Meet the New York Mets radio engineer who hasn't missed a game in over 30 years

As the New York Mets continue their magical, improbable season and fight for a spot in the World Series, a Fordham graduate will play a key role in bringing the team's games to the masses.

Chris Majkowski creates and produces the Mets' radio broadcasts on WFAN. He got that job in 1993, four years after graduating from Fordham, where he was athletic director at WFUV. And he hasn't missed a day of work for the Mets since his sister's wedding the year he started.

What does your average Mets game day look like?
If it's a night game, I get to the ballpark around 3 p.m., about four hours before first pitch, and just set up the booth – do all the wiring, check all the connections, check the studio.

And then it's, “Okay, what are we doing on the pregame show today?” Then there are other segments during the game: “This Date in Mets History” and “The Electrifying Game Play.” The audio needs to be edited for this and I will be doing research for “This Date.”

Then the broadcasters and I go over the day's news and notes, not just for our game but for the rest of the league. We make sure we go through the trading protocol. And then I get something to eat and it's time to play ball.

And then what do you do during the game?
If something comes up during the game, like (play-by-play announcer) Howie Rose saying, “Hey, I remember back then…” or whatever, I'll investigate. And all the time I'm also mixing the show. If something happens and the announcers are screaming and the crowd is loud, you have to compensate for that.

I also post to the Mets Radio Booth because then the fans will tell you that you've screwed everything up if it doesn't happen.

Next year you may play your 5,000th game in a row. Are you tired of hearing or thinking about this flick?
The funny thing is, I was recently working on an event for Bloomberg Radio and Cal Ripken Jr., who of course has a winning streak of 2,632 consecutive games, was there as a guest. I'm not one of those guys that ever asks for a picture or anything like that, (but) I wish I had because I think that would have been pretty nice.

In August I played my 5,000th game. The 5,000th consecutive game will take place sometime next year. Well, 5,000 is a nice round number, so maybe I'll take the next day off.

Do you have any favorite road cities or stadiums?
San Francisco, Chicago, San Diego for the city. Boston too. This isn't an annual stop, but Fenway is great and Boston as a city is great. In June we had a couple of games against the Phillies in London and in 2000 we traveled to Tokyo.

Maybe I'll start cutting back so I can travel to London again, or maybe Tokyo where I have no responsibilities and can just be a tourist.

Was there a moment when you realized this year's team could have something special?
You might look back and say, “That was the moment,” but that’s just a look back. At the beginning of the season we thought, “Oh, this is one of those years,” and then everything got out of hand. And then all of a sudden we're flying to California for a League Championship Series and hopefully beyond. So yes, it was remarkable.

We've had a few years – 2015, now this year – where there were moments where the stadium became more of a home. This is our place now. It's not just another stadium, not just another stand, but this is a home.

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How did you decide to go to Fordham and get involved with WFUV?
There was an English teacher at Herricks High School (on Long Island) who was a Fordham graduate, and he always tried to send one or two of us to Fordham a year. Around the same time I had started listening One on oneFUV's weekend sports call-in show. Through Mr. Desmond at Herricks High School and the subsequent FUV hearing, I was introduced to Fordham, applied and was accepted.

When I arrived at Fordham I thought I would devote more time to writing, but I never made it to the newspaper. A few friends and I were all commuter students and instead of hanging out in the commuter lounge, we hung out in the hallway at FUV.

I started doing a few things on air. When senior year was over, I was the athletic director. We did play-by-play for football and basketball and even some baseball. There's a group of us from the radio station that we're still close with and we get the whole gang together when we can.

And you still do public address work at Fordham?
Yes. I was still in school and started doing public address at some women's basketball games. I have done that until today. Joe DiBari and the people in the athletic department are very accommodating. They'll say, “Hey man, whenever your schedule allows, we'd like to invite you over so you can still play the game.”

So I still do a few soccer games a year and about 20 men's and women's basketball games a year. In a way it's like I never left because I'm still up there all the time. Once Fordham gets into your blood, it's hard to get it out.

The interview was conducted, condensed and edited by Adam Kaufman, FCLC '08.