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J.G. Preston was born in Ohio, started school in Tennessee and then lived in Kentucky before spending his adolescence on Long Island. He went to college in Minnesota and lived there for the better part of 30 years before moving to California in 2005. He now lives in Sacramento.
He has had driver’s licenses, under three different names, in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania (where he never actually lived), Idaho, Minnesota and California.
J.G. is not on his birth certificate, but it is on his Social Security card, and no, he won’t tell you what it stands for.
He worked for the Strat-o-Matic Game Company during the summers while he was in high school (if that doesn’t mean anything to you, don’t bother asking about it) and started his first on-air radio job right after graduating from high school at age 17. Some snapshots of his work experience since then:
- driving a delivery van for a chain of small-town general stores
- putting together the Police Log for the Northfield (Minn.) News
- anchoring the first newscast of the Minnesota News Network (still on the air today) in 1983
- covering the 1987 World Series
- editing the Minnesota Twins’ program
- radio play-by-play of college and high school football and basketball (including two seasons of University of Minnesota football)
- writing a weekly column for the Daily Racing Form under the nom de plume Chaucer
- working in the press box relaying stats to the truck for CBS at the 1992 Super Bowl (getting $75 and a seat cushion)
- working as a host for radio broadcasts of the Minnesota North Stars (NHL) and Minnesota Lynx (WNBA)
- lying on a bed of nails while having a cement block on his chest smashed with a sledgehammer on live TV (it actually felt kind of good)
- writing the script for a video narrated by Bob Costas
- covering the California state capitol in Sacramento
- interviewing countless celebrities and newsmakers (well, not “countless,” you could count them, he just didn’t) on live radio or TV.
His motto: “I Can Talk To Anybody About Anything And Make It Interesting.”
He will now stop writing about himself in the third person (listen, I include a lot of this stuff just in case anyone stumbles into this and is thinking about offering me a job) and look for more things to blog about.
Cliff Ferguson said,
November 4, 2009 at 9:29 am
Mr. Preston,
I played in an SOM play by mail league you ran for a short time in 1973.
I believe the brother of a member of the band Gunhill Road was in the league.Im glad you have done well for yourself.
Do you still play SOM?
prestonjg said,
November 4, 2009 at 10:06 am
Hi Cliff…yes indeed, Gary Leopold was in that league…his brother Glenn was the lead singer and primary songwriter for Gunhill Road. I wish that album were available on CD, I liked it. Did you know it was produced by Kenny Rogers? I haven’t kept up with Gary but I gather he’s done a lot better than I have. I went a long time not doing any gaming at all when our kids were growing up, but since they’ve left home I’ve gotten back into the hobby some. These days I’m playing Replay, which was another game I played in my youth, I knew one of the guys who created it. I hope all is well with you!
Cliff Ferguson said,
November 4, 2009 at 11:44 am
What was the name of that play by mail leaque? I was 13 at the time. I remember you sent out the league news on mimeograph paper. I believe that league eventually disbanded.Try the Sporting News SOM. Its addictive.Is there a way of hearing your radio broadcast(s) on line?
Best regards,
Cliff
prestonjg said,
November 4, 2009 at 12:01 pm
It was the Metropolitan Baseball Association. My dad had found an old mimeograph machine for me that was great fun for me to use! I’m not on the air these days and I don’t think any of my on-air work is out there online, but these days you never know!
Cliff Ferguson said,
November 6, 2009 at 8:32 am
Wolfman from Skokie? Couple that ran the SOM review? The review article about the guy who had a perfect game ruined with 2 outs and picked up the dice again. All these Strato bits and pieces lodged in my mind.
Ed Baxter said,
November 6, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Just happened to be looking at Baseball Reference.com a few minutes ago for some numbers on Dave Roberts ( for APBA league team) when I noticed the name on the home page under “In Memoriam.” I immediately clicked to find out what happened and discovered that it wasn’t the Dave Roberts I was looking up. But then I noticed that the page was sponsored by “J. G. Preston.” As an old fan of yours from several of your Twin Cities incarnations–especially Almanac–and knowing you were a fan (to say the least), I had to check to see if that was indeed you. Yeah, I know you’re the one and only real J. G. Preston, but still . . .. You admit here to having been born in Ohio and now I’ll wager it was Gallipolis. Sorry if you’ve lost a favorite ball player. I lost Elmer Valo some years back, and it hurts.
Anyway, may I thank you for the fine broadcasting you did here. Xmas has been a bit bluer since you left.
prestonjg said,
November 6, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for your nice words, Ed. My parents both grew up in Gallipolis and I was born there; my mother’s younger brother played youth ball with and against Dave before Dave’s family moved to Columbus. Dave was always my favorite player because of that and I’m just sorry I never got to tell him and visit with him for a while. Were you looking for the contemporary Dave Roberts? Then of course there were Dave Roberts The Minor League Slugger (who actually had a very interesting life) and Dave Roberts The Infielder.
Dorothy Jane Mills (baseball name Dorothy Seymour Mills) said,
May 19, 2010 at 8:12 am
I read your WordPress piece on Eleanor Engle. You did a very nice job on this. Tim Wiles of the Hall of Fame sent me a copy. It’s a shame Engle refuses to talk about her experience. Tim also sent me a copy of the 1992 letter by a representative of the Minors in which he states there are no rules prohibiting women from playing. Of course, Trautman’s letter in 1952 was not exactly a rule; it was a threat.
Brad Furst said,
August 3, 2010 at 10:40 am
Can you keep a secret? I know what J.G. stands for. So, can you keep a secret?
Well, so can I.