Provus Accepts Twins Lead Radio Position (reply #39)

[Gobias Industries]

I for one am sick of Provus laughing too much every time Uek ever says anything.

This. It's absurd how overboard he goes with it at times.

 

Overall I like the guy though. He's no JP, but no one really is.

[joepepsi]

Well, good luck to him if he's offered and takes the job. There is no shortage in this world of young, eager play by play announcers who would love to have a job with a major league baseball club. Especially one that won 96 games and their division, going deep into the playoffs.

 

It's fine by me if the Brewers are a springboard to a bigger market for a broadcaster. If Cory leaves there will be tremendous demand for his job, as Ueck will probably be on the air for a only a couple more years.

[1992casey]

Jeff Cirillo for the next person either on the radio or on TV please.

Rillo would have to be a color guy…

Yeah, the Brewers unusual radio setup necessitates two play by play guys. This arrangement was "designed" by Bob Uecker to allow the broadcasters to leave the booth for extended periods during the game. To include a broadcaster who only does color, you need a play by play person in the booth every inning.

 

The traditional model is to have two play by play guys who alternate between play by play and color. Some teams, e.g. the Cubs, pair a play by play person with a color commentator; this doesn't allow for the play by play person to take a break like the Brewers' broadcasters do.

[TooLiveBrew]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I haven't been impressed with Cirillo at all. I get the impression he's a funny and/or clever guy, but in the limited exposure I've had to him as a commentator I wasn't impressed. That isn't to say he couldn't improve with experience, of course.

[MadScientist]

I can't blame Cory for looking into a better opportunity right now, given that he doesn't know how long he will be behind Bob, and there is no guarantee that he will get the #1 position after that. Cory has grown into the position well. I think part of the perception problem is that announcers take a while to grow into the position. On the TV side, I though BA was terrible his first year, sounding like someone who was still calling golf instead of baseball. Now he's good enough to get tabbed by TBS for the post season. If Cory goes, I hope Uecker sticks around a couple of seasons to break him in properly, because I don't expect to like him much the first year.

[berniebrewer4life]

Milwaukee is part of a megalopolis that stretches basically from Kankakee, IL on the south to Green Bay on the north that's essentially the 3rd largest in the nation.

It actually goes alot farther than that. Now they consider Indianapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit part of the Mega-region.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/MapofEmergingUSMegaregions.png/800px-MapofEmergingUSMegaregions.png

[BrewCrewForever]

Can't blame Provus if he leaves to be the #1 guy in Minnesota. I hope he stays though, really enjoy his work. While I do not think he is as good as Powell or even Hughes were, he is pretty close. Will be tough to find a better #2 guy behind Uecker than Provus has been. My dream would be for them to have Uecker do the entire game and get Cirillo in as a analyst to Uecker's play-by-play.

[pitchleague]

that won't happen since Uecker likes to take some of his innings off by visiting other TV/Radio booths or visit with other visiting famous people.

 

 

I also was unaware that other teams did not do the "rotating" PBP thing that the Brewers have done until I listened to some games on XM while I was driving cross-country. I always thought what the Brewers did was the "norm."

 

Finally, I'm pretty sure that Pat Hughes takes at least a half inning off (maybe even a full inning) in the 4th or 5th as I've heard some other guy on their radio team for just a very short period of time during the games and then Pat is back for the rest of the game.

 

 

(I am, in case you're wondering, commenting on a handful of posts at the same time. Sorry for not quoting anybody but I'm really pooped out today.)

[1992casey]

I also was unaware that other teams did not do the "rotating" PBP thing that the Brewers have done until I listened to some games on XM while I was driving cross-country. I always thought what the Brewers did was the "norm."

 

The Brewers didn't do this either until Uecker requested it at some point in the 1990s. Another change that occurred was the use of a color commentator on TV. Before that, the TV broadcasts had two play by play guys.

 

Finally, I'm pretty sure that Pat Hughes takes at least a half inning off (maybe even a full inning) in the 4th or 5th as I've heard some other guy on their radio team for just a very short period of time during the games and then Pat is back for the rest of the game.

