Sports
Q&A: IronBirds' New Voice Tim Murray
The Aberdeen IronBirds open the 2012 season Monday, and play the home opener Wednesday at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.
You'll hear a new voice when tuning into the this season.
Broadcaster Tim Murray is joining the team with plenty of love for the game, excitement for the season and experience to fall back upon.
In a sense, Murray's career started before the IronBirds were even born.
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"I don't really know. It's funny, my parents always tell the story that I never watched cartoons, I never watched Sesame Street, I just always wanted to watch ESPN or SportsCenter," Murray said. "For however long I've grown up, I've always wanted to be not necessarily a baseball broadcaster but something in sports and it just kinda rolled from there."
Murray attended Muhlenberg college in Allentown, PA, where he studied media relations and he started off broadcasting for the school's football games. That opened doors for years to come—starting with a collegiate baseball summer league in Washington, D.C. with the Bethesda Big Train, and then two years as the broadcast and media relations assistant for the Frederick Keys.
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"Things started rolling from there and to be honest, Minor League Baseball, for a younger, aspiring broadcaster, is a good avenue to get started," he said. "You get a lot more opportunities at a younger age that you might not get with football or basketball because they do not have those minor league teams where you can blossom."
Along with working for the Keys, Murray kept busy by working with ESPN Dadio in D.C. and also produced radio broadcasts for the Washington Capitals during the offseason.
"I've been fortunate enough to get a lot of opportunities and I'm the type of person I never want a day off, I just always want to work," Murray said.
Murray lit up when talking about having the honor of being the IronBirds broadcaster.
"My first year of it being the IronBirds 10th year is special for me and it being tied in with Cal Ripken and the Ripken family, well, it doesn't get any better than that," he said.
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Murray hopes to use the season-opening two-game road trip to ease his nerves and learn the "lay of the land" by the time the IronBirds take on the Hudson Valley Renegades for their Wednesday home opener at .
"I am very excited for team opener. It's a very special time with it being the IronBirds 10th season. It doesn't get much better than that and having 6,600 plus fans in the stadium will be electric," Murray said. "Nothing beats opening day, especially in June when kids are out of school and people are able to attend. The crowd will be phenomenal."
TELL US: Will you be tuned in Monday night for the IronBirds' season opener? Leave a comment.