Suchon: The minor league affiliation shuffle from a radio guy’s perspective
From SABR mmeber Josh Suchon at The Hardball Times on October 1, 2014:
“Are you moving to Oklahoma City?”
“Do you think the Rockies will retain you?”
Over the last month, some variations of those two questions were posed to me frequently by family members, friends, colleagues, strangers and Twitter followers.
The every-other year affiliation dance between major-league teams and minor league affiliates can be confusing. A lot of people working in the minor leagues answered similar questions. For play-by-play radio announcers, like me, the waters can be extra murky because our broadcasts are streamed on the internet for free, and that creates a connection to the major league affiliate and its diehard fan base.
My connection to the Los Angeles Dodgers was multi-layered. For four seasons, I was the reporter for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network and the co-host of Post Game Dodger Talk. I also published the book, Miracle Men: Hershiser, Gibson and the improbable 1988 Dodgers.
It was these strong Dodgers ties, and a couple of recommendations from high-ranking Dodgers front office employees, that helped me land the job as the Albuquerque Isotopes play-by-play announcer in 2013.
Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/affiliation-shuffle-the-radio-guys-perspective/
Originally published: October 1, 2014. Last Updated: October 1, 2014.