et al.: Sports Journal

Sports Journ~~l An up-close look at SU athletics

Voice of the Orange these rank high in sincerity. ment, drama, and emotion necticut Huskies game, which Virtually everything they'll without interfering, without will tip off at 8 p.m., Logan ar­ It's early in an SU game feel and remember about to­ getting in the way." rives at 6. against Connecticut in the Car­ night's game, they' ll feel and "[Doug] stresses the posi­ The Carrier Dome at this rier Dome. remember via Doug Logan. tive aspects, but he still gets time is a place where 30,000 UConn misses a shot. SU the story," coach people are not. Blue tethers en­ emerges with the rebound, Logan has been the eyes of SU has said. "From circle an empty basketball breaks down the floor, but radio fans since the fall of 1980. the coaches' perspective, court, protecting it from no misses. UConn rebounds and His first SU game was the foot­ that's always what we'd like. one. The press tables are starts back upcourt. Suddenly, ball team's thrilling, though And I think the fans do, too." empty; slips of paper reading though, an SU player inter­ disappointing, near upset of Logan's attitude can also be "AP," "ESPN," " Daily Or­ cepts the ball and passes off to Ohio State; "my perfect intro­ explained this way: He is quite ange," etc. have been la id at a teammate. It's an easy lay­ duction to Syracuse athletics," possibly the biggest SU fan the stations. The game lights up. he says. walking the face of the earth. have yet to come up; there is To the 30,000 fans in atten­ His first home-game broad­ " Before the Pitt basketball the serenity of dusk. The bare dance, the action looks fast and cast, the following week, was game this season," he remem­ a luminum bleachers are furious, even a little ragged. To also the first game played in the bers, "I just couldn't help get­ haunted by the specter of a de­ Doug Logan's audience, how­ Carrier Dome. "That was Hol­ ting excited, seeing 30,000 peo­ lirious crowd that will occupy ever, it doesn' t look like much lywood," he says. ple in the stands. I had to say them soon. of anything, but it sure sounds Before Syracuse, Loga n something about it on the air: Down on the floor, the Dome great. Logan's audience is lis­ worked for WINA Radio in ' Do you realize that we are all Ranger is being pestered for tening on the radio, in places Charlottesville, Va ., calling, part of the most extraordinary autographs by adolescent fans scattered all over . for example, Ralph Sampson's basketball program, right here who have sneaked in early. Lo­ "Near side. Gamble. Jump­ freshman season. WINA was in Syracuse? It's incredible. It gan arrives at press row, leaves er. Rolls off the rim. Alexis his first full-fledged broadcast­ boggles the imagination."' his briefcase, and kisses his goes for the rebound." ingjob. Logan is arguably the most six-year-old son Bobby good­ The sound of the crowd Logan grew up near Chi­ popular sportscaster in town. bye (off with a baby-sitter). grows. "Rodney Walker rips it cago; played baseball (first In 1982 he was chosen the During the next two hours he free. Now Monroe. Fast break base) a nd hockey; loved the state's best sportscaster by the will get ready, a nd it's not far Orange, looking for the lead. Cubs, Bears, a nd Blackhawks National Sportscasters and different, he says, from the Alexis. Baseline. No good. Re­ (still does); and knew as early Sportswriters Association. preparation being made by the bound, cleared by UConn . as grade school that sports­ athletes. They'll run the other way. Out­ casting was his calling. He In order to do this job, Logan " As the team prepares for its let by Gamble. STOLEN by called high school games into a begins an hour or more before a next opponent, I prepare for Monroe." tape recorder, for practice. He basketball game. For the Con- my next broadcast," Logan The crowd breaks loose. attended Purdue, earned a de­ says. "When the team is in the " Monroe in the front court. To gree in radio/TV, and the fol ­ locker room getting dressed, the near side. Alexis drives. lowing year, 1975 , landed the On the Network I'm going through a dress re­ Lay-up. GOOD!" WINAjob. hearsal with m y broadcast Logan is the voice of the It may be this direct route to The following local markets re­ partner. When the team takes "Voice of the Orange," WSYR his career that explains Lo­ ceive both football and basket­ the floor, we take the air." radio in Syracuse. Each game gan 's uncomplicated under­ ball on the Some of it bears an obvious that SU plays, regardless of the standing of his vocation. He Sports Network. practicality. He spends 15 min­ opponent or the simultaneous could be called "post-Cosel­ utes in the press center receiv­ TV coverage, is broadcast by lian." Expose and sociological WBTA Batavia, N.Y. ing updated stat sheets and WSYR and picked up by 12 ra­ counter-perspectives aren' t WNYE Brooklyn, N.Y. hastily scribbling, wherever dio stations across New York. his interest. Logan's assign­ WKRT Cortland, N .Y. space a llows, field goal and This is the Syracuse University ment is to help make a rela­ WENE Endwell , N.Y. free-throw percentages on his Basketball Network. tively unimportant, but cher­ WELM Elmira, N .Y. scorecard. Stat assistant Bob It isn't difficult to imagine ished, event as enjoyable for WIRD/ Lake Placid, N.Y. Kaiser, an SU alumnus, does the network's audience. Die­ everyone as possible. WLPW the same, and while their pen­ hards whose jobs keep them " If I were to name a sports­ WYBG Massena, N .Y. cils dance Logan and Kaiser from the Dome. Diehards in caster who encompasses the WACK Newark, N .Y. exchange observations: Wen­ places where the game's not on same philosophies that I do it WHAM Rochester, N .Y. dell Alexis needs 26 points to TV. Diehards, sent to bed by would be Dick Enberg [of WWWD Schenectady, N .Y. e nter the 1000-point c lub. Mother, li stening to radios be­ NBC]," Logan says. "He at­ WIBX Utica, N.Y. There is a similar excha nge side their pillows. Among fans, tempts to portray the excite- WNCQ Watertown, N .Y. with Logan's broadcast part-

