COMMENTATE ON A SPORTING KC WIN, A 5-0 THRASHING OF THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION AT BLUE VALLEY SPORTS COMPLEX. IT WAS ALSO VERY GOOD TO HERE A HOME CROWD CHEER!
THURSDAY SAW ME GIVE AN INTERVIEW FOR ONE OF THE LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS HERE IN KANSAS CITY ‘THE PITCH’ AND I HAVE SEVERAL MORE PEOPLE ASKING FOR MY THOUGHTS ON MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AND SPORTING KC, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY WILL HERE NEXT WEEK AT SOME STAGE.
FRIDAY, WE FLEW TO COLORADO FOR THE SHORTEST FLIGHT OF THE SEASON, JUST 1 HOUR AND 20 IT TOOK. I HAVE TO SAY DENVER WAS REALLY NICE. THE ROCKY’S LOOKED SUPERB AND DOWNTOWN WAS VERY LIVELY AND SEEMED LIKE A FRIENDLY PLACE.
AS FOR THE GAME ITSELF, I THINK WE MAY HAVE USED THE WORD ‘PROGRESSION’ MORE THEN ANY OTHER TOWARDS THE END OF THE GAME. GREAT GOAL FROM SMITHY WHO’S NOT LET ANY OF US FORGET ABOUT IT AND I NOW REALLY BELIEVE WE CAN END THE ROAD TRIP WITH AN AWAY WIN AT TORONTO. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ROAD TRIP DOESN’T BECOME A DISASTER DOES IT? WE HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF AWAY POINTS AS NEW YORK WHO LIE 2ND IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE, THE DIFFERENCE IS, THEY’VE PLAYED HOME GAMES, SO LITTLE BY LITTLE, SPORTING SEEM TO BE GATHERING MOMENTUM AND SEEM TO HAVE FOUND THAT CONFIDENCE THEY’VE DESPERATELY LACKED IN RECENT WEEKS.
DAY OFF FOR ME ON MONDAY, I THINK VIEWING AN APARTMENT OR 2 SHALL BE THE DEED OF THE DAY.
CHEERS
CAL
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Don't look back in anger
Good afternoon
Hope everyone is Ok....
Well, well, well, what a few weeks its been since I last wrote here. Its been as busy as ever as per usual. I obviously got my hair cut (finally) and it seems as thought I may have finally found myself an apartment! During the week after the New York game, we prepped for our recording of 'Off the Pitch' with the stallion that is Josh Whisenhunt. I must say, I do enjoy working with Josh on the odd occasions we do, its obvious that soccer is his passion and i'm sure we could talk for hours if the directors/producers let us!
So, our 2nd weekend off was really good. After my very first 'first friday' and sharing a few beers with a couple of fans and finally meeting the guy who sorted out my visa, Leon, I called it an early night due to not feeling very well. Saturday was a beautiful day in Kansas City and Spence and I went down to 'the plaza' (my first real time down there) to take a look around. Instantly I fell in love with the place and after a bit of shopping we felt it only right that we should man up. So, we picked up Dan (who was struggling from the night before) and proceeded to drink 'a bit' of beer. Firstly going down to Cameron's house (one of our colleagues at Sporting KC and the place I was staying for a few days) and met up with a few people from the front office and quite a few random people that we didn't know. Then we took to the plaza and once again had 'a bit' of beer and enjoyed the evening. Sunday I helped Cameron move out of his house, it hurt.
Monday, I had a meeting with a few people about expanding Sporting's coverage within the sports media world, can't say anything at the moment, but will let you know very soon. Tuesday was another scorcher, a beautiful day and a perfect day to head down to Swope Park training facility and watch the players train as well as grab a few interviews with Jake ahead of the game in LA. The rest of the week was spent researching LA Galaxy and providing voice overs for the broadcast as well as attending the press conference before flying on the friday.
So, we got to LA and were in the same hotel we'd stopped at for our previous visit when we played Chivas USA. Really nice hotel, just a shame there isn't a lot around other then a few restaurants. So came the day of the broadcast. During the day I spoke with Lauren and my Mom and Dad via Skype. It was really good to speak to them all again. Lauren comes out in a little over 2 weeks to live here with me and I can't wait to get her over here. Mom and Dad are coming over in August and should get to see the Wednesday night game against Portland Timbers, which I know they are both looking forward to. I'm one of these guys who loves what I do, but the 1 thing I want to do more then anything is make my Mom and Dad proud, so i'm extremely excited about them coming over and watching me host the TV show. Also, my Dad is a big EPL fan and despite me taking him to a few games outside the EPL during my time with the BBC, he still remains firmly stubborn about the EPL and i'm looking forward to showing him the MLS. I must admit, everyone at home seems to be paying attention to the MLS since I got here, so hopefully Mom and Dad will enjoy their break here and embrace soccer in the USA.
