Getting into the game

[Tim Roden]

The more I call, the better I get into the game. When I was a rookie, I had serious lapses in my thinking because I didn't have the experience to push me through. Now I only have a few. Here is what I do. I watch a lot of ball on TV. I am constantly asking my self what are the strip shirts doing. I am always calling fouls at work. Especially when I walk into a bathroom and I can call it on that guy in the mirror. When I get to the game, I find my partner. Better yet, if I can drive with my partner to a game we can pregame in the car. I want a good pregame so I am thinking about various situations. I like to know what came up in the last game they had and how we can handle it better this time. I rarely get bored calling a game. Even when they do a stall. The fans are booing but I am not. One other pregame ritual you might want to try. Eat a good Lunch. The last thing you want is to be thinking of food while you are calling the critical fourth quarter.