I think any sports fan will tell you that the return of Major League Baseball this summer helped save our sanity in this crazy Covid-19 Pandemic year.
I have been a Braves fan for as long as I can remember. I'm talking, hiding under the covers as a kid with a portable radio listening to the West coast games kind of fan! It has been amazing watching our Braves have such a great season this year, but it's also been heartbreaking to us fans, not being able to be in the stands to cheer them on.
Thank goodness for the Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast broadcast crew! Chip Carey, Jeff Francour and Tom Glavin have totally kept us in the games despite their having to adjust to a "New Normal" of calling all of the games, even the road games, from the Braves broadcast booth in Truist Park.
Helping them out with in-game reporting from Truist has been Kelly Crull and former Braves pitcher Paul Byrd.
I recently had a chance to catch up with Byrd in my latest podcast and get the inside scoop on how his broadcast team has made it look and sound so seamless for those of us watching at home.
We also discussed:
- How our Braves are looking heading into the final full week of regular season play.
- Is the pitching staff finally getting into the groove?
- The hot bats of Freeman, Duvall, Ozuna, Riley, and well, actually, the entire starting line-up!
- Duvall's amazing dedication to the fans by agreeing to play this season. (Did you know he is considered At-Risk for Covid-19?)
Of course, as a die-hard Braves fan I had to ask some riveting questions I've been wondering about like:
- What is Ozuna saying when he's chatting at the Umpire and catcher when he's up to bat?
- Why is Freddie Freeman always smiling?
- What are the players actually doing at the Taxi Site in Gwinette?
- Where is my man Charlie Culberson!?
- How do the players REALLY feel about not having fans in the stands?
And finally, we hit on a few of his most memorable moments on the mound in his pro and college career as an LSU Tiger!