Pinch hitter: Curling Canada's media man steps in for ailing Vic Rauter on TSN

When Canada's preeminent curling voice is too sick to talk and you're halfway around the world with no back-up announcer on standby, who you gonna call?

Al Cameron, that's who.

Curling Canada's Media Relations Director, in Japan to serve and wrangle the media during this week's World Women's Curling Championship, hopped into Vic Rauter's chair, this morning, when Rauter's voice gave out on him, during Canada's game against Denmark.

The longtime newspaperman, who took over as Curling Canada's media director in 2012, was suddenly plopped into Rauter's chair, alongside colour commentator Russ Howard.

That must have been extremely nerve-wracking.

"Tried to stay as mellow as I could, actually," Cameron wrote in an email, from Sapporo.

"In a past life, I did a little hockey play by play in Nanaimo, and did some colour commentary on curling on Shaw Cable for Alberta provincials, so it wasn't like I was a total rookie," he continued.

"But I was definitely conscious of whom I was replacing!!!"

The reviews were good. The very likeable Cameron turned the head of Olympic curling champion Brad Jacobs, for one:

This would not have been easy, and Cameron deserves the kudos coming his way. Rauter, the hall of fame curling announcer whose name and voice are synonymous with the sport on a global scale, has big, big shoes to fill. And he prepares for events and broadcasts for days and days - sometimes weeks - beforehand, as all good play by play announcers do. Cameron had no such luxury.

"Still shaking over here!", Cameron wrote, more than an hour after he was done. Then, he noted, he still had to get back to his usual job, writing for Curling Canada's website. "Tough to focus on writing my game report haha!"

Cameron wrote that he was very thankful to have terrific support from TSN's crew, including colour commentator Russ Howard and producer Scott Higgins.

"The crew was amazing. Scott and Russ were in the booth with me and they couldn't have been more helpful, supportive and calming. Total and complete pros."

When asked if he could provide some video of his work for this column, Cameron joked: "There was no video of me, thank goodness."

Who knows? this could be the start of a new way of life for Cameron. TSN has another broadcast, tonight, when Canada takes on Norway. If Rauter is still too sick to answer the call, Cameron might well find himself in the booth once again.

For the moment, he was working on trying to calm down so he could sleep.

"Hello, Sapporo beer!!!", he wrote as he looked forward to a celebratory cold one.

You certainly earned it, Mr. Cameron. You certainly earned it.