Monday, February 23, 2015

Meet Justin Allegri

Most people, whether just listening to a sporting event on the radio or watching one on television, believe they could perform the task of a play-by-play announcer or color commentator. Actually, make that do a damn better job than those actually those receiving paychecks for such. You just talk about what you are seeing and what you know, right?

But imagine the dead air or the gibberish that would be forthcoming if a neophyte assumed the microphone given public speaking is the foremost personal fear throughout the world alongside possessing zip, zero, nada of the actual skills set required to broadcast a game.

Thankfully, Justin Allegri is the voice of San Jose State University (SJSU) athletics -- football and basketball specifically -- and the wannabees and cranks laden with false braggadocio but not much else are few and far between.

But who is this person behind the mic and how did he get there in 2013?

It begins with a life immersed with baseball whether it be listening to, watching and especially playing. Announcing wasn't in the picture yet.

"I had a bunch of baseball cards, boxes full of them, I had a Ken Griffey Jr. video game and we played wiffle ball in the front yard," Allegri recalled. "My Dad was always listening to Giants games on KNBR." There was also participation in  T-ball, Little League and Pony League.

Allegri attended Santa Cruz High and Cabrillo College, playing baseball at both. Then it was on to a four-year college and the choosing of a major.

"I wanted to stay in sports and I liked telling stories and my brother attended SJSU." So it came down to going over the hill or to one of a few other schools and he went with Washington Square. That turned out to be a fortuitous decision.

To say Allegri majored in Television, Radio, Film and Theater with a minor in Broadcast Journalism is factual but much too concise.

"SJSU had a radio station and I got hooked on it." He began as a DJ and eventually worked his way up to the position of KSJS Sports Director and also Program Director. Allegri announced Spartan baseball, basketball and football games for KSJS as well as becoming synonymous with San Jose State University hockey, members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Along the way, it was a steady stream of skill-building in editing websites, creating graphics and performing video editing.

Allegri also worked performing various tasks for media giants ESPN, Fox Sports and CNN as well as 95.7 The GAME during Oakland Athletics broadcasts.

In 2012, he became the voice of the Bellingham (WA) Bells of the summer West Coast League, calling 60 games.

Thankful for the bevy of top grade sports announcers throughout the Bay Area, Allegri offered, "There are so many, Jon Miller, Ted Robinson, Randy Hahn, Dan Rusanowsky, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper." For most of us, it's never strays beyond an enjoyment level but for Allegri it's like attending graduate school of sorts when listening to these announcers.

He offered takes on a number of different broadcasting queries.

"There's a degree of pressure to make your own broadcast sound unique but establish yourself as a broadcaster before using a catchphrase." So no "He. could. go. all. the. way!" or ""It might be, it could be, it is... a home run!" so far for him.

As for homerism, "I think it's more of a regional type of thing. Some listeners and fan bases want that."

About honing his talent, "my personal view is it's all about dedication to your craft and the amount of time you put into it. In my mind, preparation makes the broadcast so I try and prepare for every scenario even though I may only cover a third [of the material]. You know the 10,000 hours idea (Malcolm Gladwell's premise that ten thousand hours of practice is required to master a subject), I'm actually keeping track of my on air and prep time."

When the game isn't close or seemingly already decided, "I can go several ways and I'll to vary it . Knowing the team inside and out really helps and stories come in handy. Telling a relevant story is one way to go."

To the question of feedback, "It's up to the individual to decide what is relevant. I really want feedback coming from professionals but I like to hear opinions and criticism -- that's how you get better."

About doing games solo versus pairing up, "In basketball and football, the color commentator is crucial because there isn't much time for the play-by-play voice to do much more than call the game. Having two stellar color commentators makes my job easier and the broadcast so much more entertaining. In baseball, you can get away without one because there is more down time, I can add color while still doing play-by-play."

What most people don't realize is that any number of elements are taking place besides calling the game. "We're doing a bunch of other things while broadcasting like looking up stats and checking for trends."

He welcomes his broadcasting companions. "Kevin Richardson is very good at football and Joe Boylan is a phenomenal with basketball."

Here's a typical time frame for Allegri, using the day of the recent home game against Utah State: "If it's a 7:00 p.m. game, I'll go to the shootaround at 1:00 p.m. and then come back to the office at 2:00 p.m. [After doing additional preparation], "I'll head over to The Event Center at 5:00 p.m." And then, of course, the job doesn't end when the final buzzer goes off.

But baseball hasn't taken a back seat, at least not in his off time. Allegri plays on a summer softball team with his brother, who coaches high school baseball, and his father.

There's one more tale to tell and it's one that will have many men of a certain age grimacing while nodding their heads.

"My Dad has a treehouse when he was growing up in the 60's where he would pin up his baseball cards. One of those was a Willie Mays rookie card. He nailed it to the treehouse wall."

There went what could have been a very valuable family heirloom.

So what does the future hold for Allegri? "I will be a voice in the upcoming PlayStation video game MLB The Show 15. I will be a radio show host in the loading menus. This is a major stepping stone in my career. Millions of people play this game, I am very excited. In addition to that, I will be broadcasting a select amount of games for the San Jose Giants this summer."

San Jose State University's own seems on his way.

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