Listening to the radio broadcast of the game between the Bangor Blue Ox and Rhode Island Tiger Sharks in Rhode Island Tuesday night on WGUY (102.1 FM) brought to mind two things:

An announcer who doesn’t shout all the time or try to make plays more exciting than they really are by talking loudly is pleasing to the ear, and the the beauty of the two-announcer system isn’t fully appreciated uthe beauty of the two-announcer system isn’t fully appreciated until a listener has to go without it.

Blue Ox announcer Sean Bigham did a fine job keeping listeners abreast of game developments without bogging them down with too much peripheral information.

It may be because he is a one-man show that listeners aren’t assaulted with too much trivia or statistical info. He simply doesn’t have time to provide it.

While that might be an advantage, the one-man system also comes with its disadvantages, foremost among them the loss of interplay and variety that come with a two-announcer broadcast.

It’s too bad Bigham doesn’t have a broadcast partner because radio duos offer a livelier broadcast.

Besides offering a change of pace from hearing the same voice all the time, having one person do play-by-play and another do color provides an opportunity for the two to debate the best course of action before and after a play occurs.

For instance, with a fast runner at first and another at third with one out, do you have the guy at first steal? Do you try a delayed steal? Suicide squeeze?

Dialogue like that dissects the game even more and gives the listener a chance to check out the game within the game.

That may be why so many Boston Red Sox fans enjoy listening to Sean McDonough. McDonough debates the merits of plays and isn’t afraid to disagree with his broadcast partner – making for interesting conversations.

One minor criticism is that most of the pitches aren’t identified. Although they’re sometimes described as high, low, inside, or outside, the type of pitch is rarely identified: such as a fastball, curve, or changeup.

On the plus side, Bigham has a nice, even delivery and becomes animated only when the action on the field warrants it.

He provides a lot of current statistical information in the pre-game show, reviews the previous day’s action, league standings, and other information – bringing listeners up to speed before and during the game.

Other highlights and lowlights:

“Oops” award (No. 1) – While Bigham was going through R.I.’s starting lineup, listeners could hear someone pick up a phone and start punching numbers in while Bigham’s voice seemed to fade.

Best criticism – “I think what is happening here is the Bangor batters are getting the home run eye,” said Bigham. “They’re seeing those short porches in left and right field and they’re getting out of their game plan, which is base hits and putting runners on base.”

“Oops” award (No. 2) – A commercial started playing with one out in the bottom of the first as Bigham was providing play-by-play. The same thing happened again, one out later. Also, the station I.D. cut in on Bigham in the top of the seventh.

Television viewers in Penobscot County watching Monday’s Northeast League game between the Blue Ox and Newburgh Night Hawks missed the last 80 minutes of the game as Bangor’s WLBZ-TV (Channel 2) went off the air.

“We came back on around 11:35 p.m.,” said general manager Judy Horan. “We had audio problems, on and off, throughought the night, but we lost the picture and sound around 9:50 p.m.”

According to chief engineer Jim Chadwick, the problem resulted from a tube socket flashing over at the station’s transmitter on Rider Bluff in Holden.

“We were so tickled with the way everything was going, so it was disappointing to have the transmitter go,” said Horan. “But we didn’t lose the feed to Calais and Aroostook County. It’s a closed feed, and we get the signal there by microwave broadcast.”