Mike Kennedy

Mike Kennedy was the first person we've talked with all year for whom I had no preconceived notions. I didn't know what he'd be like or what he'd say. When I saw him at Homecoming, he just seemed like a normal guy who happened to be the "Voice of the Shockers." Talking with him only reinforced that idea, but in a good way.

Listening to him reminded me a little bit of myself, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. I can imagine a lot of little sports fans turn down the volume during games and do the play-by-play themselves. I know I did when I was a little kid watching the NBA and Peter Vecsey or Mike Fratello was on the air (which was a lot). The way he talked about playing solo baseball games in his backyard was pretty cool, too. I used to do a similar thing in my backyard when I was five years old.

It's nice to know that there's somebody in the broadcasting business that seems normal. I always feel like most of the on-air people in broadcast just hide behind smiles and charisma. They don't feel like real people, and that notion was a little bit reinforced by our visit to Channel 12/CatchItKansas. I mean, Bruce Haertl and Jenn Bates seem okay, but the people I didn't recognize were the ones that I could relate to. Kennedy just seemed genuine.

As for what he does on the airwaves, it's unbelievable. He's got a lot of things to balance, and he has to do it all with an analyst by his side. That's something I think I take for granted during broadcasts, the chemistry between partners. I really liked hearing Kennedy talk about that because I've never thought about it before. You have to know when to come in, fade out, and when to use the appropriate stat/fun fact. I'm sure that it takes some time to learn your cues when working with a new/different partner.

Hearing him talk about volleyball was pretty funny, too. I guess I've never listened to a volleyball broadcast, but I imagine it would be pretty stressful to do. I thought it was interesting that Kennedy believed Lamb was wrong when told that he couldn't "call every touch like basketball." Volleyball is a sport that is so fast-paced it really needs the visual element to get a good grip on what's going on. I'm sure it's hard as a radio broadcaster to attempt to explain every point to the listening audience.