My other job...

Three years ago, ACU's Volleyball Coach (who is a friend of mine) called and we had the following conversation:

her: "Would you be interested in calling our games?"

me: "What do you mean calling your games, you mean like on the radio?"

her: "No, I mean as the PA Announcer."

me: "You actually have one of those? Oh wait, you mean the guy who was terrible last year, he is not doing it again?"

her: "Mercifully, no."

me: "Sure, I'll do it. Why not?"

So, I am now into my third season as the PA Announcer for ACU Volleyball. I am the "Voice of ACU Volleyball", if you will. Is that something I should put on a resume? Probably not...

Then last year, Shawna Lavender (wife to one of my best friends and the ACU Women's basketball Coach) asked if I wanted to do their games. So I gave that a shot.

I'm not going to lie to you. I love it. I get paid to sit there at courtside, watching sports, calling the game and playing music during timeouts. How great is that? It's even better that our Volleyball Team is nationally ranked and our Basketball Team should be (They are awesome). It is a blast. We never lose at home. It's a good gig.

However, I know that I am not the best PA Announcer ever. I miss calls. I make mistakes. I know that everyone in the stands thinks I am a dork. I know my friends make fun of me. How do I know this? They do it to my face. I made one mistake in my first game and I am still living it down. It's actually pretty funny. But I don't care. They can laugh at me and I won't change anything. I love what I do.

When I first started calling games a friend of mine reminded me of this story. Norman Archibald (now the Mayor of Abilene) had called ACU games as long as I could remember. He was pretty good, although sometimes he went a little over the top (like I do on occasion...). During a men's basketball game in the 1980's, we were playing a conference rival and a fight on the court broke out. Both benches cleared and Norman started screaming "Stay off the Court! Stay off the Court!". We all looked at each other because, well, no one was going on the court. The players in the midst of their melee stopped and looked over at him. He stopped the fight. I'm not sure, but I am guessing he still gets ribbed about that a little.

Anyway, my other job may not be glamourous. It may not be popular. It may even be funny to some people. But, I love it.

Plus, you never know, someday I may stop a fight or get to be mayor.