Column: Aaron Worm, Behind the Mic

Growing up I always knew what I wanted to be at early age. I wanted to do sports on the radio.

My mom still has a cassette somewhere of when I was 8 or 9 years old doing play-by-play for the town team my dad played for in Young America. I would sit in the stands with my tape recorder and call the game.

Baseball, to me, has always been the sport made for radio. You can have a game on in the background and hear the crack of the bat, the umpire calling balls and strikes and the cheers or jeers of the fans. Back in January 2001, the Minnesota Twins caravan came to visit Austin, and I had just started as sports director at KAUS.

I was a nervous wreck. Kirby Puckett, Jacque Jones, Latroy Hawkins and Doug Mientkiewicz were all going to be in studio with me. The interview went and was OK. The guys gave me a hard time for not pronouncing Jacque Jones’ name correctly. Instead of prouncing it “Jock,” I kept calling him the French sounding “Jacque” just like it’s spelled.

Also that day was the first time I got to meet John Gordon. Gordo was second interview that day, and as exciting as it was to meet Kirby and the other guys, meeting Gordo was something special.

Gordon is one of the many broadcasters I grew up listening to. A broadcaster who worked his way up to the big leagues through the Yankees organization and in 1987 become a part of the broadcast team for the Minnesota Twins, Gordo will be wrapping his 25th year broadcasting career with the Twins on Wednesday at Target Field against Kansas City. His Twins career started with a bang and World Series title and will end with a team that could lose 100 games. He is retiring as one of the most respectable broadcasters in the game. Gordo is a guy that never forgets a name. He could meet you for 10 seconds and two years later will still remember your name and where he saw you.

Gordon has been in Albert Lea numerous times for the Twins caravan and has always taken the time to talk to as many Twins fan as possible whether if it was a gathering at Thorne Crest or out at the Skyline Plaza.

Gordon says one of his top mentors when it comes to broadcasting was the longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers, the late Ernie Harwell. Gordo has become a mentor for numerous broadcasters around the state including me. During that interview back in 2001, I will never forget the comment he made. He told me it was good that every minute or two I could repeat his name to let the listeners know who I was talking to — some basic advice that has stuck with me to this day.

Who will take over next year in the box that decision is still in the air. But I know I will be listening to these final games this week as the man who brought us “Touch ’em all.”

KATE Sports Director Aaron Worm’s column appears each Monday in the Tribune. He can be heard from 6 to 11 a.m. weekdays on The Breeze.