Watson Moves On

Some of you may already know this but Dan Watson, Terry Byrom’s on-air sidekick, has moved on to become the new radio broadcaster for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Class A affiliate of the Padres). Senators fans can keep up with Watson by reading his blog The Watson Files.

Watson took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me.


SFU: How are things going out in Fort Wayne?

Dan Watson: Things are going extremely well. We’re getting ready to open a brand-new $31-million facility in downtown Fort Wayne this April, so a lot of my off-season work is designed to spread the excitement of what’s going on. For example, today I spoke at a Rotary club meeting and everyone seemed to be excited about what we’re doing. Our staff is fantastic; they’re experienced, yet still welcoming to me and the other new people and they’re hungry to succeed. We got drilled with six inches of snow yesterday, but it’s still fun to think about baseball and all the great things the new park will do for downtown Fort Wayne.

SFU:Senators fans are sad to see you go. What were some of your reasons for signing on with the TinCaps vs. staying in Harrisburg?

DW: I was certainly sad to leave the people I met in Harrisburg as well. They were always very nice to me and I hope they know how much I appreciated that. A few things made Fort Wayne attractive to me. The main thing that brought me here was the new ballpark. Being from the Cleveland area, I’ve seen what the Gateway project did for the downtown area with the Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field. It turned that area from one of the worst parts of town to a legitimate travel destination. I feel like we have the opportunity to do something similar here in Fort Wayne. Also, my career goal is to get to the major leagues. It may seem like a step back to go from Double-A to Single-A, but with the TinCaps I’m the lead broadcaster, whereas I was the broadcast assistant in Harrisburg. I think calling all 140 games will help me develop even more as a broadcaster and give me some added credibility for future jobs down the road.

SFU: You and Terry Byrom seemed to work well together calling games for the Senators last season. Were there any tips or advice he offered to you that will reflect in the way you call games for the TinCaps?

DW: The thing I liked most about working with Terry is that he let me be myself on the air. There isn’t any specific advice I remember (unless you count his on-air tips on how to meet women), but he was good at was critiquing the little things. If there was something he noticed, he would let me know and I would try to fix it. I’m sure I’ll bother him during the season and have him listen to some of my stuff to make sure I’m doing OK. There are always ways to improve on the air; that’s for sure.

SFU: Do you have any comments for Senators fans?

DW: I would just reiterate my thanks for how well everyone treated me while I was there. I was glad to hear the renovations are in the works on City Island, so the fans who stuck it out are finally getting what they deserve. I hope you enjoy the improvements! Maybe if the Senators make the playoffs I’ll make a trip back to check everything out!

I want to thank Dan for taking time out to answer a few questions for me. Good luck in Fort Wayne, I'm sure you'll do well.