My House

Today I want to talk about two of my favorite pastimes- "The A-Team" and putting jabronies in their place.  And when the two intersect, well that's just awesome.  I love it when a plan comes together.

I was working as the public address announcer for the Kannapolis Intimidators in the summer of 2009.  That was a cool side gig- decent bucks, close to home and we had non-stop fun in the press box.

One of the between inning contests that season was the "Time Warner Cable Name That TV Theme Song" promotion.  We'd pick a TV theme, blare it throughout the stadium and fans would run to the info booth and turn in their answers.  We'd pick a winner from the right answers.  Pretty simple.

Someone loaded "The A-Team" theme into the computer, so of course I have music man/press box sidekick Drake play it immediately.  We look into the next booth and see the team's play-by-play announcer, a likeable if somewhat aloof lad, giving us a thumbs down and sticking his finger down his throat.  Bad move.

The announcer even came into our booth and requested "The A-Team" theme be stricken from the playlist.  I obliged by asking Drake to play it during EVERY contest until further notice.

So we did.  The contest basically became the "Name the A-Team Theme" every night.  We probably played it 15 straight games.  Fans would rush to turn in their answers before the contest started.  We would see team officials chuckling on the concourse.  But best of all, it genuinely annoyed the announcer.  And that was most excellent.

But one night, we arrived at the press box to find the announcer sitting smugly in our booth.  Junior informed us that he deleted the "A-Team" theme from the computer and that "I win!"  He proudly put his feet up on the console and leaned back in the chair, taking in his apparent victory.

However, much like the villains in many an episode of  "The A-Team", Corky made one mistake.  He left us  time to think. 

I asked Drake to go online and google "A-Team lyrics".  Within seconds, we had the rundown of the narration that introduced each episode of Hannibal and crew.  Drake got me a copy, and we waited.

So the time came for the contest, and Little Bob Costas looked over with glee as he wondered what we could come up with as a replacement.  He even patted himself on the back in a display of arrogance, another common trait of nefarious delinquents.

I shrugged my head, looked defeated and started the contest.  This time, I announced, report to the info booth if you could identfiy the TV show by these lyrics:

"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. They promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team"

I then turned to the announcer's booth and smiled.  He then stood up and bowed down to admit defeat.  During the break, I (probably somewhat loudly) proclaimed that the press box was "My House!" and I always win.

In the end, he provided with me a perfect way to end the "A-Team" celebration.  The gag had run its course, and it was time to pull the plug.  But the announcer set me up with the chance to deliver one final knockout.  Perfect.  Almost as if I planned it.