Anyway, i've gone thoroughly off subject there. To the broadcast we go. I have to say I think it was probably the best broadcast we've done so far. I really enjoyed working with Warren Barton. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's english, I just felt a lot more comfortable knowing that he knows the game inside out and knowing that he's comfortable in front of the camera due to his work with FOX Soccer. He was a top lad to be fair. He told me many stories of his time in the EPL and several stories of ex players whilst we were off camera. The one thing which made me smile as well was the fact that he actually took an interest in me and how I ended up in the USA and more importantly, he took a real interest in the broadcast and I know he enjoyed his experience.
Now, as I mentioned on twitter yesterday, i'm now going to break the rules of my blog. When I first started this blog I made it clear to myself and you lot that I wouldn't talk about my feeling and thoughts on the team and this would be a blog about my personal feelings and adapting to life in the USA. However, I think there are a few things I need to say. I just need to stress, these are not the views of Sporting Kansas City or anyone else associated with the club.
Here it goes -
I think its obvious that its not been the start to the season that everyone wanted, in fact, it couldn't have started any worse really could it. However, I think people need to remember this is a long road trip and having so many games on the road on a consistent basis is going to take its tole. Its obvious there have been a few problems at the back, maybe its fair enough to say individual errors have cost us more then anything. I think the one thing that i've noticed and I may have pointed out on the broadcast before; there is a massive gap in midfield between the holding role and the back line which is being exposed SO much this year already. A prime example, though it didn't lead to a goal on Saturday was Beckham playing a ball over to Donavan from the center of midfield. Beckham had so much time on the ball it was ridiculous and I really do think another player is needed in that department. As for people calling for Pete Vermes to be sacked, I understand that people are annoyed that we've only won once this season, but we've been on the road for a very very long time. I think Pete knows he's got some tactical decisions wrong this season and he'd be the first to admit it, but as a coach there is only so much you can do until you have to look at the players. Even if you were to sack Pete, who could you possibly bring in at this stage of the season that knows the players and club as well as he does, especially now the transfer market is closed. The only reason I would get rid of the current coaching staff is if you know for a fact you have someone lined up to replace them who is a much better coach. I don't think that coach is out there right now. You can tell in training that these players are desperate for a win and I think we are only 1 win away from regaining confidence and climbing up the table.
Patience is needed i'm afraid guys
Let me know your thoughts either on here or via twitter. See you in Seattle!
Cheers
Cal
Hope everyone is Ok....
Well, well, well, what a few weeks its been since I last wrote here. Its been as busy as ever as per usual. I obviously got my hair cut (finally) and it seems as thought I may have finally found myself an apartment! During the week after the New York game, we prepped for our recording of 'Off the Pitch' with the stallion that is Josh Whisenhunt. I must say, I do enjoy working with Josh on the odd occasions we do, its obvious that soccer is his passion and i'm sure we could talk for hours if the directors/producers let us!
So, our 2nd weekend off was really good. After my very first 'first friday' and sharing a few beers with a couple of fans and finally meeting the guy who sorted out my visa, Leon, I called it an early night due to not feeling very well. Saturday was a beautiful day in Kansas City and Spence and I went down to 'the plaza' (my first real time down there) to take a look around. Instantly I fell in love with the place and after a bit of shopping we felt it only right that we should man up. So, we picked up Dan (who was struggling from the night before) and proceeded to drink 'a bit' of beer. Firstly going down to Cameron's house (one of our colleagues at Sporting KC and the place I was staying for a few days) and met up with a few people from the front office and quite a few random people that we didn't know. Then we took to the plaza and once again had 'a bit' of beer and enjoyed the evening. Sunday I helped Cameron move out of his house, it hurt.
Monday, I had a meeting with a few people about expanding Sporting's coverage within the sports media world, can't say anything at the moment, but will let you know very soon. Tuesday was another scorcher, a beautiful day and a perfect day to head down to Swope Park training facility and watch the players train as well as grab a few interviews with Jake ahead of the game in LA. The rest of the week was spent researching LA Galaxy and providing voice overs for the broadcast as well as attending the press conference before flying on the friday.
So, we got to LA and were in the same hotel we'd stopped at for our previous visit when we played Chivas USA. Really nice hotel, just a shame there isn't a lot around other then a few restaurants. So came the day of the broadcast. During the day I spoke with Lauren and my Mom and Dad via Skype. It was really good to speak to them all again. Lauren comes out in a little over 2 weeks to live here with me and I can't wait to get her over here. Mom and Dad are coming over in August and should get to see the Wednesday night game against Portland Timbers, which I know they are both looking forward to. I'm one of these guys who loves what I do, but the 1 thing I want to do more then anything is make my Mom and Dad proud, so i'm extremely excited about them coming over and watching me host the TV show. Also, my Dad is a big EPL fan and despite me taking him to a few games outside the EPL during my time with the BBC, he still remains firmly stubborn about the EPL and i'm looking forward to showing him the MLS. I must admit, everyone at home seems to be paying attention to the MLS since I got here, so hopefully Mom and Dad will enjoy their break here and embrace soccer in the USA.
