He's sitting in the catbird seat.

When the professor's absence was discovered minutes before the broadcast was to begin janitor Barber was called in as a substitute. On the Gionfriddo call Barber is describing the action of the outfielder not the ball.

Like his fellow sports pioneer Mel Allen Barber also gained a niche calling college and professional football in his primary market of New York City. Barber nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead" was primarily identified with radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball calling play-by-play across four decades with the Cincinnati Reds (1934–38) Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–1953) and New York Yankees (1954–1966).