A’s Plus Podcast Interview (Starts at 9:55 of episode)
Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, February 27, 2020
Susan has been a top-notch baseball writer for three decades, and I’ve always respected and admired her immensely. When she asked me to chat on her podcast during A’s Spring Training in 2020, I was nerdishly excited. This was recorded just two weeks before Covid-19 suddenly shut everything down, and it’s surreal to go back and listen to it now…we had no clue what was on the horizon, and how much our world was about to change.
“Play-by-Playcast Episode 138: Donny Baarns”
Joel Godett, February 8, 2019
Joel’s podcast is always excellent, and it was an honor to be a guest. We discussed calling my first Major League game in Oakland, how I learned to broadcast games after hardly doing it in college, and the random knowledge that I sometimes pick up while doing voiceover work.
Andrew Bucholz, Awful Announcing, September 4, 2018
"Now Announcing for the Oakland A's, Donny Baarns"
Kurt Streeter, The New York Times, September 3, 2018
"The Allegory of the Baseball Broadcast Booth"
Kurt Streeter, The New York Times, June 8, 2018
"Say The Damn Score Podcast Episode #48: Donny Baarns"
Logan Anderson, September 28, 2017
A fun conversation on Logan's broadcasting podcast. We talked about starting in Alaska, how I knew nothing about play-by-play when I got my first gig, how I broke into professional baseball, and a minor league road trip from hell.
"Baarns Moving Up to Triple-A Omaha"
STAATalent.com, March 31, 2016
Benjamin Hill, MiLB.com, August 13, 2013
A fun picture-tour of Recreation Park, with visuals of the historical displays that I compiled and spearheaded around the facility. I'm proud of the way we turned an old ballpark into a walking museum and a character-filled tribute to seven decades of Visalia baseball history.
"Rawhide Embrace 'Curse of the Alligator'"
Benjamin Hill, MiLB.com, August 9, 2013
This is the story of how we invented a curse that was supposedly placed on our team in Visalia. We figured that if we weren't going to win championships, we might as well make up a cool backstory about it and generate publicity. After all, you can't control whether your minor league team wins, but you CAN have fun with it.
"2012 Broadcaster of the Year: Donny Baarns"
Kevin Reichard, BallparkDigest.com, September 4, 2012
Being named Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Ballpark Digest was an amazing moment in my early career. For a kid who had almost no training, experience, or knowledge about the industry coming out of college, winning an award like this just four years later was a surreal thing.
"History Crucial as Teams Look to Future"
Benjamin Hill, MiLB.com, December 16, 2011
A write-up of my presentation at the Bob Freitas Business Seminar at the Baseball Winter Meetings in 2011. I'm adamant that history is more than just a warm, fuzzy concept; it's a way to enhance a team's brand, and a way to connect and emotionally engage community members with a ballclub. I talked about how we did that in Visalia to help resurrect a nearly dormant franchise, by uncovering and celebrating the ways in which baseball was intertwined with the town's past, as we also celebrated a renovated stadium and new team name.