On The Job

»Traveling with a baseball team and staying up late to watch countless games sounds like a serious fan’s dream, but for Grant McAuley, 29, it’s reality. After four years working as a behind-the-scenes producer for the Atlanta Braves national radio broadcast, McAuley hooked up with Port Charlotte’s brand-new, minor-league franchise. As the broadcaster for the Charlotte Stone Crabs, McAuley makes sure that fans can enjoy the games when they can’t make it to the park.

Why did you go into broadcasting?

It’s just what I’ve always wanted to do. You don’t always have to play the game to be a part of it and I realized that my path was probably not going to be on the athletic track. I have enjoyed the game my whole life and it struck me one day that broadcasting would be a pretty cool job to have.

How did your previous job prepare you for working with the Stone Crabs?

I worked for the Atlanta Braves producing, writing, doing special features and working as a post-game reporter for four years. That basically gave me the opportunity to see how it was done at the major-league level and get close to a lot of guys I looked up to professionally.

Why did you choose the Stone Crabs?

They had an opening and it was a new team, which is always pretty exciting. With a start-up team there is always a little extra buzz. The opportunity to call games and to do what I have always wanted to do was the biggest attraction.

What does your job entail?