Anyway, i've gone thoroughly off subject there. To the broadcast we go. I have to say I think it was probably the best broadcast we've done so far. I really enjoyed working with Warren Barton. It has nothing to do with the fact that he's english, I just felt a lot more comfortable knowing that he knows the game inside out and knowing that he's comfortable in front of the camera due to his work with FOX Soccer. He was a top lad to be fair. He told me many stories of his time in the EPL and several stories of ex players whilst we were off camera. The one thing which made me smile as well was the fact that he actually took an interest in me and how I ended up in the USA and more importantly, he took a real interest in the broadcast and I know he enjoyed his experience.
Now, as I mentioned on twitter yesterday, i'm now going to break the rules of my blog. When I first started this blog I made it clear to myself and you lot that I wouldn't talk about my feeling and thoughts on the team and this would be a blog about my personal feelings and adapting to life in the USA. However, I think there are a few things I need to say. I just need to stress, these are not the views of Sporting Kansas City or anyone else associated with the club.
Here it goes -
I think its obvious that its not been the start to the season that everyone wanted, in fact, it couldn't have started any worse really could it. However, I think people need to remember this is a long road trip and having so many games on the road on a consistent basis is going to take its tole. Its obvious there have been a few problems at the back, maybe its fair enough to say individual errors have cost us more then anything. I think the one thing that i've noticed and I may have pointed out on the broadcast before; there is a massive gap in midfield between the holding role and the back line which is being exposed SO much this year already. A prime example, though it didn't lead to a goal on Saturday was Beckham playing a ball over to Donavan from the center of midfield. Beckham had so much time on the ball it was ridiculous and I really do think another player is needed in that department. As for people calling for Pete Vermes to be sacked, I understand that people are annoyed that we've only won once this season, but we've been on the road for a very very long time. I think Pete knows he's got some tactical decisions wrong this season and he'd be the first to admit it, but as a coach there is only so much you can do until you have to look at the players. Even if you were to sack Pete, who could you possibly bring in at this stage of the season that knows the players and club as well as he does, especially now the transfer market is closed. The only reason I would get rid of the current coaching staff is if you know for a fact you have someone lined up to replace them who is a much better coach. I don't think that coach is out there right now. You can tell in training that these players are desperate for a win and I think we are only 1 win away from regaining confidence and climbing up the table.
Patience is needed i'm afraid guys
Let me know your thoughts either on here or via twitter. See you in Seattle!
Cheers
Cal
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Hey Now
Morning/Afternoon
Hope all is well
What a mad few days its been. Once again I was having trouble finding an apartment and having two viewings were cancelled because apparently I earn just over the limit you are allowed to, to live in these places. I was gutted, these places were right in the 'Power and Light district' as well, right where I want to be. It looks as if i'll have to find somewhere else outside the city now. Gutted.
Anyway, on a brighter note, we traveled to New York on the Friday. As a Brit, we see NYC on the TV all the time and i've always wanted to go (having never been the NYC) and when we flew over New Jersey with Manhattan on our left, it was like a sea of lights, it was beautiful. We landed at Newark airport and Dan, Jake and I set off in our car to find the hotel, which took us a while to find due to being diverted around the Holland Tunnel due to a shooting; Dan said 'welcome to New York!' We arrived at the hotel (The W, which was lovely) and I was hoping for a nice view and my goodness I got it. Pulling back those curtains to see an almost perfect view of the city, bright lights and commercials as far as the eye could see; perfect. I'll never ever forget that moment. I've seen a lot of cities in my life but i've never seen anything so majestic as that city.
During the evening we went out in the town we were staying in (Hoboken), which to my surprise was quite a cool place. I was always lead to believe that the area outside and on the outskirts of NYC wasn't that great. Anyway we grabbed a bite to eat at 'Johny Rockets', a stereotypical old style burger place. Then we went on to 'The Dubliner' which was a cracking place in the middle of the town. Jake (director of photography) and his girlfriend Whitney, Dan (assistant producer), John (our merchandise guy who joined us for the trip to gather ideas), Mike (the kit man and honorary mad man), Andy (Mike's assistant) and I all had a great night sharing stories, laughs and of course alcohol.
I got up the next morning bright and early to meet up with John and head down to New York City. Eventually we got there after figuring out how to use 'the path' and get tickets. Its not to dissimilar to 'the tube' in London, so we found our way around eventually. So there I was, local lad from Great Barr walking around New York City. I couldn't quite believe I was there and even though I was only there for a few hours I urge anyone to go if you have a chance; it blew me away. We met up with one of John's old friends and had a bite to eat in an irish pub, which was great because I got to see the last ten minutes of Villa loosing to West Brom (so not so great) and then Chelsea - Spurs and THAT goal from Sandro. After that I got to see the madness of Times Square which was just mind blowing. I had spotted similarities to London in New York but once I saw Times Square, I was stunned. Commercials, bright lights, thousands of people, Hard Rock Cafe, all the sights i'd heard so much about and this was only mid day! I had the opportunity to get my haircut before we left for the hotel but I chose not to, I chose to go to NYC for the first time in my life instead; hence why no haircut yet. I think the funniest moment of that afternoon was when we were walking under a huge building. I glared up at it and said to John, 'man alive, thats a tall building' to which he responded 'thats because its the Empire State', I then said 'oh ye' and felt like a proper tourist.
