Jost and Hamm agree that what makes them work well together is that they feel free to be who they are.
?I also think what maybe works is that neither one of us are football experts,? Hamm said. ?We?re not big Xs and Os people. We know basic formations and things like that, but if you?re going to start breaking it down like (the professional analysts), we?re not there. We don?t study film and do that kind of stuff.
?We?re lucky to know the players? names.?
Yes, humor is part of their schtick.
?The goal for me is to include a little bit of humor, because we like that in each other and we like that in general,? Jost said. ?If we can do respectable humor?if that?s the right way to put it?that?s important to me.
?Of course, being accurate and giving people a feel for what?s going on, on the field and off the field, that?s important to me.?
Both men have day jobs. Jost works for MB Foundation, Hamm for Baker Bros. Printing. They said they try to spend at least a little time preparing for their broadcasts.
?Our prep is that we usually print out the stats for both teams, which you can get off the Internet,? Jost said. ?Maybe we circle a few things on there, and maybe look over headlines and sports stories and that sort of thing for the lull times during the game where we might need it.
?Some years we?ve needed to do more of that than others,? he added with a smile
As the play-by-play guy, Jost said he tries to capture the entire game-day experience, not just the action on the field.
?Everything I?see that?s in the stadium is fair game,? he said. ?Who?s sitting in the stands, what the cheerleaders are doing, if they?re selling muffins for some kind of fundraiser?all of that goes into it for me.?
As for the color commentary, Hamm said, ?If it goes quiet (on the air), you know you better come up with something.?
Personal experiences are a good source for material.
?Just being in Hillsboro, you pick up on a few things,? Jost said. ?Having seen all the past (Tabor football) seasons, we can draw on that, and talk about how that game reminds us of this game or that game.?
Some approaches are off limits, though.
?We know the adminstration side of things, so we?re not going to hammer staff because we know what it was like to be staff,? he added.
Also, they try hard to avoid ragging on the officiating.
?That?s what we want to get away from,? Jost said. ?The officiating is never the issue. You have to deal with it, and work around it.?
What both neo-broadcasters really enjoy is interacting with the audience during the games.
?We try to get people to shoot us an e-mail, tell us where they?re listening from, and then we can read it,? Jost said. ?It doesn?t happen a lot, but we love it when it does.?
They agreed that one of their most memorable TC football games as announcers was the year Joel H. Wiens Stadium opened. The facility?s namesake was on hand for the festivities, but it was dreadfully cold and the Bluejays were taking a beating.
?It might have been one of our better days?we were in the groove as far as bouncing off each other,? Jost said.
At one point, they called the stadium VIP room to ask what the refreshment menu was for the day.
?Jules Glanzer (Tabor president) eventually brought us food,? Jost said with a laugh.
?Now, that?s what makes Tabor, Tabor,? he added. ?It?s community, its respecting one another, and being able to laugh at yourself a little bit?and it?s poor football.
?That hasn?t always been the tradition, thankfully,? Jost was quick to add. ?But for any number of us who attended way back when, that was the lineage.?
Added Hamm: ?Hopefully, that?s going to change.?
To watch the live-stream broadcast of the football game between Tabor College and the University of Saint Mary at 7 p.m. Saturday, go to hillsborofreepress.com, find the ?Breaking News? portion of the home page, and click on the appropriate link.
