From barely talking to Bear Talking

Rising sophomore David Straub, assistant director of sports, in the KALX studio sitting at the microphone  by Chelsea Siegal
Rising sophomore David Straub, assistant director of sports, in the KALX studio shows off the studio where he works. 
Photo by Chelsea Siegal

BERKELEY, Calif. — The University of California, Berkeley is widely known for many things: amazing academic programs, a picturesque campus and award-winning sports.

Situated in the basement of a building in the middle of the campus is a place that may not be as well-known: KALX, 90.7 FM, the campus’ broadcasting radio station.

The radio station provides students and Berkeley locals with up-to-date information regarding Golden Bears football, basketball and baseball teams through its sports talk-show, Bear Talk.

David Straub, the assistant director of sports, is a sophomore economics major who discovered that the radio programs allowed him to pursue a new passion: sports radio broadcasting. As Straub said, “It’s never too late to get into something like sports broadcasting… as long as you have a passion for it.”

Straub started listening to KALX soon after arriving on campus. He went to a recruiting session to learn more about volunteer opportunities and discovered that those on air for music program were far more knowledgeable than he was.

But when Sports Editor Glenn Borok talked sports opportunities, including a chance to travel with the Cal teams, Straub was hooked. “I like sports. I like seeing sports. I like new places. So that’s all it really took for me to be on board,” Straub said.

Straub was a big hockey fan but not involved in sports in high school and admitted that he sometimes “would root for the wrong team by accident.”

During his first appearance on Bear Talk in the fall of 2014, when the station offered for others to go on during an “open mic” night, Straub gave it shot, but said he felt awkward and uncomfortable being in a room full of sports aficionados making references to three decades of Bay Area sports — which he couldn’t keep up with. “I said two words in the entire half-hour,” he said.

After the broadcast ended, he was sure his radio career was over. Much to his surprise, though, the station called him back the next week and asked if he return for another show. Straub quickly brushed up on Golden Bears athletics.

Straub said that the Sports Department consists of 10-15 students but many members of the community also help on- and off-air, including other Cal alums. During the program, he works with an engineer, a play-by-play reporter, a spotter who assists the reporter, a color commentator and a rotating host. He recently asked to take over hosting and was given the slot. He said he wants to “build on my ability to create story lines.”

A panel of contributors consisting of current students, Cal alumni, Berkeley City College students, and other Berkeley residents participate in the sports programs.

Straub said, “People want a simplified package”  and want one of his strengths is “being able to understand patterns.”

He added listeners “want to be able to hear from people who can tie it together with a pretty bow.”

Column: A’s fall in tough home loss to Astros

OAKLAND, Calif.- Due to late defensive mistakes, the Houston Astros handed the Oakland Athletics their whopping 62nd loss of the season, bringing them 14 games under .500 and keeping them dead last in the AL West, 5 games behind the Mariners.

Oakland Athletics starting shortstop Marcus Semien in an interview with Teen Observer journalists
Oakland Athletics starting shortstop Marcus Semien in an interview with Teen Observer journalists

In pre-game interviews, Marcus Semien, Oakland’s inconsistent, yet talented No. 1 shortstop, told the Teen Observer staff that his team was looking to “defend their home turf” and “make some necessary adjustments” following a rough series against the Orioles. At first, it seemed as if the A’s would do just that, coming back from being down by one in the first inning with two solo home runs in the second and fifth. Though Oakland’s defense was shaky against the top team in their division, they kept the Astros at bay for a good portion of the game.

Things got interesting around the top of the eighth inning, when hits by Carlos Correa and Colby Rasmus of Houston put the Astros up 4-2.

The painful part about the latest of many losses for the A’s was that the late rally by their opponents was countered by a last-minute comeback at the bottom of the ninth, with Stephen Vogt and Brett Lawrie both making their way around the bases to tie the ballgame. To shake things up even further, the Lawrie run was a result of a single by Bobby Burns who reached the plate a split second before the Astros’ first baseman caught the ball. The call on the field that Burns was safe stood after a brief review by the MLB and several minutes of nail biting for A’s fans in the stands. After eight innings of stagnant baseball, the mellow crowd at O.co Coliseum had a game to watch.

The excitement, however, was short-lived, as Houston’s Jed Lowrie smashed a 93 MPH fastball into left field, buying just enough time for Jose Altuve on second base to score for the win in the 10th inning.

The outcome of this contest is a prime example of why the A’s have had such a disappointing season thus far. On paper, Oakland has some excellent, young pitchers and a strong core of consistent batters, but their lack of cohesion on defense yields amateur mistakes that override any offensive success they may be capable of.

Though many argue that the A’s deserve to be higher in the standings, there is simply no excuse for the rookie mistakes that they make on the field. There are miscommunications that happen in the Athletics’ outfield on a regular basis that have no place in major league baseball. At this point in the schedule, Oakland needs to focus on patching up the basic holes in their game in preparation for next season.

Though Dog Day at O.co Coliseum is over, the dog days for the A’s are certainly not over.