Owens announcer revels in making all the right calls

Brian Brown checks his notes while calling a basketball game for the Owens Community College Express. 'I have a passion for this,' the retired teacher said.

There is one right way to pronounce Demi Moschetti's last name, and a hundred ways to butcher it. But each time the freshman center for Owens Community College's nationally ranked women's basketball team takes the floor, her name gently caroms off the walls of the Student Health and Activities Center, articulated to perfection in a smooth and seemingly effortless baritone.

"That's the most critical part of my job," says Owens public address announcer Brian Brown, who carries a common tag that needs no accompanying pronunciation guide. "There is nothing more personal than an individual's name - it has to be right every single time."

Brown, a retired elementary school teacher who handles all of the announcing for both the men's and women's teams at Owens, pored over extensive notes and detailed pronunciation guides before a recent double-header at the Owens Student Health and Activities Center, all while entertaining the crowd with some of the 2,300 songs stored on his laptop.

"I have a passion for this that tells me you can never be overprepared," Brown said. "You have to keep the fans informed and aware, while incorporating the entertainment element at the proper times. I take great pride in doing that, and in always playing it right down the middle."

Owens Athletic Director Michael Rickard said Brown's performance includes much more than the natural gift of owning an ideal announcer's voice.

"People comment on how his voice is perfect for the job, but besides that, Brian goes well beyond what anyone has ever done here before, and that's a credit to him," Rickard said.

He has done volleyball, baseball, softball, and basketball announcing for Anthony Wayne High School, and works a number of major baseball tournaments in the area, including those at Carter Park in Bowling Green.

"Brian is the most prepared, organized, thorough, and most professional announcer, and he is a great addition to all of our events at Carter Park," said Tim Dunn, who has directed Bowling Green's junior baseball program for nearly three decades.

"The event and the athletes are always the stars of the show here, and I am there just as part of the background," Brown said. "If I can add a little to make the fans' experience more enjoyable, then I have done my job."

Contact Matt Markey at:

mmarkey@theblade.com

or 419-724-6510.