The 24-year-old Queens, N.Y., native sat at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, braving the near-100-degree heat, during the Delmarva Shorebirds' recent game against the Hickory Crawdads.

With his red pen in hand as he examined his scorebook, Lasky nervously dangled the tennis shoe off of his right foot while waiting for the next pitch.

"Two-2 count. ... Here it comes," Lasky said. "Swing and miss. He struck him out!"
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His words are the ones that Shorebirds fans hang on to as they follow the fate of the team through the six-month season. Lasky is in his second year with the team as their radio announcer and director of the media relations. Last year, he shared the play-by-play duties, doing road games.

Prior to coming to Salisbury, Lasky attended the University of Maryland, where he did color commentary for the women's basketball games for WMUC, the student-run radio station. Later, he served as the announcer for the Fayetteville (N.C.) SwampDogs.

With the Shorebirds, he does more than play-by-play; he is the team's director of graphic design, putting together the "Play Ball" magazines, the team's pocket schedule, and he is also in charge of the team's website.

Shorebirds general manager Chris Bitters said Lasky's ability to keep the fans updated daily is an essential thing in minor league baseball.

"I think it's important amongst our core fans," Bitters said. "We have a huge group of core fans, and Bret does a good job of keeping them informed about moves and transactions and the tidbits about players and team history."

Patrick Kelly, whose son Ty plays for the Shorebirds, said Lasky's ability to paint a picture of the game would satisfy even the finickiest of fans.

"I'm probably an announcer's worst nightmare, because I demand details," Kelly said. "Some announcers don't give you detail. As a casual fan, it doesn't bother you. But as a parent or a diehard baseball fan, you want more."

Lasky said that when it comes to calling the game, providing information, as well as an accurate description, is the key.

"I understand who my audience is," he said. "I know that there's people listening and e-mails are coming in, especially the parents. So I just focus on describing the action and getting it right."