JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
Sophomore pitcher Drew Saberhagen has faced hundreds of opponents throughout his lifelong baseball career, but none have been as challenging as the one he’s come across this season.
This daunting foe is small, yet intimidating. It has the power to leave people like Saberhagen speechless at times, and if he makes one tiny slip, it can lead to some trouble.
This nerve-racking opponent is none other than a microphone, which Saberhagen has been trying to get comfortable with while helping senior play-by-play announcer Bill Schindler do Pepperdine baseball radio broadcasts.
Sports broadcasting is something Saberhagen has always been interested in, so when Schindler threw around the idea while the two were talking by the batting cages before a game last season, Saberhagen jumped at the opportunity.
“I figured that people might be getting sick of hearing just me, and Drew is red-shirting this season, so when he told me he’d be available I really wanted him in the booth with me,” said Schindler, who has done Waves play-by-play work for three years.
After experimenting with the mic during a few games during the past season, Saberhagen is now doing color for the rest of the home games this year.
“I know that when I’m up there doing color it makes the game go by faster for Bill, and it’s a lot easier for him,” Saberhagen said.
Schindler couldn’t agree more, also adding that Saberhagen brings a different perspective to the booth.
“He gives the broadcast a dimension I can’t bring and that’s playing experience,” he said. “He will start breaking down the game and that makes the entire broadcast better, and I find myself having to step up my side of the broadcast so I can come up with good questions to pick his brain a bit and let him do what he does best.”
Although there are a few nerves every now and then, Saberhagen says it’s just a fun way to gain experience.
“I’ll find myself slipping up a bit and saying the same thing over and over again, but the trick is to just keep on going,” he said. “Really, it’s just a lot of fun, and we have good chemistry.
“I love the game and he loves the game, so we just laugh a lot and have a good time, and it has given way to a friendship.”
Schindler said he loves the company, not only for a different look at the game, but also to help him keep the broadcasts entertaining.
“He gives me someone who is like a pal in the booth to joke around with and have some light moments during the game,” he said.
Schindler will have to miss most of the broadcast on April 29 because of a small event he has to attend called graduation, so he has been prepping Saberhagen to take over play-by-play duties.
“Right now he’s just doing the fifth inning play-by-play to get some experience, but I think he’ll be fine,” Schindler said. “He’s new to it and needs to find his flow to the broadcast, but trust me when I say that when you’re starting behind the mic it’s hard to fill time, especially three hours.
“But what he can do is use all of his experiences and the stories from growing up to fill the time, so it should be fun for him to run the entire show.”
And while Saberhagen is getting stronger to play a bigger role on the team next season and to increase his chances of a baseball career, he said he could definitely see himself behind the microphone in the future.
“I’d love to do some play-by-play or some color work for something like ‘Baseball Tonight,’ so this is really helping me and I’m really enjoying it,” he said.
Sitting next to Saberhagen on an ESPN set in 10 years could be Schindler himself.
“If we were both fortunate enough to get there, it would be great,” Schindler said. “We do talk about it and of course it is a dream, but if we are on ‘Baseball Tonight’ or any broadcast that has more then just the people we know watching, it would be great …
“So if we get there together, then it would make it that much more special.”
For now, though, the pair will continue to enjoy the little time they have left together in the room with a view at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
“Drew will get there in time,” Schindler said. “He just needs to forget there is a microphone and act like he is with his friends at a ballgame.”
And as intimidating as that microphone can be, Saberhagen and his wisdom in the booth will soon take over that role of leaving people speechless.
04-13-2006
