On Friday, June 8th, Doc Palmer will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the London Majors game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Majors are recognizing both the length of time I've been doing sportscasting and the innovation and energy I've shown along the way.
- In the late 1980s, no one was carrying the AA London Tigers games on radio until I convinced CHRW to carry some of the games. During that time I was also a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) and made constant efforts to introduce more useful measures of performance (e.g. On Base Percentage [OBP] and Slugging Average [SLG]) to the broadcasts.
- A few years after the London Tigers left town, the London Werewolves of the independent Frontier League came to Labatt Park to play ball. Again, no one else was carrying the games on radio and again I convinced CHRW to carry some of the games. The next year I did the play-by-play for Rogers Television as well. During that stint, I had it specified in my agreement with Rogers that they would not show RBIs on screen and that they would show OBP on screen.
- Several years ago I began working with Rogers Television to cover the London Majors games in the Intercounty Baseball League [IBL]. Last year, Rogers stopped covering IBL games, and I suggested that the games could be live-streamed to Facebook, which is happening now on a fairly regular basis. Live-streaming on Facebook at this level is a blend of radio and television: we call it "radio with a webcam".
Here are some photos taken by London Majors photographer, Matt Hiscox, as I practiced a bit, preparing to throw out the first pitch.
Apparently the betting in the pressbox and dugout is that I will bounce the pitch on or in front of home plate.
Getting the Sign
Suggesting a Practice Curve Ball
Preparing to Throw an Overhand Curveball
Into the Stretch...
The pitch!