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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced last week the addition of play-by-play broadcaster Joe Davis to the Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA television booth. Davis, 27, will call 50 road games during the 2016 season.
He has not been named by the Dodgers as a successor to Vin Scully, nor is it a label Davis attempted to place on himself.
The Michigan native spoke at length with DodgerBlue.com, during which he detailed his career path, learning from Vin Scully, and more.
Included below are additional excerpts from the interview with Davis that did not appear in the featured story.
Where did the desire to broadcast games originate?
Joe Davis: “It probably first started with watching and listening with a discerning ear, realizing that it’s something I was interested in, in junior high. The first guy I remember really listening to was Gary Thorne on the old NHL on ESPN back in the mid-90s. So I guess that would be when I really started paying attention to play-by-play guys. It kind of guided my decision-making as I went into high school and into college, knowing it’s what I wanted to do.”
Was the interest solely in broadcasting or writing as well?
“I thought a little bit about [writing] when I was in junior high and high school. I knew I wanted to be involved in sports journalism, but I think that my answer had I been asked to tell you at any point, I would’ve told you I wanted to be a play-by-play guy.
“There’s always been some interest in the writing side as well. I did some of that for the school paper and things like that. I think writing is the foundation for any broadcaster. So, regardless of whether or not that was something I wanted to do, I saw the value in doing it to build that experience.”
Advice for aspiring broadcasters
“Anybody who tries getting into this business and has aspirations to do this, not that I’ve got this long career of advice to draw from, but the I advice I do give them is to get into Minor League baseball play-by-play because there’s nowhere else you can go to get those kind of reps.
“It’s 140 games in 150 days, usually solo. There’s just no other place you can do that, and that’s everything when you’re first starting out.”
CONTINUE READING: Joe Davis Grateful For Reaction From Dodgers Fan Base, And More
Thoughts on the reaction from the Dodgers fan base to his hiring
Joe Davis: “One of the reasons I wanted to get with a team was to be able to have that connection with a fan base. I knew it would be a big deal when it was announced, but it just blew me away.
“Getting all the positive support from people on social media, people reaching out to wish me the best and welcome me to the Dodger family just meant so much. It reaffirmed a big part of the reason why I wanted to get involved with a team, let alone a team like the Dodgers, who I consider the most storied franchise in pro sports.”
Inspiration and lessons learned from Vin Scully
“I think there’s the obvious things like his command of the language, which is hard to learn from. You more just marvel at the way he has a command of the English language. Obviously his ability to tell stories, his voice and his tone, that’s all second to none. As I’ve studied it more, studied the business more and studied other guys, what stands out to me about Vin and what is so important in baseball is his wearability.
“Baseball is 162 games at pretty much 162 nights in a row with the off-nights sprinkled in. The ability to have people want to welcome you into their living rooms on a nightly basis the way he’s done that, is unprecedented. It’s not just over the course of 162 games for him, which is hard enough. It’s not just over the course of a few years, or decade or two. It’s the entire time the team has been in Los Angeles. I don’t think there’s anybody who’s had a good of wearability and like ability as him.”
Mindful of his achievements at young age?
“I think it’s important to every now and then do my best to step back and realize how lucky I am. This is obviously a really good opportunity for me to do that. To see how many people have wished me well with this opportunity in particular, it’s a good reminder of how lucky I am to do what I do and do what I’ve done to this point.
“I realize how fortunate I am to have climbed the ladder relatively quickly and realize how much has gone into that from other people’s perspective. I’ve been so fortunate to have so many people give my help and advice and guidance when they really didn’t have any reason to, other than they just decided they wanted to help. When I reflect on it, I reflect on that as much as I do anything I’ve done personally. So much of it is the help other people have given me.”
Handling expectations and pressure with joining the Dodgers
“I think the old cliché is, ‘It’s hard to get there, but it’s harder to stay there.’ I’m totally aware that applies here. I’m totally aware there’s plenty more context surrounding this position then if I were taking a 50-game package with any other team. I think for me, the only way to do the job justice, the only way for me to do it well, is to just focus on those 50 games that I have next year and doing the job the way I know how to do it.
“Being as fundamentally sound as I can and being myself. I think that’s important. Stepping into this position, the urge could be to try and be somebody you’re not. I think you’ve got to avoid that. You need to be you, nail the basics and nail the fundamentals. I’m lucky that I’m going to have two awesome analysts to tee up. Television is the analyst medium, so for me it’s teeing those guys up and making them the stars. I recognize I’m not the show. The game is the show and the analysts are the ones who bring the real insight.”