Q&A with Rays radio voice Andy Freed
BRADENTON -- Andy Freed's voice is synonymous with Tampa Bay Rays broadcasting.
As one of two radio play-by-play guys in the booth, Freed has a close-up view of the Rays.
So toward the end of spring training, the longtime Parrish resident sat down with the Herald for a Q&A on calling baseball action on the radio, the Rays' trip to Cuba and the Rays' chances this season.
Q: Do you still feel the same passion today as you did when you first started in professional baseball 23 years ago and 12 years ago with the Rays?
A: "If it ever goes away, then it's time to retire. I mean this is the most amazing job you could ever ask for and it's the only thing I ever wanted to do in life. If you had asked me in third grade what I wanted to do, this is pretty much it. I think everybody that's in this game, if you don't get a little chill at the fact that you get to go to the ballpark and that's your job, I don't have to fight through an office, I don't have to wear a shirt and tie, all the things that wear you out, and this is great."
Q: How was the trip to Cuba?
A: "It was an amazing experience. I could've used a couple more days. To see how another segment of the world lives is pretty eye-opening and I'm glad we were there when we were there, before even more of the trade opens up. Before the full embargo is lifted so you can really see. There's no McDonald's on the corners. There's no CVS. Everything is pretty
much as it was in the 1950s. Everything needs a paint job. The whole place is drab and kind of falling apart, but you can see what the architecture looked like when it was put up."
Q: You and Dave Wills mix up play-by-play and color commentator duties as well as the notion that you sound kind of the same. How much do you get that?
A: "Sometimes. I don't think we sound similar. I think we actually sound fairly distinct. One of the best things is when we were hired, we were hired on the same day at the same time and we were hired not to be the No. 1 guy and a No. 2 guy or the play-by-play guy and the color guy. It was explained to us, 'You guys were hired at an even-keel. Figure out how you want to do innings, so it comes out the same.' So I called my good friend, Jon Miller, a voice of San Francisco. And he goes, 'The best way is one day, one guy goes first, second, fifth, sixth and ninth. And the other guy does three, four, seven, eight. And the next day, just flip it. And by the end of the year, you'll have the same innings. Nobody can argue who has more ninth innings or whatever.'"
Q: What's the outlook on the Rays this season?
A: "There's always going to be concerns going in. I'm concerned about the bullpen. A year ago at this time, we had Kevin Jepsen, Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger. And, right now, we have none of them. McGee went to the Rockies, Jepsen's on the Twins and Boxberger's hurt. So I'm very concerned how the innings are going to be parceled out. But one thing I've learned about bullpens over the years is sometimes with relievers, they're not made. They're kind of overnight, they turn into something good."
Q: What's your top memory calling Rays games?
A: "The 2008 season, I can't imagine it ever being topped. To go from a franchise, where you were regularly mocked on David Letterman's monologues -- you were a national joke -- to overnight becoming the '69 Mets. I don't think we'll ever experience anything quite like that again."
Q: What's the biggest thing you try to pick up from the players in your preparation for the broadcast?
A: "Anything to make a guy three dimensional. So much now, too many broadcasts and too many articles are written with numbers and sabermetrics and to me that makes it two dimensional. To me, that's the seasoning not the stew. That's something that maybe can help me make a point, but it's much more interesting to hear about the 25th guy on the bench that day is the most interesting story. I'd much rather hear about what makes these guys human and what makes them more than just a baseball player."
Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.
This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 12:13 AM with the headline "Q&A with Rays radio voice Andy Freed ."