16. Alex Cohen called 2,000 games before his no-no with the Cubs in September

Today’s PXPU Podcast interview is with Alex Cohen, the long-time voice of the Iowa Cubs, who made his big league debut in July on Marquee Sports Network. What he didn’t expect was another game in September that he’d call in Wrigley on less than 24 hours notice. And what he really, really didn’t expect was that it would be the Cubs’ first no-hitter at Wrigley since 1972!

Show notes:

• 02:22 - Alex's background and career journey in sports broadcasting

• 05:38 - The importance of learning from experienced broadcasters

• 07:17 - Key advice: Smile and have fun while broadcasting baseball

• 08:47 - Discussion on behaving like a champion before becoming one

• 10:16 - How Alex built relationships that led to his MLB opportunity

• 13:00 - Alex's experience getting called up for his first MLB games

• 14:42 - Preparing for his first MLB broadcasts

• 16:50 - Approach to calling his first MLB game: keeping it simple

• 19:17 - Reflections on his first two MLB broadcasts

• 22:49 - The unexpected call to cover a Cubs game on short notice

• 24:58 - Alex's self-assessment of his first two MLB games

• 29:06 - Handling the developing no-hitter situation during the broadcast

• 31:15 - Alex's previous experience calling no-hitters in the minors

• 32:19 - Focusing on the pitcher's performance rather than the no-hitter

• 34:15 - The increasing attention as a no-hitter progresses

• 35:41 - Strategy for calling the final moments of a no-hitter

• 36:45 - Alex's thoughts on his no-hitter call

• 38:00 - Discussion on the pressure of making the perfect call

• 39:50 - Advice for aspiring broadcasters: networking and taking opportunities

Coming up soon on the PXPU Podcast!

• Ian Fitzsimmons, ESPN Radio, on becoming part of the play-by-play call as a sideline reporter

• Ashley Adamson, Big Ten Network reporter and host, on storytelling

• Marc Kestecher, the voice of the NBA on ESPN Radio

• Bill Roth, longtime voice of Virginia Tech football, ESPN Radio freelancer and instructor in play-by-play broadcasting at Virginia Tech

• A professional opera singer on vocal techniques

• A mental performance coach

• Much more!

Who else would you like to hear on the podcast? Please let us know in the comments section below!

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