Joe Buck, Troy Aikman had occasional cocktails in TV booth to stay relaxed
Joe Buck shared a little secret with Colin Cowherd during a recent appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.”
Cowherd had Buck on for an interview and was complimenting the longtime announcer on the comfortable and relaxing vibe Buck has when broadcasting NFL games with Troy Aikman. Cowherd described it as feeling like Buck and Aikman are just sitting there with a glass of bourbon and talking about the game.
That’s when Buck revealed that he used to have cocktails inside the TV booth on occasions. The drink served as a reminder for Buck to stay relaxed and not lose focus of the vibe.
The secret to a relaxing broadcast? @Buck shares what has worked for him. pic.twitter.com/ODvhkuYZj1
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) February 15, 2021
“I’ll say this. We have had that glass of bourbon in the booth. Although it’s not bourbon, it’s tequila, splash of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice. I went through a couple years where in the first inning of every postseason baseball game, I had the runner go get the biggest beer the stadium sold. And I had it sitting there, and I would sip it from time-to-time to remind myself to relax and have fun. I’m just doing a game,” Buck explained.
He then shared how it evolved to include his broadcast partner on NFL games, Troy Aikman.
“And I brought that over to football, but because Troy is a man of finer tastes, beer somehow became tequila, Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice. We haven’t done it in a long time now, but it was good for a stretch and I feel like it’s a good mental trigger to just chill and remind yourself that you’re not refueling a F-16 in mid-flight. You’re doing a sporting event, and if you treat it like anything other than that, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
Interestingly, Buck says that he developed his chemistry with John Smoltz quicker than he did with Aikman, though he and Aikman have had it for a while.
Don’t get Buck confused for “Brockmire” or anything like that just because he shared this story. Plus, this is nothing compared to say a Harry Caray. But we already knew that while giving a solid call of sports events, Buck also likes to have a little fun.
