“This tournament doesn’t have to have a PA announcer. It would be a success without me. What I bring to this tournament is an authentic baseball experience for these young men,” added Denmon in a tone so deep, so rich, that the hearer can only imagine those words originated from somewhere around his navel and moved upwards bursting out of his mouth, and punctuating the airwaves with a resonance indescribable.
Over the years fans of the MVP Baseball Classic have been informed, empowered and entertained by the rich baritone voice of Marque Denmon. He volunteers as the Public Address announcer.
Greg “Goody” Goodwin and his team of volunteers have developed a top-notch baseball classic for African American baseball players as evidenced by a large number of professional scouts and college coaches who annually attend this July classic.
For Denmon and the other volunteers, it is all about giving back to young people and providing them with an atmosphere that encourages their growth and development.
“See that young man right there,” Denmon said, pointing to the Atlanta lead-off batter in the sixth inning of the championship game his team was losing by two runs.
“He didn’t step into the box until his name was announced. He wanted to hear his name,” Demon pointed out.
The 17-year-old Atlanta batter seemingly inspired after hearing his name over the public address system promptly stepped into the batter’s box and stroked a single into the gap in right-center.
“I’m sure that made him feel like he was at SunTrust Field,” Denmon said.
Denmon grew up in Texas and like many other red-blooded American boys envisioned a career in the game of baseball down on the field. When those opportunities dried up, Denmon secured work for a Dallas radio station writing commercials and often doing the voice-over for those commercials.
Later he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and hired a professional voice-over expert to teach him the ropes. He not only learned the business but was introduced to an agent who immediately booked Denmon with corporate clients seeking to sell their wares over the airwaves.
He has done voice-over work for Home Depot and is one of the public address announcers for the Harlem Globe Trotters, which keeps him trotting the world informing, empowering and entertaining audiences.
In addition to his volunteer work as the public address announcer for the MVP Baseball Classic, Denmon is the public address announcer for the South West Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball Tournament.
“I enjoy my work, but I am not beyond turning down a job in July so I can be here inspiring these young men to perform their best before the pro scouts and college recruiters, Denmon said.
Down on the field, Manny Upton managed to avoid being tossed from the game as his Tidewater Virginia team defeated the host Atlanta club 5-3 to win the 2019 MVP Classic.
Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist. Harvey is a Past President of the Gate City Bar Association. He is the recipient of Gate City’s R. E. Thomas Civil Rights Award, which he received because of his pro bono representation of students arrested during Freaknik celebrations in the mid to late 1990s. He is a Contributor at The Hill, SCLC National Magazine, Southern Changes Magazine, Medium, and Black College Nines. Contact him at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com.