DJ Double Play Lets the Music Do His Talking

By:  Joshua Carney


SYRACUSE, N.Y.   ---  For most professional ballparks, a good disc jockey usually leads to an upbeat crowd, which makes it that much more difficult for an opposing team.

Some would even say that the ballpark DJ is the "voice" of the ballpark.

With the Syracuse Chiefs, Jeremy Hernandez, 32, also known as DJ Double Play, it's no different.

Except for the fact that Hernandez doesn't have a "normal" voice.

Dating back to 2003, Hernandez, a Syracuse native, actually lost his voice due to vocal chord paralysis from complications during a medical procedure while fighting cancer.

Now, Hernandez, sporting a red polo, white cargo pants and a fitted Chiefs ball cap, has a soft voice that is barely audible at the ballpark. For that, Hernandez turns to the music and sound bites - available on his Blazers Game Ops Commander control board - to convey his thoughts and messages.

"I try to mix things up," Hernandez said from the control room during Monday night's Chiefs game against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. "We have old standbys that you hear everywhere, but I like to mix in new stuff. I try my best to rile up the fans and get them engaged. I also like to have fun with the other team."

He did just that all night long against the RailRiders.

As the P.A. announcer provided fans with the RailRiders starting lineup, Hernandez pumped the theme music from the hit TV show, "The Office" through the stadium system. On top of that, when one of the RailRiders' best hitters, Zelous Wheeler, came up to bat, Hernandez used a play on words, blaring Gin Blossoms "Hey Zelousy" through the speakers, drawing laughs from those fans realizing what Hernandez had done.

"When it comes to players, everyone it fair game," Hernandez said. "It's all in good fun. I think the players realize that."

Away from the ballpark, Hernandez holds a full-time job with POMCO, a third party health benefits administrator for self-funding organizations. When not at either job, Hernandez spends time with his wife and kids. But long days and long nights usually keep him away from his family.

"My wife is a supermom," Hernandez said. "She's very understanding, but it's still tough to be away from them."

On top of his role with the Chiefs, Hernandez used to work as the DJ at the Carrier Dome from 2004-12 for football and men's basketball. He still DJ's for Syracuse's women's ice hockey, along with men's and women's lacrosse.

"I don't really see it as a job," he said. "It's more of a hobby. I never dread going to an event to DJ. I never get bored with it."

With plenty going on at one time during a game, it's difficult for Hernandez to communicate with others around him when the environment is loud, but it doesn't take away from who he is:  a fun-loving guy who enjoys providing entertainment through music, even if it's not his own.