Sports and Politics
Occasionally, I’ll post something about sports and politics. My dad was a sportscaster when I was growing up, then became a newscaster – I suppose my interest in sports and politics is genetic. A good part of how I found my career path came from watching my dad pursue a career he loved and one that he thought mattered in the lives of others.
The passing of Philadelphia sportscasting legend Harry Kalas prompted my dad to share a great story with me. When my dad was in his early 20s, he was living in Hawaii and tending bar – contemplating a career in radio broadcasting:
Harry Kalas was the voice of the Hawaii Islanders of triple-A baseball when I worked in Hawaii. He used to stop in for a beer often at the Green Turtle, the restaurant/lounge I tended bar at in Honolulu, and we would often talk about sportscasting. He was the guy that encouraged me to return to Minnesota, go to Brown Institute (now College) and take up broadcasting. I’m sure he never knew how he influenced me, and I never had the occasion to talk with him after Hawaii. His trade mark call then was when someone hit a home run, he would say ” it’s going, it’s going, ALOHA!”
Great life lessons here – pursue your dreams and support the dreams of others, you never know what effect a kind word or piece of advice might have down the road in someone’s life.