Bremer still loves broadcasting Twins games
NEW ULM — Playing major league baseball can be hard just because of the travel, the game almost every day and the wear and tear on a body for seven months.
But sometimes people, when watching a game on television or listening on the radio, may take for granted the face and voice on the television or radio who broadcast that game without the luxury of a day off like players get.
For Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer, who has been the television voice of the Twins for 34 seasons (5,508 games), it is a labor of love that has seen him make some eary career changes.
“I used to do a lot of Gopher and Big Ten basketball games in the offseason” said Bremer, who was part of the Twins Winter Caravan in New Ulm on Monday. “But now I pretty much just concentrate on the Twins and that is what is so exciting. I have done my pheasant hunting and deer hunting and did my ice fishing. Now it is time for baseball.”
Despite the fact that he loves his job and that he stays in nice hotels, Bremer said there is has one drawback.
“I never minded it when I was single or when I was married came when I had children,” he said. “My daughter played softball for four years and I saw her play one game. But that is the sacrifice you make. And you have to have family members that are on board with you and thankfully my wife and kids have been on board with me. They have never raised an issue with it — that is the only drawback. It is a wonderful existence to be able to get paid to go to a major league game regardless of where it is at.”
While players can relax on an off day, Bremer said that there are very few off days for TV broadcasters.
“There used to be just 50 games televised but now we do 150 [games],” he said. “So on the rare off days you try — in my case — to spend time with the family if you can or do something to get your mind away from the game. But on those rare days when the Twins are playing and we are not televising, I still feel responsible for knowing what happened in that game. So I will go to the game even though I am not broadcasting because I need to know what happened in that game.”
Bremer said that the season is long but last year was one that he was happy to see come to an end.
“But 72 hours after the season was over, I was ready to go again,” he said. “I love what I do so much even in a year like last year where things did not go well from the start or finsh well.”
While the Twins went through a tough year and at times were hard to watch, Bremer said that regardless of the people who are watching because they are interested in how the Twins are doing.
“When the team is winning 90 games, you have a lot more people [watching] but I take it personally that if someone is taking the time out of their schedule to watch what you are doing, you had better do your job well,” Bremer said. “It is not difficult to be positive but it is an obligation that you have to your viewer to try and present the game in a professional manner.”
And for 34 years, Bremer has been doing that and loving it.
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