Big Fan of Bar-kann! (Phillies March 1)

March 1, 2010   ·   philliesmania   ·   Jump to comments

 

Nothing like loving your job! Especially when you are good at it. And Michael Barkannis great at his job and there is no question he loves doing it! And we are the benefactors of that joy and professionlism.

 

Last week (Feb 22 to Feb 26) the DailyNews Live show did a wonderfully entertaining show from Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. Home of our Philadelphia Phillies Spring training facilities.  Front and center, like a world famous ringmaster, was Michael Barkann.

 

Barkann has been nailing it down since 1997 on Daily News Live. Although he humbly gives credit to others for helping him and preceding him, including the great Tom Brookshier, the fact is that this guy is an Award winning broadcaster/journalist. And he is no stranger to covering sports. Certainly there is no hiding his passion for sports either. He is quite knowledgeable about all sports in fact. Heck he even has done Tennis coverage for crying out loud.  That is dedication if you think about it. But I digress.

 

 

The segments last week from Clearwater were simply awesome. Barkann led the broadcast team like Montana led the 49ers. The combination of his passion for baseball, the excitement of a new season, mixed with his one on one magic with individuals was extremely refreshing and entertaining. Decent weather is rumored to also have made an impact on his demeanor also. We are efforting to confirm that.

 

 

He always has some engaging guests from the media, former players, and sports people to help him run a well oiled “round table” type discussion. But make no mistake he is the designated driver. Frankly, he is the best at maintaining topic and making relevant adjustments on the fly. He is one of the few people I have ever seen that enjoys mixing structure and flying by the seat of your pants and does it in a seamless manner. Barkann also knows how to do an interview. He is exceptional at building a respectfully magnetic rapport with those whom he interviews. Last week was no exception.

 

Throughout the the week he sat down with some of the key players in the Phillies 2010 campaign. He was able to gauge the pulse of the team and the mindset they have going into the season. Michael used the time to address health concerns, new teammates, unfinished business, and any pertinent issues that warranted a question or two. Which reminds me that is another amazing talent that Barkann has. He is not a softball butt-kisser nor is he antagonizing self serving obnoxious jerk. He has the confidence that there is more than enough drama, fun, and suspense in real life and professional sports that he doesn’t need to manufacture a story. He is not a ratings whore, he is just flat out talented at getting the story to tell itself and those involved to share their perspective.

 

   < Image courtesy of CSN.com

 

Another endearing quality is the man has a good sense of humor. He is quick with a wit and does not take himself too seriously. Michael also has a unique ability to be a fan while still being a journalist/broadcaster/sports anchor. That seems to be rare nowadays. Oh others try, but they usually get caught up in themselves or think they need to be condescending. Too many anchors/journalists try to be part of the story or even be a story instead of tell or present the story in an entertaining and skillful manner.

 

Among the highlights of the interviews in Clearwater was a nice chat with the “Skipper” Charlie Manuel. To begin the interview Barkann had Charlie participate in the DNL regular Quick 6 segment. Ironically Quick Six is not just a clever title for the segment. It is designed to allow 15 seconds per question. Charlie however beats to his own time clock  and he was taking like a minute per question. Although Charlie is always fascinating Michael was visually stuck in a quandary. He had the “do I let this segment go on into the All-Star break or do I remind Bubba Skipper Chuck about the 15 second deadline?”

 

Barkann, used his unoffensive wit and a facetious flair to set Charlie straight on the Quick Six “rules”. Charlie had no problem taking the ribbing/polite reminder. Manuel still had trouble doing it but is was classic Barkann. Even more classic was the vintage Manuel move at the end of the interview. Usually when an interview ends the guest sits until the camera stops rolling and then leaves the “set” when the audience is not watching. But not Charlie, he gets up almost as Barkann was thanking him for taking the time to sit down. So what did Mike do when Manuel did his impromtu exit? Made it into a memorable TV moment.  Yes as Charlie was leaving he looked at the camera and said something like “there goes the skipper. He has to go run the team.” It was so very, very cool. Although the best part of the Charlie chat was when Charlie said he was upset there wasn’t going to be another parade.

 

The interview with Raul Ibanez had a couple special moments. Barkann was asking him about the Raauuuuuuuul welcome he receives whenever he goes out to left field. And Raul told a story of how he made his family come to Philly to see a game because the crowd was so electric and the whole Raauuuuuuuul chant had to be experienced in person. 

 

I really liked the conversation he had with new King of the Mound Roy Halladay.  As well as the sit downs with Shane Victorino, Brad Lidge, and Ruben Amaro interviews. But I really enjoyed seeing Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard sit down with Michael.  That interview was a microcosm of just how good he is as a broadcaster, interviewer, and journalist. In just a short segment he was able to rehash their memories of the World Series loss, the new season, the new teammates, their desire to stay in Philadelphia and the business of baseball, their controversial criticism of the Phillies fans, and the impact of Black History in light of Black History month. And to cap it off he even reminisced about and tried to get them to recreate an infamous Jimmy & Ryan rap version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. 

 

Hey, MR Barkann, you probably will never read my humble blog but I am a big fan of your work and the sports programming you have developed. In fact I try and approach my blog the way you do your craft. Thanks man, I’m a Bar-kan fan!