1) Denver Area (Broomfield/Aurora/etc.)
2) Atlanta
3) Memphis Area
4) Corpus Christi, TX
5) NYC
6) Indianapolis
7) Bay Area
8) Lansing, MI (DET)
9) Bakersfield, CA
10) Tulsa, OK
11) Chicago
12) Twin Cities
13) Los Angeles Area
14) Rochester, NY
15) San Diego (Gulls gone?)

In the hunt: Wichita, KS

Out: Seattle

Notes

Alright, a few quick notes for later, in the 15 minutes I have before registering for classes.

*Consider San Marcos, TX. Centrally located less than an hour from San Antonio (WNBA Silver Stars, the AA Missions, and the AHL Rampage) and Round Rock (AAA Express), and even closer to Austin (CHL Ice Bats, NBADL Toros, and AFL Wranglers).

*Lansing, MI could be a minor-league travelling sportscaster's dream. About an hour and a half out of Detroit (WNBA Shock & MISL Ignition)...and about an hour and change, maybe an hour and a half, from Battle Creek/Midland (MWL baseball), Grand Rapids (AFL, AHL, MWL baseball, and IBL), Kalamazoo (UHL Wings and FL Wings), & Flint (UHL Generals). Oh, and let's not ignore the teams IN Lansing: an IBL team, and the Lansing Lugnuts of the MWL!

Top 15 for Nov 3rd 06

1) Denver Area (Broomfield/Aurora/etc.)
2) Atlanta
3) Memphis Area
4) Corpus Christi, TX
5) NYC
6) Bakersfield, CA
7) Indianapolis
8) Bay Area
9) Wichita, KS
10) Tulsa, OK
11) San Diego
12) Seattle
13) Twin Cities
14) Los Angeles Area
15) Rochester, NY

In the Hunt:
Little Rock, AR; Everett, WA; Schaumberg/Hoffman Estates, IL; Albany, NY; Syracuse, NY

OUT: Portland, OR (too few teams, too low profile)

I officially have quit WGNS am1450. This frees me up for the first 840 Sports Network football broadcast of the season...Wilson Central @Riverdale, this coming Friday from Tomahawk Field.

Wichita, KS, has kicked the door in of my top cities list...look for an updated list soon.

Updated Top 15

1) Denver Area (Broomfield/Aurora/etc.)
2) Atlanta
3) Memphis Area
4) Portland, OR
5) Corpus Christi, TX
6) Bakersfield, CA
7) Indianapolis
8) Tulsa, OK
9) Albany, NY
10) Rochester, NY
11) San Diego
12) Seattle
13) Syracuse, NY
14) Los Angeles Area
15) NYC Area

In the Hunt:
Little Rock, AR; Everett, WA; Schaumberg/Hoffman Estates, IL

As I sit here on the threshhold of my next collegiate semester, many worries and wonderings pass through my mind. However, my first day of classes would not be among them.

I have decided that this week must be the week. I must give my notice and finally toss the shackles of my current job aside. In so doing, I will also free myself up for a large chunk of my desired podcasting flexability. High school football, women's soccer (HS and MTSU), and ice hockey are on my radar (as well as going to some MT football games for a change).

In this weekend's research, it seems that ECHL cities leaped a bit in value. I would like for my ideal destination to have AHL, ECHL, or CHL hockey, USL soccer of some kind, and some form of basketball, be it D-League, EBA, CBA, USBL, WBA, or even the ABA.

Memphis has gained a lot of value lately. I have a connection with the Redbirds, and my loyalty, experience, and drive could well net me the odd-man-out position in time. Plus, the Xplorers (af2) and River Kings (Fear the TURTLE!) play just over the border in DeSoto, while those crazy Grizz Kids play in the Forum. I could also cover UM and my beloved Rhodes College (Go Lynx!). The city also was home to a PDL soccer team in recent years, so the so-called "beautiful game" could return to the Bluff City as well.

ABQ has gained ground, but it may be too dry and remote...then there's the minor detail that I can never actually spell the full name of the city.

I'll put up more later; I know I need to revamp the Top 15, but I need to go to bed soon.

Reflections

As I stew in a warm tub, I look back at the day's events with disdain. I managed to do some quick verbal wriggling--impressive, especially considering the hour and my like of sleep--to simply nail my Shop@Home interview on Tuesday morning. However, considering my situation at WGNS, I could not get the job, simply because I could never make the manditory week of training. A catch-22: can't quit without having the job, but I can't get the job unless I have quit.

At least three people I trust in my friends-and-family circle have given me the same advice today (Tuesday): quit anyway. Turn in my 2-weeks' or how ever many weeks' notice, and when the time comes, walk. I know it is what needs to be done, and what HAS to be done, but considering that Curt leaves this weekend I may fear the repercussions too much to pull the trigger. I'm going to sleep on it--a day, maybe even two--maybe even talk it over with the folks...but I think I'm going to have to do it. Floating back to the original estimate of 9/15-ish sounds good. Please, don't let me back out now...

In other news, I recently had a realization. I have a personal ban on working in New York City unless a "life-changing" offer is dealt--in other words, 6-digits and/or Hall-of-Famer type salary--because among other things, I don't want to be a media rookie chewed up by the notorious NY Media itself. What I realized, however, is that I don't have to rule it out right now. While I do not plan on working in the Big Apple long-term and big-league, if I can enjoy the city life this fall/winter when I make my weekend trip and stay with a friend in Manhattan, I might be able to strongly consider a couple of year stint there after graduation. The minor leagues abound in that area, with baseball, basketball, and Arena football in the immediate area just off the top of my head. The lack of car worries, ease of public transportation, and the overall NYC experience would be a world of difference, so I think it would be valuable if for no other reason than as a learning experience. Plus, my family would not have to come, as the 2-year deal is meant to be a springboard to higher profile teams with more market flexibility. I'm not moving there to stay...just to play for a little while.

