I am frequently asked to do interviews with students and aspiring broadcasters, some of which I can accommodate and some of which I cannot.  This week I used part of the off-day to answer questions from a very good student at Pewaukee High School named Mary DeLaat, who will use this as part of a school project.  I am always glad to help students and broadcasters with any insight and advice that I can because I feel I owe it to them after so many people helped me during the early stages of my life and career.  I thought I'd post the results of the Q&A because I know others have the same questions after fielding so many of them over the years.

• When did you first fall in love with the game of baseball?
• JP:  I have loved baseball for as long as I can literally remember.  I could not wait to turn eight years old because that was the first year that I was eligible for Little League.  Unfortunately I suffered a serious broken arm just before my birthday and I had to miss the whole first season.  I’ll never forget how crushed I was when that happened.

• At what point did you know you wanted to become a broadcast journalist?  What or who sparked your interest in the field?
• JP:  I did not aspire to be a broadcast journalist exactly.  I just wanted to call baseball play-by-play.  I read a book by Marv Albert when I was about 11 or 12 which told how he became a sportscaster and gave advice for young people who were interested in the field.  My goal from that point forward was to call Major League Baseball play-by-play.  Personally, I am very disappointed in the state of journalism today and I would likely have gone into some other field if I had failed to achieve my original goal.

• What was the path that you had to take to get to where you are today? (Schooling, internships, previous jobs, etc…)
• JP:  I was blessed with a good brain and always made good grades.  In high school I was in a program called “Talented And Gifted” which allowed kids who were excelling to choose a field in which the TAG program would place them for internships.  I qualified and chose sportscasting, so they placed me at WGST, a major Atlanta news/talk radio station, for an internship.  While there I got a lot of good advice about how to choose a college which would help me go after my goals.  I went to the University of Georgia because of its great Journalism school and its excellent student radio station.  I used my experience on the volunteer student station to get me into commercial radio while I was still in school.  Eventually I was working so much in radio that my schooling became secondary, and ultimately I was offered a fulltime job as a newscaster at the ABC affiliate in Columbia, SC prior to graduation.  I took that job and eventually migrated to the top radio station in Columbia as a sportscaster and play-by-play announcer.  From there it was a matter of working my way up the ladder, which I successfully did.

• On average, how much time do you spend preparing for a broadcast?
• JP:  That is hard to answer.  I am watching, listening, reading, and talking about baseball all the time, all of which helps me in the broadcast.  When I get to October I take some time where I try not to think about the game at all because it gets a bit all-consuming during the season.  With the internet as a resource now, you can read about baseball all day long and still not get to everything available.  It is both a blessing and a curse of sorts.  I also have the MLB package on Time-Warner cable so when I am at home I can watch any game I want.  I am going to add a Sling box soon so I can take advantage of that while I’m traveling also.

• What would you consider the most difficult/taxing part of being a broadcaster?
• JP:  Without question it is the travel.  I strongly dislike having to be away from my family so much.  It makes me wonder often if it is truly worth it.  Because of how much I miss with my family from March through September, I have declined broadcasting opportunities in the off-season.  No job would be worth missing out on raising my daughters and seeing them grow up.

• What is your favorite aspect of being a radio broadcaster for a major league baseball team?
• JP:  I love calling the games for a single team because you can really get to know the fans and the team and you don’t have to apologize for wanting your team to do well.  Network broadcasters have to call it right down the middle so they have no vested interest in the outcome of the games.  That is boring to me.  I really enjoy living and dying with the team right along with the fans and the team itself.

• How is doing a radio broadcast different from a television broadcast?  Did you ever consider doing television instead of radio or if the opportunity presented itself, would you consider switching to television?
• JP:  Radio is like doing a painting on a canvas, while on TV the painting is there for all to see already so you simply comment on different aspects of it.  Radio is definitely more fun as virtually all broadcasters would tell you.  TV is easier, especially for a play-by-play man, and is also more lucrative for the most part.  I have done some TV and liked it because it was a nice change of pace. The ideal job would have a mix of both, I think.   I hope I never have to give up radio entirely.

• One of the features of your pregame and postgame shows includes interviews with many of the Brewers and various other baseball personnel that pass through Miller Park.  Who is your favorite person to interview (your go-to guy if you will) and/or what is the favorite and/or most memorable interview that you’ve conducted throughout your entire career?
• JP:  There is nobody I am more in awe of than Hank Aaron when I am privileged enough to get to interview him.  He is the top statesman in the sport, in my opinion.  The fact that I am able to interview the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig, fairly regularly is also very enjoyable.  He never puts any question off-limits.  Other interviews which stand out to me include Warren Spahn, Greg Maddux, Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan, Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully, Jack Buck, Bob Costas, and Marty Brennaman.  There have been many more too…there is no way to list all the great interview subjects with whom I have been fortunate enough to speak.

• With Mr. Uecker as your broadcasting partner, what would you say is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from working with him?
• JP:  This one is easy:  To remember that it is just a game and not to take the game or myself too seriously.  That is a tough lesson for young broadcasters to learn when they are trying to impress people and make a name for themselves.  Bob makes sure that he has fun everyday, and the byproduct of that is a loose, enjoyable broadcast that keeps the game in its proper perspective.  There is no doubt that I am a much different broadcaster because of the experience of working with Ueck.

• Who is your all-time favorite broadcaster and why?  How have they influenced the way you go about your job?
• JP:  I don’t know that there is just one.  Skip Caray was my childhood inspiration.  I grew up listening to Skip, Ernie Johnson, and Pete Van Wieren on Braves’ games and to Skip on Atlanta Hawks’ games.  I love Larry Munson (University of Georgia) and he has been a strong influence on my approach to broadcasting.  Bob Costas is the best sportscaster alive, in my opinion.  Jim Nantz is also someone I admire.  I’ve never been able to meet him but hope to someday.  Howard Cosell is someone I liked a lot and studied.  All of those I listed in the interview subjects’ answer are people I admire.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention John Gordon of the Minnesota Twins.  He was my first big league partner and I will never forget his kindness and his passion for the game and for his profession.