So after the glamour of NYC we headed back and got ready for the broadcast. I did some more work on my reads before John and I headed over to the stadium using the 'the path' which we were much more familiar with this time.
I met my color commentator about two hours before the broadcast, FOX News' Brian Kilmeade joined me this week. I thought we worked well together. He's obviously done TV so he knows about timings and didn't seem nervous (why would he). On the call, again, he seemed fine, he's a soccer coach in his spare time and he used to do play by play on the Red Bulls when they were the MetroStars so he knows the game well. Despite the odd slip up from myself I think it was a good broadcast and once we got back to Kansas City it seemed the broadcast went down very well and by all means, let me know you're thoughts.
Anyway, my thoughts on the game - I thought the first half was awful and once again we were exploited in the middle of the park. The goal, despite protests IS onside. I think I said on the broadcast, i'm surprised at how well Luke Rodgers has adapted to Major League Soccer. I thought Aurelien Collin marked Thiery Henry superbly well. We improved in the second half but didn't test Coundoul nearly as much as we should have. Another disappointing end to a game, loosing 1-0.
We got back to the hotel after saying our goodbyes to the guys that helped out on the broadcast and Dan, Craig (one of our assistant producers) and Eric (another camera man/assistant). They both travel with us on every broadcast and have become good friends. We left the hotel and headed for 'The Dubliner' again. The night was going rather smoothly, we had a few bottles of beer and it was a nice relaxing evening, until, (and I take full responsibility for this) I uttered the sentence 'f***k it lets get jaegerbombs' and thats when it went downhill from then on. We went down to the second floor (the dance floor) and proceeded in having a lot more to drink. We regretted it the next day.
We eventually got home after the two flights back home. Sunday, I did nothing, I was hungover. It hurt. Very much.
Monday, I felt great but must admit it was the first day I thought 'going home would be quite nice'. I guess that makes me home sick. After we'd finished for the day Adam (one of my housemates) and I went to the golf range. Having not played for two months its safe to say i've lost it, well, in fact, I don't think I ever had it but smashing balls up to Ohio certainly helped put my mind off things. We were gutted we'd just ran out of golf balls when 4/5 dears decided to run across the driving range. Inevitably, everyone tried to hit them, but failed.
So today, i've obviously been working on this, but i'm off to Swope Park soon as our reserves take on Real Salt Lake reserves. Looking forward to it. Before I go, i've not long tweeted this and i'd like to get people's thoughts. I certainly don't think this is the case anymore but do people and players in Europe see the MLS as a 'retirement' league....... Lets talk.
Cheers
Cal
Hope all is well
What a mad few days its been. Once again I was having trouble finding an apartment and having two viewings were cancelled because apparently I earn just over the limit you are allowed to, to live in these places. I was gutted, these places were right in the 'Power and Light district' as well, right where I want to be. It looks as if i'll have to find somewhere else outside the city now. Gutted.
Anyway, on a brighter note, we traveled to New York on the Friday. As a Brit, we see NYC on the TV all the time and i've always wanted to go (having never been the NYC) and when we flew over New Jersey with Manhattan on our left, it was like a sea of lights, it was beautiful. We landed at Newark airport and Dan, Jake and I set off in our car to find the hotel, which took us a while to find due to being diverted around the Holland Tunnel due to a shooting; Dan said 'welcome to New York!' We arrived at the hotel (The W, which was lovely) and I was hoping for a nice view and my goodness I got it. Pulling back those curtains to see an almost perfect view of the city, bright lights and commercials as far as the eye could see; perfect. I'll never ever forget that moment. I've seen a lot of cities in my life but i've never seen anything so majestic as that city.
During the evening we went out in the town we were staying in (Hoboken), which to my surprise was quite a cool place. I was always lead to believe that the area outside and on the outskirts of NYC wasn't that great. Anyway we grabbed a bite to eat at 'Johny Rockets', a stereotypical old style burger place. Then we went on to 'The Dubliner' which was a cracking place in the middle of the town. Jake (director of photography) and his girlfriend Whitney, Dan (assistant producer), John (our merchandise guy who joined us for the trip to gather ideas), Mike (the kit man and honorary mad man), Andy (Mike's assistant) and I all had a great night sharing stories, laughs and of course alcohol.
