Brayton Comes Right At You Coach-Turned-Broadcaster Calls Them Like Only He Can See Them

All John Ernst was trying to do was make idle conversation with his radio-booth colleague during a recent lull in the action at Bailey Field.

“We’ve got a nice crowd here today,” noted Ernst, who is in his third season of handling playby-play duties on Washington State baseball broadcasts. “And if it warms up a little, it should be even better tomorrow. We might even see a few fans out here in bathing suits.”

It was an innocent statement that probably needed no additional comment.

But Ernst is sharing his radio booth this spring with a 69-year-old rookie color commentator who seems to come up with an additional comment or two about any statement, innocent or otherwise.

So Charles “Bobo” Brayton, who has embarked on a second “career” after 33 years of coaching Cougar baseball, went ahead and set up a comment by asking Ernst exactly what kind of people he was hoping to see in bathing suits.

“Girls, of course,” Ernst replied.

“Good,” Brayton said. “Otherwise I was headin’ for the next booth.”

Obviously, it wasn’t tact that endeared Brayton to WSU baseball fans throughout a storied coaching career that spanned four decades and produced 1,162 Cougar victories.

It was his sometimes crude sense of humor and his honest, open and straight-forward approach to dealing with people - the same traits that Brayton has brought with him to the radio booth and used to delight listeners while creating some uneasy moments for Ernst and the programming engineer back at KQQQ, the radio station that produces and carries the broadcasts.

There was the time, for instance, when an opposing pitcher faked a pickoff move to third base and then wheeled around to see if the runner at first had started for second.

“We used to call that the ‘Bastard Play’ years ago,” Brayton said.

“That one caused me to wince a little bit,” Ernst admitted. “It’s OK to say bastard on the air, I guess. They do it on TV all the time.”

But what really bothered Ernst was that he was dying to know how the play got its name and was afraid to ask on the air.

“I decided to let it rest right there,” he explained.

During a game at Portland, Ernst got a call in the booth from his engineer, who said that one of Brayton’s neighbors had called the station to inform Brayton that the mules he raises were loose.

Brayton immediately passed the news about his dilemma on to his listening public and then had the engineer call a friend back home and ask him to round up the mules.

“So the next day we had to have a mule update,” Ernst recalled. “Bobo came on the radio and told everybody, ‘Yep, the mules are just fine, they’re all back home.”’

Ernst said he wouldn’t trade his new sidekick for any in the business.

“Working with Bobo has been great,” he said. “He adds so much to a broadcast, including listeners, just because everybody loves the guy.

“I mean, what’s not to love? Everybody loves Bobo because he’s such an honest and straight-forward guy.”

He also knows a little bit about the game, and Ernst doesn’t hesitate to tap that knowledge.

“Obviously, his expertise is second to none,” Ernst explained. “He’s forgotten more baseball than most coaches will ever know.”

Brayton, who seems surprisingly at ease wearing headphones over his head instead of his trademark batting helmet, sees the job as a way to “stay close to Cougar baseball without having my stomach turn over every time they lose.”

Brayton said the toughest thing he has had to learn about life in the radio booth is when to talk and when to shut up.

“And it usually isn’t the baseball game that dictates it, it’s technical things like station breaks and commercials,” he said. “And I, not being use to that stuff, have to saw some things off sometimes.”

Ernst said there were some timing problems early in the year that resulted in Brayton talking over his play-by-play comments.

Dick Fry, a former sports information director at WSU, listened to one of Brayton’s early efforts and said, “Bobo has redefined the term simulcast. Now it means two guys trying to talk at the same time.”

The chemistry between the two has improved steadily, however.

The two room together on road trips and Ernst recalls the first night he spent with Brayton.

“His wife was a little worried because Bobo snores and she didn’t know if I was going to be able to sleep,” Ernst said.

It turned out the the snoring was as bad as Ernst had expected. When he told Brayton about his concern the next morning, he got his reply.

“You should have just told me you were going to give me a good-night kiss like my wife does. Then I’d have stayed awake all night worrying.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: BOBO-ISMS John Ernst’s favorite phrases by Bobo Brayton, what they are, followed by what they mean: “That pitch was eye-high to a giraffe.” … The umpire should never have called it a strike. “He rammycacked that one.” … He hit the ball hard. “Zagville.” … Pecarovich Field. “You can hitch your plow to him.” … The guy’s big. “Home run in a Coke bottle.” … A high, infield fly. “He’s no Molly Putz.” … He’s no easy out. “Unbuttoned his shirt.” … Took a big swing. “He sawed ‘em off.” … Anything Bobo wants it to mean.