My son Joe has expressed an interest in attending St. Michael's College next year. Not surprisingly we receive lots of recruiting material from the liberal arts school in Colchester. So far the most interesting piece has come from New England Sports Network (NESN) Red Sox pregame and postgame host Tom Caron, though.
According to the one-page flyer, TC is a 1986 SMC grad. He majored in journalism, did his first sports play-by-play, interned for WPTZ, and edited the campus newspaper, The Defender. He reports that "I spent hours in class and after class discussion media ethics (when I wasn't debating the value of the Designated Hitter)....for me, choosing Saint Michael's proved to be a home run." He promises to discuss his days at SMC during upcoming shows this summer.
TC isn't the only bigtime baseball announcer with Vermont roots. Tom Cheek, the longtime voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, was the sports director for WJOY in the early 1970's. He was preceded by Bob Lobel, a longtime fixture in the Boston TV market. And finally, the late, great Ken Coleman, the longtime voice of the Red Sox, got his start at a Rutland radio station. Someone once asked him for advice on getting started. He hearkened back to his Rutland days and said, "be willing to do anything and everything. Sweep the floors, everything." That's good advice for anyone trying to break into the media.
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