I got up the next morning bright and early to meet up with John and head down to New York City. Eventually we got there after figuring out how to use 'the path' and get tickets. Its not to dissimilar to 'the tube' in London, so we found our way around eventually. So there I was, local lad from Great Barr walking around New York City. I couldn't quite believe I was there and even though I was only there for a few hours I urge anyone to go if you have a chance; it blew me away. We met up with one of John's old friends and had a bite to eat in an irish pub, which was great because I got to see the last ten minutes of Villa loosing to West Brom (so not so great) and then Chelsea - Spurs and THAT goal from Sandro. After that I got to see the madness of Times Square which was just mind blowing. I had spotted similarities to London in New York but once I saw Times Square, I was stunned. Commercials, bright lights, thousands of people, Hard Rock Cafe, all the sights i'd heard so much about and this was only mid day! I had the opportunity to get my haircut before we left for the hotel but I chose not to, I chose to go to NYC for the first time in my life instead; hence why no haircut yet. I think the funniest moment of that afternoon was when we were walking under a huge building. I glared up at it and said to John, 'man alive, thats a tall building' to which he responded 'thats because its the Empire State', I then said 'oh ye' and felt like a proper tourist.
So after the glamour of NYC we headed back and got ready for the broadcast. I did some more work on my reads before John and I headed over to the stadium using the 'the path' which we were much more familiar with this time.
I met my color commentator about two hours before the broadcast, FOX News' Brian Kilmeade joined me this week. I thought we worked well together. He's obviously done TV so he knows about timings and didn't seem nervous (why would he). On the call, again, he seemed fine, he's a soccer coach in his spare time and he used to do play by play on the Red Bulls when they were the MetroStars so he knows the game well. Despite the odd slip up from myself I think it was a good broadcast and once we got back to Kansas City it seemed the broadcast went down very well and by all means, let me know you're thoughts.
Anyway, my thoughts on the game - I thought the first half was awful and once again we were exploited in the middle of the park. The goal, despite protests IS onside. I think I said on the broadcast, i'm surprised at how well Luke Rodgers has adapted to Major League Soccer. I thought Aurelien Collin marked Thiery Henry superbly well. We improved in the second half but didn't test Coundoul nearly as much as we should have. Another disappointing end to a game, loosing 1-0.
We got back to the hotel after saying our goodbyes to the guys that helped out on the broadcast and Dan, Craig (one of our assistant producers) and Eric (another camera man/assistant). They both travel with us on every broadcast and have become good friends. We left the hotel and headed for 'The Dubliner' again. The night was going rather smoothly, we had a few bottles of beer and it was a nice relaxing evening, until, (and I take full responsibility for this) I uttered the sentence 'f***k it lets get jaegerbombs' and thats when it went downhill from then on. We went down to the second floor (the dance floor) and proceeded in having a lot more to drink. We regretted it the next day.
We eventually got home after the two flights back home. Sunday, I did nothing, I was hungover. It hurt. Very much.
Monday, I felt great but must admit it was the first day I thought 'going home would be quite nice'. I guess that makes me home sick. After we'd finished for the day Adam (one of my housemates) and I went to the golf range. Having not played for two months its safe to say i've lost it, well, in fact, I don't think I ever had it but smashing balls up to Ohio certainly helped put my mind off things. We were gutted we'd just ran out of golf balls when 4/5 dears decided to run across the driving range. Inevitably, everyone tried to hit them, but failed.
So today, i've obviously been working on this, but i'm off to Swope Park soon as our reserves take on Real Salt Lake reserves. Looking forward to it. Before I go, i've not long tweeted this and i'd like to get people's thoughts. I certainly don't think this is the case anymore but do people and players in Europe see the MLS as a 'retirement' league....... Lets talk.
Cheers
Cal
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Roll with it
Awwwwwwwite (thats what i've been teaching the american's this week, if you are from the UK, please help me explain this)
Hope everyone is well
Its safe to say, i'm absolutely shattered. Last week was another good week leading up to the broadcast. I finally managed to get my credit card sorted so I can now start to properly live and spend some money. Once again, the amount of research I did for the New England Revolution game was more then was probably needed, but as an announcer i'd rather have to much then to little. Major League Soccer provide us with 'game notes' a day or two before the broadcast, which includes some brilliant stats and facts, but I always like to do my own research as an add on to that so I know what I have in front of me. I suppose its down to the different, more personal style all announcers have whilst researching. You put certain things in certain places and you feel more comfortable knowing its written in you're own terminology.
