My L.A. Workday follows some of the city’s most intriguing people during their workdays. For length and clarity, interviews are edited due to quakes.
For 14 years, Mike Lindskog has been the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes’ public relations manager and “the Voice of the Quakes,” broadcasting their games on iHeart Radio and the TuneIn app.
Ever wondered what a baseball announcer does? Lindskog, 49, says “everything,” without the small army that produces an MLB broadcast. Lindskog expects to receive a season’s worth of big-league announcers’ game earnings.
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“I just love the game,” Lindskog added. “I live and die by adrenaline, so getting up for these games is so easy.”
Will Smith and Gavin Lux were Quakes recently, while Clayton Kershaw has rehabbed at LoanMart Field multiple times.
Lindskog writes and edits the fan game day programmed with one assistant. He writes coaches’ fact sheets like Wall Street analysts. He’s his own audio engineer in a broadcast booth so close to the seat’s fans call between innings.
Data crunching and breakfast at 7 a.m.
I’m on the computer smashing data and putting together coaches’ daily stat packs while making my son’s breakfast downstairs. This article covers today’s game, how we play against the opponent, last game’s results, who’s performing well, and both teams’ starting pitchers. You have the numbers, standings, and everything else, and I send them out so team officials wake up to them in their mailbox.
8 a.m.: Special week preparations
After dropping my child off at school at 8, I get ready for the day. This week’s special In the playoffs. Being up for all 132 games in a season is difficult. In Game 1 of the best-of-three playoffs, we were shut out. The Inland Empire 66ers are our opponent. Being part of the Angels organization makes it a rivalry.
Without a program, you can’t tell the player.
As the team game day program coordinator, I put in a lot of work. A printed edition takes time and effort. Every home stand has a fresh feature. Fans can read player profiles at the game. My assistant performs a lot of the writing, but I put it together, edit it, and send it to the printer. All of that takes time.
1pm: Ballpark access
I check in with both coaches to make sure they’re clear on statistics, the other team, roster moves, etc. I’ll chat with the professional scout in the stands tonight. St. Louis Cardinals Jeff Ishii. I temporarily worked for the Cardinals and met him.
3 p.m.: Batting practice swing
As I pass our batting practice, I might stop at the cage every now and then to check in and give a Quakes player a fist bump and a slap on the back for a solid night’s work. The players were grown men when we were “High A.” We’re “Low A,” and they’re 17, 18, and 19. Older men were easier to chat with. Due to the 30-year age gap, I find it tougher to relate. No need to worry about the radio guy staying around.
4 p.m.: Scorecard prep
Filling out my game scorecard. Scoring is like court reporter minutes. I have a shorthand. Want to know what happened two innings ago? Baseball people speak it. A 4-3 groundout implies the batter hit a ball to second base, who threw it to first. I can swiftly reflect when the same batter appears later in the game.
5 p.m.: game mode.
Locking in, getting ready We go live at 6:15 and merely flick the switch to game mode. High energy, rapid thinking, and talking. Game of elimination. I find it abrupt. The season will either end or we will win and play again tomorrow. I say “see you tomorrow” meaningfully because we will win.
5:50 p.m.: Fan satisfaction
A fan at the broadcast booth window tells me he no longer receives team emails 25 minutes before I go on air. He’s not on the mailing list—why? Send me his email address, and I’ll add him to the database. The man is upset. As a season ticket holder, he must repeat it. I’ll comfort him.
6:10 p.m.: Pre-airtime sound check
Lindskog’s voice doubles as he prepares in his clean broadcast booth. He leaves the window wide open to hear the game and experience the stadium unfiltered. A Keurig coffee machine sits alone in a booth corner. Caffeine seems unnecessary for Lindskog.
“The main goal is to bring high energy to make it fun for fans.”
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes broadcaster Mike Lindskog
Five minutes before airtime. Making sure my sound is okay. My mixer is standard. It has four channels. My microphone is #4. The crowd microphone is #1 for background noise and ambience. The second microphone is spare. Third, a booth guest. My energy is high. Obviously, I’m not just sitting there doing the slow and “the one-one pitch; that’s outside; it’s two and one.”
This isn’t my speed, and it may not be for everyone. It doesn’t always turn out as planned, but the goal is to deliver great energy to make it exciting for the supporters.
8:46 p.m.: Final chance
Lindskog can’t sit still. He stands, occasionally bouncing. Red neck. Venous outflow.
The Quakes lead 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning. A first-base run ties it. The batter batting is the go-ahead run. Wild pitch to backstop. The runner advances to second. A hit is all the Inland Empire needs. Another high, wide pitch that the speed gun missed The tying run is third. The bases are loaded after two more walks.
8:49 p.m.: Last pitch
Lindsay eats up the drama. The Quakes pitcher throws three consecutive The next two pitches are strikes and foul balls.
Well, this is it. There’s not a soul sitting down here in LoanMart Field. It’s a full count—three balls and two strikes. 4-3 Quakes. I am trying to get to Game 3 on Friday night. The pitch. 3-2 on the way. Fastball. Batter caught a look. It’s a strike! Friday night! Shut the door! I will be here! You will be here!
Quakes, by the skin of their teeth, hang on, 4-3! The series is tied at one apiece! They fought, and they fought, and they finally held on. Game 3 is on Friday night! We will be here, and I sure hope you will be too.
The Quakes defeated the Inland Empire 66ers the following day, Sept. 15, and went on to the Cal League Championship Series, where the Modesto Nuts swept them in the two-game championship series.
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