I'll keep you posted as to when NYC cracks my top 15.

Too Far

As my readers and friends know, I have been the lackey of New/Talk WGNS am1450 for just over 4 full years now. However, that will soon change.

Yesterday afternoon, I recieved a call from Bart Walker, head man of WGNS. To be breif, he was forcing me to come in and train that night and the following Friday, as high school football broadcasts were so different that I might need two weeks to learn the new differences. I used to do HSFB, was somewhat familiar with the new changes, knew I wouldn't need two weeks, and already had planned to do my own podcast of a different game. However, not only did Bart not ask me to take over the HSFB broadcast production (merely said I was "the guy" to do it), but he told me I needed to come in that night (three hours before the broadcast started) despite knowing about this situation for most of the week, AND he belittled my other plans. That's right, not only did he ignore my plans and make me come in, but he had the nerve to tell me that "this is more important" and "WGNS comes first."

I am not on call. I am not the office bitch. I deserve to be treated with respect, and deserve to not only have more notice before being "called in" to work, but I don't deserve to be told I'm working something new with out asking if I will do it. Granted, we are in a pinch with a chunk of our work staff leaving, and yes, I do sports production...but I'm sick of it. Burnt out. Exhausted with the "Good Neighbor" environment.

Next week, I will be placing a call to Shop@Home TV about a cushy call-center job offering better hours and much better pay. In addition to that, I will be gathering information on some high school upperclassmen who are seriously interested in radio; the top 1-3 will be pre-trained by yours truly, and when I feel they are ready, I will give my two weeks' notice to Bart and Scott, notify them of these suitable replacements, and get the heck out of here.

Good riddance to bad broadcasting.

The Newest installment of the Top Markets list:
(new entries or major changes in CAPS)

1) Denver Area (Broomfield/Aurora/etc.)
2) ATLANTA
3) Bakersfield, CA
4) Corpus Christi, TX
5) Portland, OR
6) Memphis, TN/AR/Southaven, MS
7) LITTLE ROCK, AR
8) Tulsa, OK
9) INDIANAPOLIS, IN
10) San Diego
11) Seattle
12) New Orleans
13) Los Angeles Area (LA, Anaheim, etc.)
14) Everett, WA
15) SCHAUMBERG/HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL (SCH Flyers, Northern League baseball; H-E= CHI Hounds, UHL)

Atlanta takes a leap into the standings, boasting Silverbacks multi-level soccer, Gwinnett Gladiatiors ECHL hockey, Georgia Tech sports (including D3 hockey in Marietta), the Georgia Force (AFL), ABA and WBA basketball, and both WBA hoops and affiliated baseball within an hour and a half in Rome. (Not to mention the fact that I adore the Atlanta Area, and they boast the Hawks, Falcons, Thrashers, and Braves.)

Indy also enters the list, riding recommendations and 3 teams I could work into--Fever WNBA hoops, Indians AAA baseball, and the Ice USHL juniors hockey team.

Little Rock took a dive due to the sheer lack of prominence of the market, and the fact that those it slipped below seemed much more preferable.

And as for the unique addition at #15, the two cities are close, the schedules link seamlessly, and the Chicago Hounds team in particular looks very interesting, to say the least.

Other blips on my radar include Peoria/Bloomington, IL; the Quad Cities; Gary, IN; Rockford, IL; Joliet/Crestwood, IL; Kalamazoo, MI; and Ft. Wayne, IN.

Debut--The Quest for a Future Job

To those of you unfamiliar with "The Voice of '04," I'll offer this in the way of introduction.
My name is Anthony Daniel Harrell. I'm from Middle Tennessee, the greater Nashville area, the pride of Murfreesboro-Riverdale High School and Middle Tennessee State University. At the time of this entry, I'm 20 years young, with the big 2-1 coming up in early November.
I'm a self-described sports nut and radio dork, with passions for writing, broadcasting, Japanese language/culture/music/animation, food/cooking, local music, theatre and the arts, photography, history, and sports uniform/logo design.
I'm an Electronic Media Journalism major (with a minor in Marketing) at MTSU, and I've been doing podcasts (even before they were called podcasts or put online) of high school, college, and minor league sports since 2002, when I was in high school myself. My grasp of the games, unique broadcasting style (dovetailed with my love of radio marketing/sales), and drive to become a radio play-by-play success all combine with my youth, energy, and vocabularity to make me (in my own opinion) one of the hottest play-by-play prospects in sportscasting today. The "04" in my nickname comes from 2004, the year I graduated high school and the year I realized how much work I needed to put myself through to become a top-tier talent.

This blog will be occasionally a place for me to vent my frustrations or rejoice at my successes, but it will mainly serve as my paperless clearinghouse for updates on the near-reality show that is my quest for work after graduation. I'm using all the time I have between now and then to gather information on independent and smaller-market minor league teams and to categorize and prioritize them. In so doing, I make it easier on myself when it comes to opening dialogues with these teams, hopefully getting them to consider me for either a job or a broadcasting "developmental contract" (helping me with expenses, maybe making me an account exec, and holding my rights at that level while I podcast for a lower-level team, like a college) when I'm through at MTSU.