Sunday, July 15, 2001
NILES -- To Chad Krispinsky, a Mahoning Valley Scrappers game is like theater.
"In essence, it's like a performance," he said.
A 1996 Cardinal Mooney High graduate, Krispinsky has a dual role with the Scrappers, and it's one he thrives on through his own experiences in community theater.
"This is kind of like my performance," he said.
When the Scrappers are home, Krispinsky's voice booms throughout Cafaro Field as the public address announcer. He gives life to names such as Angel Bastardo, Maximo Made and Bryce Uegawachi.
When the Scrappers are on the road, his voice can be heard on the airwaves as the play-by-play man for WBBW-AM 1240.
"When I was growing up, I watched the Browns, the Cavs, the Indians, and I was always impressed with how the crowd got into the game," said Krispinsky, who grew up in Youngstown but resides in Boardman. "Some players' names are just real fun to say, and it gets the crowd excited."
Played Soccer: Krispinsky, who played soccer for his father, Len, at Mooney, graduated from Ohio University with a major in broadcast journalism.
When he heard about a minor league baseball team coming to the Mahoning Valley in 1999, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved.
"Low and behold, I got a [public address] job," said Krispinsky, now in his third year. "I thought that'd be a cool way to break into the organization."
His eye, however, was on the broadcast booth.
"I knew all along I wanted to do radio," he said. "This year I just kind of fell into it."
Krispinsky had experience with WBBW, interning there and broadcasting high school basketball games. That experience paid off.
Road games: This season, Krispinsky began broadcasting Scrappers' road games, traveling with the team throughout the New York-Penn League while John Caparanis and Dave Price handle games at Cafaro Field.
"I thought it was just a real good opportunity because I could continue what I was doing here," said Krispinsky, who still admits he'd love to broadcast home games and feed off the crowd's energy.
But he's not complaining, especially after using his travel time to learn about Scrappers players.
"A lot of times, you go into this situation [pro baseball] and you get players who aren't real cooperative," he said. "But here, the players have been completely down to Earth.
"I'm not part of the team, but they include me -- whether it's sitting and eating with some guys, or just small talk so I'm not by myself."
Develops style: Krispinsky continues to develop his own on-air style. He doesn't want to overwhelm the listener with statistics; he wants to translate players' stories and feelings throughout a game, in appropriate situations.
While some famous broadcasters are known for on-air slogans, Krispinsky hasn't set out to develop one. But, you might hear him bellow "How about that!" from time to time.
"It's not something I chose to do," he said. "This season has been different than the others -- we're not winning constantly. The games that I've had to say that, it's been a time in the game that's been a clutch situation."
So, what's the future hold for Krispinsky? Let him explain.
"I would lie to you if I didn't say my lifelong dream is to be the voice of the Cleveland Indians."
richesson@vindy.com