Blowing our own horns.

Alex Salachi, left, joins me at the broadcast table.

As I type this, I’m watching the Mansfield vs. Needham boys’ basketball game on Mansfield Cable Access’ local channel, Channel 9 in Mansfield (on Comcast; Channel 28 on Verizon), and about an hour ago, I watched the tournament game between Mansfield and Attleboro. At the risk of blowing my own horn, I have to say that I’m damned proud of both of those telecasts.

I’ve been blessed to become the play-by-play announcer or analyst for three local schools’ basketball broadcasts this year (Mansfield, Foxboro, King Philip), and as this is the second year I’ve been doing it, I have improved some — although I still make dumb mistakes, like when I announced in the Attleboro game, “the score is tied, 55-52!” (I was reading the clock at 5:52 and just mixed things up in my mouth), or when I said “...the Norwood Rockets” on the first Needham possession of that game. But I am working at it.

What makes our telecasts watchable is the hard work and expertise of my analysts.

Tom Faria, who works most of the Mansfield games with me, has a coaching background and a deep and abiding love of all things Hornets, and that comes out in the genuine reactions he has to the pivotal moments of the games. Alex Salachi is not only a former Hornet basketball star and a long-time varsity coach at Xaverian Brothers High in Westwood, but also a trusted friend, and I count on his expertise when we’re working KP or Mansfield games. I’ve also called games with Kathy Hill, who as Kathy Finn scored nearly 2,000 career points for Providence College. So she not only knows the game tons better than I do, but she’s also the mother of some really good basketball players (Kate at Bishop Feehan and Jeff, Brendan, Meg and Christopher at Mansfield), so how can I not defer to her knowledge of team-building?

And in Foxboro, I’m happy to occupy the analyst’s role next to Mark Davis. He’s the father of Warriors’ guard Lizzy Davis, but he does a great job of being as impartial as possible when he’s doing the play-by-play call and it’s really easy to work with him. And if you can’t be a little bit of a “homer” for local cable, what’s the point?

If you live in any of these towns, please watch the games. It’s for the kids, after all. I can guarantee that everyone that works these games, including the camera crews, loves having an involvement with high school sports and is very happy to be providing coverage of the games for you.