Interview with Terry Byrom

Terry Byrom, Director, Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Harrisburg Senators, was kind enough to allow me to interview him. Enjoy…



Senators Fans Unite (SFN): Could you tell Senators fans about your background prior to coming to Harrisburg 3 years ago? What influenced you to get into broadcasting?

Terry Byrom (TB): I have a strange background compared to most people in baseball. I didn’t get my first job in professional baseball until I was 39 years old, in 2002, with the Ogden Raptors. Broadcasting baseball is something I’ve wanted to do most of my life, but never really found a way to get into it. That changed in 1998 when I moved to Indiana and was able to do some high school football, baseball, and basketball on the air which led to some small college stuff, which led to sending out my resume and tape in 2002 to several teams which led to being hired by Ogden. After one summer in Ogden I worked for the Fort Wayne Wizards for two years before being hired by Harrisburg. Prior to baseball, I was in the “corporate” world and the military for many years, which I think gives me a unique view of baseball and my job.

SFU: I always see you running around before and after a game. Could you tell Senators fans what a typical game day is like for you (pre and post game)?

TB: On home game days, I typically get to the ballpark at around noon. However, before going to the ballpark I usually get my game notes at home which take about an hour each day. Then when I get to the ballpark, the stat packets are the first thing to do. Those are the information packets that are given to the coaching staffs and the media each day. I generally have a fair amount of emails to respond to, phone calls to return, and other non-broadcasting duties such as making calls to my clients etc. I try to spend time each day on the field during batting practice chatting with the coaches and players. Then I spend time getting my scoresheet ready and preparing for the broadcast. After the game and after the broadcast is over, I write the game release for our website, and deal with any other media issues that need to be taken care of. I’m generally at the ballpark about an hour after the game is over.

SFU: A lot of players seem to have superstitions/rituals that they do prior to a game. Do you have any superstitions/rituals that you do before a broadcast?

TB: Not really. No long winded answer here.

SFU: You called games along side of Mark Mattern for 3 years. Mattern had broadcast more than 2000 games in over 20 years. What advice did he give you? What did you learn broadcasting games with him?

TB: First off I want to say how much I’m going to miss Mark on the air this year. He has been a pleasure to work with these past three years. He was instrumental in my hiring back in 2005. I had never worked with anyone on the air before that had so much experience, so right off the bat I learned several things from Mark. There are a couple of phrases I learned not to use such as “I believe.” We (broadcasters) can also use the word “obviously” too much and Mark pointed out when I would use it early on. We talked a lot during the off season about broadcasting and about baseball in general. As you mentioned, he had been with the team their entire 21 year history so I learned a great deal about the Senators from Mark and about the Eastern League. The thing I respected about Mark is that he let me be me which means that he didn’t try to make me his clone. I think we blended very well on the air, which made learning even easier.

SFU: What are the most memorable games that you broadcast while in Harrisburg and why?

TB: The first one that comes to mind was a game from this past May against Erie. The Senators rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and then won the game in the 10th inning. Having the opportunity to broadcast a game from Fenway Park this past summer was amazing as well. There are many other games that I could talk about, but really just getting to see the incredible talent that passes through the Eastern League on a daily basis is amazing.

SFU: The Harrisburg Senators are a proud franchise with a winning tradition having made 12 playoff appearances and winning 6 championships in 21 years. Recently its been a little rough; they have not had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2002. Could you tell Senators fans what direction you think the Nationals are headed in to improve the farm system and the Senators chances of winning in the near future?

TB: Since the Lerner family has taken over the Nationals, they have been very vocal in wanting to build their scouting system and minor league system as well. Over the past three years, the drafts have gone very well, with this past year’s ranked best by Baseball America. It’s going to take a couple of years for the players drafted in 2007 to make it to Harrisburg, but we should start to see the prospects drafted in 2005 and 2006 this season in Harrisburg. I think the Senators are going to be a lot better this season than the past four or five seasons, and there should be several top 20 prospects as well, which would make for an exciting 2008 season.

SFU: Despite the losing season and high turnover of players in 2007, several prospects suited up for the Senators; Collin Balester, Zech Zinicola, Adam Carr, Roger Bernadina and Josh Whitesell. Could you share your thoughts on each player?

TB: Josh Whitesell really impressed me this past season. He really made himself into a legitimate prospect with a strong off-season which led to a solid, if not great, 2007 season. Josh has an outside chance to make the big league team this year but I would expect him to be in Columbus. Roger Bernadina is a very exciting player to watch but he has some things to work on so that he’s not passed by some of the younger prospects. I would expect he’d either be in Harrisburg or Columbus, depending upon the numbers. Zech Zinicola didn’t have a very good season numbers wise in 2007, but he still threw the ball very well. Much like many Senators in 2007, he just didn’t get many breaks. I still think he’s a very solid prospect and think he could get to the big leagues in 2008 and if not, certainly in 2009. Colin Balester is another prospect that could find himself in the big leagues this coming season. And much like Zinicola, he has a great temperament that allows him to get over a bad outing, which is very important. I didn’t see enough of Adam Carr to offer a strong opinion on him, but I would guess he’ll start the season in Harrisburg before moving along.

SFU: Since joining the Senators which players have been your favorite to interact with or watch play and why?

TB: Dan Dement ranks as probably my favorite player to interact with. Dan is a gritty, hard-nosed player that’s a throw back to a different era. I’d love for him to have a chance to play just one game in the big leagues. Justin Echols is another guy that was a favorite of mine. He and I had a chance to get to know one another a little as we played a little golf together in 2006. I really can’t believe that some organization didn’t take a chance on him last year. I really haven’t had a problem with any of the 130+ players that have come through Harrisburg the past three seasons and they are all unique. As for watching guys on the field, I already mentioned the enjoyment of watching Ryan Zimmerman.

SFU: The fans seemed to enjoy your Voice of Reason column but it’s been over a year since your last article. Do you plan to start writing again?

TB: Yes but probably in a somewhat changed format. Instead of being so long, it’ll come back in more of a blog form.

SFU: Do you have any hobbies or things you enjoy doing when you’re away from the field?

TB: Over the past year I’ve acquired (baseball terminology) a new wife and a new home. With a new home, I have a lot of projects going on that take a lot of time. The good news is that I LOVE working around the house, especially in the yard. I’m also an avid golfer, though I haven’t played much the past couple of years (see above to new wife and new home). One of the great things about living in this area is that we’re only about three or four miles from the Appalachian Trail, which we get to as much as we can. One of my/our goals is to take several weekends and hike the trail across Pennsylvania. I also enjoy reading and doing any sort of traveling.

SFU: Before we end the interview do you have any final comments for Senators fans?

TB: Just hang in there as I think things on the field are going to improve greatly over the next year or two. And I appreciate all the positive comments and all the interest in Senators baseball.





I want to thank Terry for his time and the opportunity to conduct this interview.