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About

Promo Watch: Keys duo broadcasts for cycle

Plus dueling Deflategate promos, Prince, Cheesesteaks, Desert Gators
By Benjamin Hill
June 7, 2016

During Sunday's ballgame, Frederick Keys broadcasters Geoff Arnold and Doug Raftery were on the air while also gasping for it.

It was "Family Fitness Weekend" at the Keys' home of Harry Grove Stadium, and Arnold and Raftery commemorated the occasion by calling the entirety of the game while pedaling exercise bikes on the concourse. The two broadcasters, in their third season as partners, competed against one another in an effort to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Frederick County.

During the rain-shortened, five-inning contest, Arnold biked 24.90 miles against Raftery's 24.52. Their efforts resulted in a donation of over $2,200, half via contributions to the broadcasters' respective Go Fund Me pages and half courtesy of a matching donation from sponsor Anytime Fitness Ballenger Creek.

Followers of broadcasting-based fitness stunts may recall Sean Houston's treadmill play-calling during a Charleston RiverDogs game in 2014, but Sunday marked what is believed to be Minor League Baseball's first head-to-head stationary bike battle. Arnold said he and Raftery first had the idea to stage such an endeavor in 2014 but couldn't make it work until now due to "timing and logistics."

"Some broadcasters are in great shape. Some, like me, are in terrible shape," he said. "But it was Family Fitness Night, and Doug and I are like family because we share a booth. So we said, 'Let's give this a shot.' ... We already do enough multi-tasking on the air, so why not?"

Raftery, a former soccer player and active runner, was the consensus pick to win over the admittedly "in terrible shape" Arnold. It was not to be, however.

"I thought I was gonna win," said Raftery. "Everyone in the office was telling me I would, and I think some people had some inside wagers. But I want to throw an asterisk out there. I had three innings of play-by-play and he had two. There was always an advantage for the partner on the color side of things, to be able to bike a little faster and say fewer words."

"Doing play-by-play, you'd have to be careful to go at a pace where you could describe what was happening," conceded Arnold. "With color, it was more like pedal like hell."

Biking while play-calling was one of many challenges the duo faced during the afternoon, which also included precariously balanced game notes and score books as well as the difficulty of recognizing pitch types while perched along the third base side of the concourse. This was a strategically chosen location, however.

"The EMTs are set up on the third base side, so we figured that if one of us collapses, then an EMT would be there to help us," said Arnold. "Another thing was, people would come up and just start talking to us in the middle of an inning, thinking they could have a conversation. A sort of wave was the best we could do. Fans were coming up to our table, wondering why we weren't talking back. We weren't trying to be rude. We were in the middle of a broadcast."

Despite this litany of inconveniences -- not to mention Arnold's complaint of a sore butt -- both broadcasters deemed their Sunday afternoon a success.

"I'm going to challenge him to a 5K now," said Raftery.

"Maybe next year we can broadcast from a La-Z-Boy or a couch," replied Arnold. "Either way, the goal is to help out a good cause."

Always a Classic

The 2016 Rickwood Classic -- an annual event in which the Birmingham Barons return to their former home of Rickwood Field -- took place June 1. This year's edition paid homage to the 1967 Birmingham A's team; Rollie Fingers was the guest of honor.

For more on the Rickwood Classic, check out my account of the 2010 ballgame.

Coming Soon

A jam-packed weekend of Minor League promotions is fast approaching. This tweet-augmented rundown will help you make better sense of it all.

June 9: The Columbia Fireflies' "Purple Game Purple Game" pays tribute to Prince in myriad ways, shapes and forms.

June 10: The Lehigh Valley IronPigs suit up as the "Cheesesteaks." After a fan vote, it has been determined that the team will wear hats "wit" onions.

It's "What Could've Been Night" in El Paso, and the Chihuahuas are changing their name to the "Desert Gators." This is a reference to the small group of alligators that once lived in the city's San Jacinto Plaza.

In response to yet another round of Deflategate-related turmoil, the Pawtucket Red Sox are staging a "Free Tom Brady" promotion.

June 11: "Free Tom Brady"? Reasonable people -- and teams -- beg to differ. The Buffalo Bisons answer the PawSox with their own "Keep Brady Suspended" promotion.

After much ballyhoo, the Frisco RoughRiders' outfield Lazy River will be open to fans for the first time.

And that's not all in Frisco! While fans float beyond the field, the team will be wearing fan-approved Dr. Spock jerseys as part of a "Vulcan Salute to Star Trek Night" promotion.

Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.