Wednesday saw me travel down to Swope Park Training Facilities to once again watch the team train and make notes of formations, style of play of certain players etc. I was particularly interested in watching new french defender Aurelien Collin who'd now joined the club from Portugal after a lengthy dispute with his club. I'd had a tip off that he was going to start the game in New England, so watching him and his movement came as a particular interest to me. After training I interviewed Collin, who being from europe also, seems to have struggled with coming to terms with the word 'soccer'. I asked him what he thought of the 'soccer' here in the USA. He looked at me with a confused face and said 'i'm sorry, what?' He got it in the end and we soon realized had I of said 'football' he would have got it straight away. After that I spoke with goalkeeper Jimmy Neilsen and I have to say, he, along with Davy Arnua, Ryan Smith (and i'd probably put Kei Kamara, Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers and Matt Besler in this bracket) have made me feel the most welcome out of all of the players. All of them have been great with me, but I feel as though I could actually sit down at a bar with these guys and talk all night. I believe my interview with Jimmy Neilsen is on www.sportingkc.com somewhere.
We flew to New England via Chicago (just for a change) and got to the hotel on the friday evening. We stayed literally over the road from the giant 'Gillette Stadium' which meant a lie in for me in the morning. So, on we went to sample a few of the local bars and grab something to eat.
The next morning I woke up and once again seem to have developed this habit of listening to TalkSPORT or watching Final Score to see how the season in the UK is going at arguably its most crucial stage. So after doing that and working on the script and adding more extra bits to my notes during the day, Sasha (who'd arrived earlier in the afternoon) and I went over to the stadium.
I think the broadcast was the best we've done yet. The guys in the truck were sharp as per usual and I certainly felt Sasha and I delivered a good service on the broadcast. Everything went relatively smoothly at my end until the final part of the show. I'd asked Sasha perhaps a question to many and hadn't heard anything from Chris in my earpiece. I noticed Sasha's face getting whiter and whiter, so I reached into my pocket to find my connecter (that connects to my earpiece so I can here Chris in the production truck) had fallen out by half an inch. I quickly pushed it back in to hear cry's of 'get out, get out, we have to finish now!' So, we did, just about. We had a giggle about it after whilst supping a few beers.
Sunday was once again spent traveling with 3/4 hours sleep due to the early wake up call, but Dan and I had the rest of the day to chill out. Monday was spent working on the broadcast once again, coming up with ideas for future shows, recording voice overs amongst other things.
Tuesday started bright and early for everyone associated with the front office. We had an all staff meeting at 8.00am to discuss several things, find out what's going on in other departments and introduce 2 or 3 new faces. Once again work on the broadcast continued before I went to view 4/5 apartments. Some were nicer then others but I can honestly say I only have 1 real option out of the apartments I saw. I believe I have a few more to view next week. Its getting very frustrating at the moment, I seem to find something promising and then it dies down at the end because of several issues.
Wednesday night is out 'soccer night' so our team are off to play after a 7-3 win and 5-5 tie last week. Looking forward to the press conference tomorrow to see what Peter Vermes has to say looking ahead to the game in New York. Really looking forward to my first ever visit to the 'big apple' but i'm told we're actually staying in New Jersey and nowhere near the likes of 'times square'........ gutted. However, looking forward to a game which I think will be entertaining, both teams scoring plenty of goals at the moment and looking forward to watching the New York frontline. I saw Luke Rodgers for Notts County last season, he's taken really well to Major League Soccer (much to my surprise). We obviously get to watch mr va va voom himself, Thierry Henry, but i'm mostly looking forward to watching the teenage sensation, Juan Agudelo, only 18, he's taken the league by storm. We obviously don't have Sasha for the away games now, no idea who my color commentator is, but hey, we'll just roll with it.
Thanks for reading again guys, you're thoughts are always welcome. Don't forget we're on KSMO TV at 6pm CT on Saturday and 9.30 CT on Sunday evening for 'Off the Pitch'
Cheers
Cal
Hope everyone is well
Its safe to say, i'm absolutely shattered. Last week was another good week leading up to the broadcast. I finally managed to get my credit card sorted so I can now start to properly live and spend some money. Once again, the amount of research I did for the New England Revolution game was more then was probably needed, but as an announcer i'd rather have to much then to little. Major League Soccer provide us with 'game notes' a day or two before the broadcast, which includes some brilliant stats and facts, but I always like to do my own research as an add on to that so I know what I have in front of me. I suppose its down to the different, more personal style all announcers have whilst researching. You put certain things in certain places and you feel more comfortable knowing its written in you're own terminology.
Wednesday saw me travel down to Swope Park Training Facilities to once again watch the team train and make notes of formations, style of play of certain players etc. I was particularly interested in watching new french defender Aurelien Collin who'd now joined the club from Portugal after a lengthy dispute with his club. I'd had a tip off that he was going to start the game in New England, so watching him and his movement came as a particular interest to me. After training I interviewed Collin, who being from europe also, seems to have struggled with coming to terms with the word 'soccer'. I asked him what he thought of the 'soccer' here in the USA. He looked at me with a confused face and said 'i'm sorry, what?' He got it in the end and we soon realized had I of said 'football' he would have got it straight away. After that I spoke with goalkeeper Jimmy Neilsen and I have to say, he, along with Davy Arnua, Ryan Smith (and i'd probably put Kei Kamara, Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers and Matt Besler in this bracket) have made me feel the most welcome out of all of the players. All of them have been great with me, but I feel as though I could actually sit down at a bar with these guys and talk all night. I believe my interview with Jimmy Neilsen is on www.sportingkc.com somewhere.
