Ex-Alouette Sanchez dives into new role
Three-time Grey Cup winner replacing Paul Lambert on TSN 690 Als broadcasts
Somehow it seemed fitting Montreal radio station TSN 690 would make the announcement on Monday, 24 hours after Mother’s Day, stating Davis Sanchez was its new analyst, home and away, for broadcasts of Alouettes games.
Sanchez’s mother, Linda, who was his best friend and biggest advocate, originally planted the seed with her son that he might be good at a media job.
“She used to always say you should go into the media ... you’d be good at it ... you’d like it,” the former Als cornerback said from his winter home in Vancouver, while remembering his mother, who died of cancer in January 2014.
“I never believed there were many jobs available, and there aren’t,” Sanchez continued.
“I was hesitant to put my eggs in one basket. At the end of the day, you don’t get to decide whether you do a good job or not. There may not be any jobs. I didn’t want to go that route and depend on someone else for a job.”
Nonetheless, Sanchez, 42, is preparing for a cross-country move next week to Toronto, which becomes his new home base, at least during the Canadian Football League season. He’s preparing for his second season working for the league’s website, where he’ll provide a weekly online hit for CFL.ca. And he’ll continue his weekly podcast, The Waggle, which he co-hosts with Vancouver broadcaster James Cybulski.
Sanchez replaces former Als offensive-lineman Paul Lambert on TSN 690, but he should be a familiar voice to the station’s listeners.
While Lambert did home and East Division road games, Sanchez has been making guest appearances for the last few years when the Als played outside Ontario.
Just as Sanchez was a media favourite when he played — because of his outspoken honesty — his work ethic, broadcasting style and base of knowledge jumped out at executives from the Montreal radio station when they, in conjunction with Als management, decided a change was necessary.
“I’m excited and stoked,” Sanchez said. “I’ve had more fun in the last year and enjoyed life the most since I retired from football. It has been my most enjoyable year by a long shot. I do something that I’m passionate about. And I like the league.
“The CFL has been a part of my entire adult life and I’ve cultivated some great relationships. When you’re out of the game, you remember those relationships. You don’t know you miss them until you’re thrown back in. You realize what a big part of your life this was.”
Originally drafted sixth overall by the Als in 1999, Sanchez spent 13 seasons playing pro, including three stints with Montreal. He spent two seasons with the San Diego Chargers, but also made CFL stops in Calgary and Edmonton before completing his career in British Columbia. A two-time league all-star, he won three Grey Cups.
“The Montreal Alouettes are beginning an exciting new era of their history and TSN 690 is thrilled to continue to deliver exclusive coverage of the team,” program director Chris Bury said in a news release.
“We’re also delighted to welcome a Grey Cup winner in Davis Sanchez to the broadcast booth, who will draw on experience from his long CFL career to provide indepth analysis.”
Retirement has found Sanchez running his facilities services company, cleaning commercial buildings and restaurants in Vancouver. But he also took broadcasting courses for three consecutive semesters at the B.C. Institute of Technology. Not only did he and Cybulski provide analysis throughout last season’s playoffs and Grey Cup, he and Brodie Lawson cohosted a live, 10-hour, free-agency show last February, marking the first time the league has undertaken such an endeavour.
Sanchez does hours of prep work while setting out a daily schedule specifically designed for his new career. He said he dives into the broadcasting world with both feet.
“I’m doing everything to try and improve,” he vowed. “I’m not going to (fail) by a lack of effort. When you’re a 5-foot-9, 180-pound corner from Delta ... it wasn’t my sheer athletic talent that got me to this level. It was work. I’ve decided to attack this the same way. I have certain things I know I have to work on and I do, every day. “Know what you don’t know.” Along with broadcasting every Als game, starting with the June 8 exhibition contest at Toronto, general manager Kavis Reed and head coach Jacques Chapdelaine will make weekly appearances on the station.