Mike Janela, the new radio voice of the Hickory Crawdads, fell in love with baseball at an early age.
He also learned at an early age that his love was unlikely to translate into superior performance on the playing field.
"I was playing Little League one season when I was 9 or 10," Janela recalled during a recent interview in the L.P. Frans radio booth. "I made contact on just one pitch during the entire season. And I hit a foul ball."
Janela quickly moved on to his second love -- sports journalism -- and a career that has led him from his hometown in New Jersey, to Syracuse University, to the Catawba Valley.
Janela grew up in Sayreville, N.J., 20 minutes north of Lakewood and about an hour outside of New York City, surrounded by a loving and supportive family with a Portuguese heritage and a dad who loved the New York Mets.
"This is a true story," said Janela, smiling. "Before I was born, my dad would put the headphones on my mother's stomach so that I could listen to the Mets' games. Now how could I not love baseball?"
Janela decided to attend Syracuse University, "not because of the weather, certainly, or the location, but because of the reputation of their journalism program."
While at Syracuse, Janela worked for the student newspaper, the Daily Orange, and also gained practical experience through summer internships.
In the summer of 2005, he did radio commentary for the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaska Baseball League. "Yes," he said, "they do play baseball in Alaska, at least for a few weeks each summer."
The summer of 2006 found him doing play-by-play for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League, while last summer, after his graduation from Syracuse, he served as director of broadcasting for the Anderson, S.C., Joes of the South Coast League.
Janela had expected to serve as an assistant to Landon Sears in Hickory this season, but when Sears decided in February to become the news director for WMNC Radio in Morganton, Janela found himself with a new full-time job.
So, what strengths does a 22-year-old broadcaster bring to the broadcast booth?
"I think it helps that I'm the same age as most of the players at this level," Janela replied. "I can establish relationships with them. We can talk about all kinds of things. And that helps me bring them alive for the listeners. The players become more than just numbers and statistics. They're human."
In addition, Janela describes himself as a "huge pop culture fan" with a talent for incorporating outside information into the telling of what is happening on the baseball diamond. "I think I offer something for everybody, from the diehard fan to the casual fan."
Janela added that he constantly reminds himself of advice offered by one of his professors at Syracuse. "He told me to call the game as if three people were listening," Janela said. "One is Peter Gammons, the ESPN baseball analyst, the other is my mother, and the third is Stevie Wonder.
"What he meant," Janela continued, "is to make the game interesting and fun for the guy who knows everything about the game, for the person who knows a little, and for the person who has never seen a ballpark before."
Janela noted that he welcomes the chance to call Hickory's games on a powerful FM station WMNC-FM (92.1), which can be heard throughout Western North Carolina, at a time when most minor league teams are broadcasting only on the Internet.
"I know we're reaching a big audience and a wide audience," he said. "That gives me a lot of credibility, but it also gives me a lot of responsibility to do my job right and to do my job well."
With the Crawdads off to an 8-6 start in the season's first two weeks, Janela said it is too early to know just what kind of team this year's Hickory squad will be, but he added, "Potentially, we have a good team, maybe a great team."
Pitching has been the club's strength in the early going, he noted, but the lineup has hitters who have explosive potential as well.
"I think this is an interesting team and an exciting team," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see playoff baseball in Hickory this year."
• CRAWDAD NOTES: The 'Dads are on the road this weekend through Friday, but open up a long homestand on Saturday, starting with a four-game set against the Charleston River Dogs. The first 1,000 fans through the gates on Saturday night will receive a free team photo. A noon start on Tuesday, May 6, against the River Dogs will feature special events and discounts for senior adults...Fireworks are scheduled for Friday, May 9, after the game against the Savannah Sand Gnats, while on Saturday, May 10, the first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt.
On Deck/Bill Poteat
The Mike Janela File
Background: Grew up in Sayreville, N.J. Bachelor's degree from Syracuse University.
Favorite ballpark: "Has to be Shea Stadium. I've been to so many games there, and the place has so many memories for me."
Favorite ballpark food: "Ice cream in a helmet. You're paying ballpark prices. You might as well get a little souvenir."
All-time favorite player: Former Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez. "He wasn't much of a hitter, but he made some great plays."
Pitcher he'd most like to get a hit off: Mariano Rivera, longtime closer for the New York Yankees.
Local delicacies: County ham? "Never tried it." Sundrop? "Seen it, but never tried it." Livermush? "Never heard of it. But I'm adventurous when it comes to food, I'll try anything."
