Groggy commentator wakes up to games
MICHAEL VILLANI
* EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Villani is a Costa Mesa resident and an
announcer at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He will be writing
occasional pieces for the Pilot while he is there.
Has this ever happened to you? You have a big lunch just before
you have to do something extremely important, and in the middle of
that meeting, conference call or interview you become so lethargic
you hardly carry on an intelligent, or for that matter a coherent
conversation at all.
Well, it happened to me yesterday in my venue, at my broadcast
desk, in front of, oh, probably 15,000 people. I was in the middle of
calling my second of four indoor volleyball matches at the Summer
Games here in Athens, when all of a sudden a lethargy overtakes my
entire body like a fine mist of nitrous oxide, but this my friends,
was nothing to laugh about!
I had a hard time seeing my notes on the contest between our host
country, Greece, and Korea. I started missing technical time outs,
the correct score and most importantly the right numbers on
substitutions. Of course, I panicked as my producer kept imploring me
to “get it together!” Heck, I started thinking I’ve got a terminal
case of narcolepsy and my whole upper torso is going to come crashing
down, very hard, on the microphone as I collapse in complete
exhaustion on my table top.
Thank goodness it was a very close and exciting match and nobody
in the stands was really paying too much attention to the venue
announcers. Besides, when you say anything with absolute authority
and enough conviction in a professional manner, most people will
believe you. I had substitutes looking back at me from the floor
wondering if they were really out of the game. Yes, it was a dark
moment in my career. I went sulking out of the Peace and Friendship
Stadium, feeling neither peaceful or friendly, straight to my hotel
and right to bed, vowing never to eat again!
I’ve just returned from tonight’s fare, USA versus Poland, and
Brazil and Italy and, thank the stars that aligned right, it was a
360-degree turnaround, in front of another sold out crowd. My calls
were crisp, strong and precise, I was in “good voice” and I was wide
awake. While walking home, I pumped my arm, Tiger Woods-style, a
couple of times and shouted, “I nailed it!”
Another couple of things, the USA men’s and women’s teams look
very strong, even in a couple of defeats. I got a call waking me up
at 4:30 a.m., from my youngest daughter Summer, finishing up school
in Houston, she knows there’s an eight-hour difference but obviously
didn’t do the math right, informing me that Aaron Peirsol wins gold.
Yes, the venues aren’t as full as they should be but the Olympics
roll on, if I can use lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s “Free Man in
Paris,” unfettered and alive.
With the contests in my venue, moving from the preliminaries to
the qualifying matches, on to the medal rounds, my schedule is going
to be more demanding so my stories will be more infrequent, but with
no less enthusiasm as I continue to report from the games.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.