We flew to New England via Chicago (just for a change) and got to the hotel on the friday evening. We stayed literally over the road from the giant 'Gillette Stadium' which meant a lie in for me in the morning. So, on we went to sample a few of the local bars and grab something to eat.
The next morning I woke up and once again seem to have developed this habit of listening to TalkSPORT or watching Final Score to see how the season in the UK is going at arguably its most crucial stage. So after doing that and working on the script and adding more extra bits to my notes during the day, Sasha (who'd arrived earlier in the afternoon) and I went over to the stadium.
I think the broadcast was the best we've done yet. The guys in the truck were sharp as per usual and I certainly felt Sasha and I delivered a good service on the broadcast. Everything went relatively smoothly at my end until the final part of the show. I'd asked Sasha perhaps a question to many and hadn't heard anything from Chris in my earpiece. I noticed Sasha's face getting whiter and whiter, so I reached into my pocket to find my connecter (that connects to my earpiece so I can here Chris in the production truck) had fallen out by half an inch. I quickly pushed it back in to hear cry's of 'get out, get out, we have to finish now!' So, we did, just about. We had a giggle about it after whilst supping a few beers.
Sunday was once again spent traveling with 3/4 hours sleep due to the early wake up call, but Dan and I had the rest of the day to chill out. Monday was spent working on the broadcast once again, coming up with ideas for future shows, recording voice overs amongst other things.
Tuesday started bright and early for everyone associated with the front office. We had an all staff meeting at 8.00am to discuss several things, find out what's going on in other departments and introduce 2 or 3 new faces. Once again work on the broadcast continued before I went to view 4/5 apartments. Some were nicer then others but I can honestly say I only have 1 real option out of the apartments I saw. I believe I have a few more to view next week. Its getting very frustrating at the moment, I seem to find something promising and then it dies down at the end because of several issues.
Wednesday night is out 'soccer night' so our team are off to play after a 7-3 win and 5-5 tie last week. Looking forward to the press conference tomorrow to see what Peter Vermes has to say looking ahead to the game in New York. Really looking forward to my first ever visit to the 'big apple' but i'm told we're actually staying in New Jersey and nowhere near the likes of 'times square'........ gutted. However, looking forward to a game which I think will be entertaining, both teams scoring plenty of goals at the moment and looking forward to watching the New York frontline. I saw Luke Rodgers for Notts County last season, he's taken really well to Major League Soccer (much to my surprise). We obviously get to watch mr va va voom himself, Thierry Henry, but i'm mostly looking forward to watching the teenage sensation, Juan Agudelo, only 18, he's taken the league by storm. We obviously don't have Sasha for the away games now, no idea who my color commentator is, but hey, we'll just roll with it.
Thanks for reading again guys, you're thoughts are always welcome. Don't forget we're on KSMO TV at 6pm CT on Saturday and 9.30 CT on Sunday evening for 'Off the Pitch'
Cheers
Cal
Monday, April 18, 2011
Supersonic
Afternoon all
'Plenty to talk about' - as there always is when it comes to Sporting Kansas City. Lets tell you a little about my week.......
So, last week was quite mad. Monday saw Spence and I nip across to the 'Kansas City Star' to participate in a podcast with 'Star' soccer writer, Charles Gooch. We discussed many things and I believe it went down well. Having started on Monday, Tuesday saw me continue to prep for the show in Columbus as well as sit down and talk to some of the owners and executives about the broadcast and things that they maybe would like to see. Wednesday and Thursday saw me spend quite a lot of time at 'Swope Park' training facility, to interview some of the players for our 2 TV shows. In this time I also sat down with a few other people in the front office to discuss the progression of broadcasting within the team. We have one or two announcements which will come up sooner rather then later. Its nothing major, don't get too excited, but it'll certainly increase the output of the team. During the week I also saw my interview with KCTV 5 go to air, which I once again, believe went down well, especially with the guys back in the UK. However, the famous 'theres only so much you can do on Skype' didn't!
If you haven't seen it, here it is - http://www.kctv5.com/news/27550671/detail.html
Also another post that came up on the web, was my last interview with the club (Chesterfield) I spent most of my time covering for the BBC. Once again, if you haven't seen it, here it is -
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=209915062371651
Friday saw us fly to St.Louis. Here, Dan and I were stuck in the air for an extra half an our before the storms in St.Louis passed over. I'm usually Ok with flying, never been a great flyer, but i'm Ok. I have to say, that was the worst flight ever and I genuinely thought we were going to die. So anyway, we then fly to Columbus and end up going for a few beers with Mike Flaherty. It was so cold and wet in Columbus, we turned one corner and it was like a 'rain tornado', so we decided to grab a cab to travel up a couple of blocks. How lazy is that!