30 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Published by SURFACE, 1986 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 2, Iss. 2 [1986], Art. 9

Doug Logan, reacting above scene." Some things Logan recognized, they brush past a to unintended slapstick by thinks to provide: the defen­ line of security. Dwayne Washington in the sive orientations, coach activ­ The locker room contains an SU-UConn game, is the play­ ity, a point of view ("the Or­ incongruous mix of " media by-play man for WSYR radio, angemen break to our right"), types" and tall , tired athletes "the Voice of the Orange." and the colors of the uniforms. trying to make their way to the All the time, Logan, Barlow, showers and back. On the wall, and Kaiser exchange notes, two headphones hang; it is ner, former Orangeman Mike statistical updates, and pro­ WSYR's locker room branch Barlow. Each has received motional announcements that office. Logan slips under one sports-information mailings must be read. They shuffle the set of phones while Kaiser through the week. Now they papers calmly, searching, searches out Coach Boeheim. decide what is important. while their tongues wag. The There in the din of chatter and Other things that Logan entire process would have to be falling water, Logan and Boe­ does prior to the game seem to described as nonchalant. (Dur­ heim conduct an assessment of have no immediate bearing on ing a football broadcast, the game. the quality of the broadcast, though, there are jour statisti­ " It's a challenge," Logan but to Logan they 're essential. cians; the preparation is exten­ says of locker-room broad­ They' re part of psyching up. sive and the information ex­ casts. "These fellows have just As game time nears and the terviewed by a reporter. The change is more complex.) been caught up in an incredible bleachers begin to fill , Logan important thing is that Logan is At halftime, there is an inter­ physically and emotionally makes his rounds. Tonight, he thinking and talking sports. By view with 1984-85 senior for­ draining situation. You have to has promised a visit to the foot­ the time the microphones go ward Andre Hawkins. Fans be sensitive to it." ball press box, where children live at 7:55, Logan is as lean across the ropes and try to Player-of-the-game Howard receiving care at Upstate Med­ pumped up as the Pearl. distract Hawkins, but the in­ Triche emerges from the show­ ical Center are having a party, The first half itself is, in Lo­ terview goes on. Logan's ques­ ers and, like Boeheim, gra­ sponsored by the Central New gan' s own words, "freaky." tions come from no list ; he is ciously grants an interview. York Children's Health Fund. The action is wide open, with winging it. They discuss the Unfortunately, though, Triche Logan glides among the desks, lots of fast breaks, lots of lay­ game, refereeing, the Final doesn't have a free hand-he's taking a moment to speak with ups (some of them missed), Four potential, and "married still holding a towel around his each kid. "What do you think? lots of turnovers, and lots of life." waist. Accustomed to the pro­ Are we going to win this one?" heavy hitting underneath. The The second half is good. The cedure, he leans forward and The kids scream yes. "Well, Orangemen hold a wavering lead grows slowly, until , near Logan slips on the headset for let's hope so." lead. Logan and Barlow are, the midway point, the Orange­ him . Later, Logan will be stopped like any fans, fixed on the ac­ men pull away flamboyantly­ As Logan is finishing up, in the corridor by someone he tion, except while they watch the kind of end that fans usu­ Chancellor Melvin Eggers en­ doesn't know-someone who one of them is talking. Accord­ ally appreciate. The final score ters the locker room. He is attended the Rotary banquet ing to Logan, this is second na­ is 80-67. wearing a Walkman; like many where Logan spoke last week. ture. For ten minutes, while the fans, the Chancellor, while There's an exchange, Logan "As much as there are times stands clear, Logan and Bar­ watching, has followed the ac­ shakes the man's hand, he's when you feel you 're talking to low conduct the wrap-up. tion with Doug Logan . on. a certain individual," Logan Then, with Barlow and WSYR Just one more diehard at the People around the court call says, "for the most part you ' re anchor Brad Beerman filling other end of the Syracuse Uni­ out to Logan; there's time to just trying to articulate what the air, Logan and Kaiser make versity Basketball Network. talk to them, even time to be in- you see, to describe the for the SU locker room. Easily -Dana L. Cooke

APRIL 1986 31 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol2/iss2/9 2