Chris Garagiola Makes Lead Radio Debut In Wahoos Opener

Although he had lots of other important things on his mind as he prepared for his debut as the Blue Wahoos lead play-by-play broadcaster, Chris Garagiola's first priority was securing a seat on the team bus to Mobile.
"You've got to get your seat on day one," he said, laughing. "If I'm not there, I will get stuck in the back all season."
Garagiola, grandson of baseball broadcasting legend Joe Garagiola, prepared throughout Thursday for his debut as broadcast voice of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, but Mother Nature had other plans and the game was postponed by rain. 
He'll get a double dose of excitement on Friday instead, as the two team's will play a double header in Mobile starting at 5:05 PM.
"I'm excited. I'm anxious. I'm feeling a number of different things, because I want to do well," Garagiola said. "I think for people who pursue careers they enjoy, they live for moments like this."
Fans can listen to Gariagola's broadcast and all 140 Blue Wahoos games this season on ESPN Pensacola 94.5 FM, the team's new flagship station.
After the past two years working in the booth with Tommy Thrall, who is now part of the Cincinnati Reds broadcast team on Fox Sports Ohio, this is Garagiola's breakthrough moment in a profession he loves.
"It's such an honor to be the next voice after a person like Tommy Thrall leaves," Garagiola said. "I accept that responsibility and I just want the best job I can. I want everyone to be happy with the broadcast and enjoy it the same way they did in the previous seven years.
He got his start in broadcasting at Trinity University in San Antonio, where he helped launch a sports network for the school's athletics teams while earning his degree.
Of all the new elements this season with the Blue Wahoos, beginning with their Minnesota Twins affiliation, Garagiola's new role is significant. Since the franchise began, Blue Wahoos fans developed an affinity for radio broadcasts.
His play-by-play debut is just part of a big week for Garagiola. He celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday. Thursday was his mother's birthday. His parents live in the Phoenix area, where his father, Joe Garagiola Jr., works for the Arizona Diamondbacks as special advisor to CEO Derrick Hall.
Chris, the youngest of four siblings, now steps into becoming the lead voice of the Blue Wahoos. Listeners got to hear Garagiola's own smooth style, reminiscent of his grandfather, while working the booth with Thrall and bringing the unique world of Hoosville into the broadcasts.   
"It's different. For me last year, I knew what my role was," Garagiola said. "I was just a complimentary piece. I worked half the year and if I wanted to do other games that was on own my own.
"When I was there, it was Tommy's show. And I just gave him a three-inning break and I tried to offer a few points and few laughs with my time on the air. I think I did a good job of that. I think that's why we worked so well together for a couple years."
Making his debut in Mobile has additional significance to Garagiola. It was in the BayBears'Hank Aaron Stadium on April 22, 2017, when he experienced his greatest broadcast moment, working in the booth with Thrall as former Blue Wahoos pitcher Tyler Mahle completed a perfect game.
Mahle threw the first perfect game in the Double-A Southern League since 1970 in a 1-0 win that night against the BayBears. 
Two days later against the BayBears again in Hank Aaron Stadium, a marathon game occurred.
"We played for like 18-thousand innings," Garagiola said jokingly, referring to the BayBears 2-1 victory in 17 innings on April 25, 2017 that was the longest game in Blue Wahoos franchise history.
Those are the kind of experiences flashing through his mind as he readies for a short bus trip to Mobile for opening day in the Blue Wahoos eighth season. 
Thursday, he prepared to start a routine as he goes through the final hours before the broadcast. He repeated the effort Friday morning.
"I'll have a checklist that I want to go over," he said. "Making sure to get the radio equipment set up. Making sure all those tests are right and everything is squared away, so when it's time to go on the air, we are ready to go.
"And then there is about a two-hour window with batting practice. After that you are just in the booth, you are filling out the scorecard. All I will be probably be thinking about it is, this is supposed to be the most fun that I have experienced working up to this point in my life. So, if I am stressed out, or nervous, that means I am doing this incorrectly.
"It's just baseball, after all."