After a morning of relaxing and going through the scripts for the show, Sasha and I made our way to 'The Crew Stadium' the first stadium, specifically built for soccer in the USA. The broadcast went well, however I was slightly annoyed with my delivery. The timing of the whole thing went well but in sacrifice, I think my delivery was poor. I also need to add - what a terrible game that was. An absolutely awful advert for Major League Soccer. My dad text me the day after and said he managed to watch our feed online. I said to him 'of all the games you chose to introduce yourself to MLS too', lets be honest it was awful. Sasha, Dan and I met up with one of Dan's old housemates on the evening and I got sample the night life of Ohio............ interesting. Never the less in true 'Rock n Roll' style, Dan and I crept back into the hotel at 2am and got up for a 6.15am wake up call.
Instead of heading on home, Chris, Dan and I flew to Chicago. Chris and Dan were there to take a look at how Chicago use their field boards amongst other stadium things. We met Justin up there who is there for the week, learning how to use and operate several things within the stadium for when we open ours up in June. We stayed there for the game and watch LA Galaxy defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1. I was glad we got to see the game, I must admit, I really do like Chicago. It was also good to see an old Aston Villa legend, Juan Pablo Angel take to the field for the final 15 minutes, just like the old days. I must say, even without their 3 DP's, Beckham, Donavan and Angel, LA look a very strong side.
We have plenty to work on again this week, I believe we have a very good and different feature for 'Off the Pitch' this weekend, so make sure you check that out.
So, it appears, we still have plenty to talk about. Same again this week I imagine.
Cal
'Plenty to talk about' - as there always is when it comes to Sporting Kansas City. Lets tell you a little about my week.......
So, last week was quite mad. Monday saw Spence and I nip across to the 'Kansas City Star' to participate in a podcast with 'Star' soccer writer, Charles Gooch. We discussed many things and I believe it went down well. Having started on Monday, Tuesday saw me continue to prep for the show in Columbus as well as sit down and talk to some of the owners and executives about the broadcast and things that they maybe would like to see. Wednesday and Thursday saw me spend quite a lot of time at 'Swope Park' training facility, to interview some of the players for our 2 TV shows. In this time I also sat down with a few other people in the front office to discuss the progression of broadcasting within the team. We have one or two announcements which will come up sooner rather then later. Its nothing major, don't get too excited, but it'll certainly increase the output of the team. During the week I also saw my interview with KCTV 5 go to air, which I once again, believe went down well, especially with the guys back in the UK. However, the famous 'theres only so much you can do on Skype' didn't!
If you haven't seen it, here it is - http://www.kctv5.com/news/27550671/detail.html
Also another post that came up on the web, was my last interview with the club (Chesterfield) I spent most of my time covering for the BBC. Once again, if you haven't seen it, here it is -
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=209915062371651
Friday saw us fly to St.Louis. Here, Dan and I were stuck in the air for an extra half an our before the storms in St.Louis passed over. I'm usually Ok with flying, never been a great flyer, but i'm Ok. I have to say, that was the worst flight ever and I genuinely thought we were going to die. So anyway, we then fly to Columbus and end up going for a few beers with Mike Flaherty. It was so cold and wet in Columbus, we turned one corner and it was like a 'rain tornado', so we decided to grab a cab to travel up a couple of blocks. How lazy is that!
After a morning of relaxing and going through the scripts for the show, Sasha and I made our way to 'The Crew Stadium' the first stadium, specifically built for soccer in the USA. The broadcast went well, however I was slightly annoyed with my delivery. The timing of the whole thing went well but in sacrifice, I think my delivery was poor. I also need to add - what a terrible game that was. An absolutely awful advert for Major League Soccer. My dad text me the day after and said he managed to watch our feed online. I said to him 'of all the games you chose to introduce yourself to MLS too', lets be honest it was awful. Sasha, Dan and I met up with one of Dan's old housemates on the evening and I got sample the night life of Ohio............ interesting. Never the less in true 'Rock n Roll' style, Dan and I crept back into the hotel at 2am and got up for a 6.15am wake up call.
Instead of heading on home, Chris, Dan and I flew to Chicago. Chris and Dan were there to take a look at how Chicago use their field boards amongst other stadium things. We met Justin up there who is there for the week, learning how to use and operate several things within the stadium for when we open ours up in June. We stayed there for the game and watch LA Galaxy defeat the Chicago Fire 2-1. I was glad we got to see the game, I must admit, I really do like Chicago. It was also good to see an old Aston Villa legend, Juan Pablo Angel take to the field for the final 15 minutes, just like the old days. I must say, even without their 3 DP's, Beckham, Donavan and Angel, LA look a very strong side.
We have plenty to work on again this week, I believe we have a very good and different feature for 'Off the Pitch' this weekend, so make sure you check that out.
So, it appears, we still have plenty to talk about. Same again this week I imagine.
Cal
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