Booth changes
In case you missed it, Bob Smizik announced on Friday (
here) that there will be some changes to the Pirates' broadcast team next season.
The biggest change that has already been decided is that Steve Blass will no longer travel with the team and will strictly cover home games. I've gotten fatigued with Blass over the last couple of years as he has grown increasingly unwilling to criticize anything, so I won't lament this change. Blass invoked the "desire to spend more time with family" explanation for this decision. I can't help but wonder if even Blass has grown weary of running interference for Lanny Fratarre.
I also can't help but wonder if Fratarre will be able to make it through another season now that his ally won't be there to share the grind on the road. Clearly, Fratarre doesn't get along with Bob Walk. Hopefully Fratarre will be consulted on the replacement(s) for Blass as I'd hate to see Fratarre go.
The other big news in the article is that Greg Brown has applied for the newly available position with the Chicago Cubs. As a superstation team, this is one of the biggest and best broadcasting gigs in baseball. I enjoy Brown and will be sad to see him go, if he gets this job. No word on a possible replacement. Anybody care to start a rumor?
3 Comments:
I did read last week that Blass' road replacement could be Arian Van White (andy van slyke).
Another rumor i heard was that for road games, pirates will hire former buccos that live in that town to broadcast...e.g. VanSlyke in STL.
Wonder what Derek Bell is up to these days - hell we're still paying him, maybe he'd like to come and earn some of that money (i really tried not to laugh while typing.)
Unless the Pirates are playing road games on Bell's yacht, I don't think they'll get him into the booth.
an even better idea - I can't believe media mogul McClatchy didn't come up with this. Over the next 4 months have a reality show to become the next pirates broadcaster - hosted by Jerome Bettis - aired on KDKA right after the Jerome Bettis show. A hit I tells ya!
Contestants will do crazy things such as "who can put up with Bob Walk the longest", "who can make Mesa sound like an all star", "who can come up with the craziest mask", "eat a bucket of Quaker Steak and Lube wings", and finally "Sudden Death Jenga". 10 will be chosen, thousands will enter. Finalists will be chosen based on a 1000 word or less essay on "why lloyd mcclendon should be the manager". It should be interesting to see what they come up with.
Or they could do it like they choose the Pope, everyone pulls out a pickled egg and whoever has the green one, wins.
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