 

Cory Provis had that job before coming to Milwaukee. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif I believe some pre and postgame responsibilities come along with it.

[pitchleague]

The Brewers didn't do this either until Uecker requested it at some point in the 1990s.

Hmm, my memory of this resides even in the 80s when I was a kid. I would guess that when Ueck was gone taping "Mr. Belvedere" episodes that whoever was the sidekick at the time (Dwayne Mosely, Pat Hughes, Merle Harmon, whoever) did most of the PBP and then when Ueck came back he let them continue for a couple of innings here and there. Again, I couldn't tell you if that's true or not, it's only speculation from memories of my youth.

[JimH5]

. . .whoever was the sidekick at the time (Dwayne Mosely, Pat Hughes, Merle Harmon, whoever). . .

 

Yikes--Merle Harmon was never a sidekick. The broadcast didn't really become "The Bob Uecker Show" until long after Harmon was gone.

 

Merle Harmon was an established broadcaster with national credentials when he came to Milwaukee. Many of the others have used the job as a resume builder. I don't think that was the case with Harmon.

 

Sorry to sidetrack. . .

[RockCoCougars]

The late Rory Marcus took Uecker's spot during a lot of the Mr. Belvedere filming. If I recall correctly, way back in the day, Uecker did some innings of TV games when WTMJ-4 still carried the team. As for Dwayne Mosley, I've always heard that he was canned because he and Uecker did not get along.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

I remember Uecker working TV on WTMJ with Ray Scott in the 70s. It seems to me that the current arrangement with the two pbp guys was in place before Merle Harmon left. Years ago I read the book 9 innings ago and I seem to remember reading in the book that Uke did little to help his partners during broadcasts much the same way Merle did little to help Uke during their time together. It has been a long time since I read that book so if I am wrong I hope that someone corrects me.

[pitchleague]

when I added Harmon's name to the list, I put him there because I know he did some fill-in work for Uecker at times. That's the only reason; should have clarified that he wasn't really a side-kick.

[carniesandrubes]

And he's gone:

 

http://www.startribune.co...ins/blogs/133163998.html

[PrinceEatMeat]

Crap, but congratulations to Cory. Well deserved!

[TooLiveBrew]

Congratulations, Cory!

[chadomac]

Good riddance ya dirty bum Cubs fan. Just kidding. Sort of.

[JohnBriggs12]

The late Rory Marcus took Uecker's spot during a lot of the Mr. Belvedere filming. If I recall correctly, way back in the day, Uecker did some innings of TV games when WTMJ-4 still carried the team. As for Dwayne Mosley, I've always heard that he was canned because he and Uecker did not get along.

Listening to Dwayne Mosley was like fingernails on a blackboard. He loved to listen to himself talk and used way too many words to describe simple action. In short, he was horrible. It's a shame that Harmon wasn't around a few years longer until Pat Hughes took over. He and Ueck together were terrific. Harmon had worked for years in Kansas City as the A's lead guy. He replaced Earl Gillespie in the Braves booth when Earl stepped down following the 1963 season. He was also radio voice of the New York Jets through their glory years with Joe Namath. It's amazing that Selig was able to land Harmon with such short notice when the Pilots became the Brewers, but Bud had basically run the Braves Milwaukee operation their last year in Milwaukee as the carpetbaggers wouldn't step foot in Wisconsin that season and it must have been Bud and Merle had an agreement that if and when he secured a team, Merle was his guy. The black hole that was Lorn Brown and Dwayne Mosley for some of the best years in team history is a travesty. Neither of those two belonged anywhere near a major league booth.

 

Provus moves from a 96 win team to a 63 win team. Enjoy those rain delays Cory.

[RockCoCougars]

The black hole that was Lorn Brown and Dwayne Mosley for some of the best years in team history is a travesty. Neither of those two belonged anywhere near a major league booth.

 

Lorn was only here for a year, correct? I believe the year they were off WTMJ. The reception was horrible at night, if you weren't within a few miles of a network station.

 

As for Mosley, sometimes you still hear the 'Milwaukee, you have a World Series' call from '82. I'm wondering why Ueck wasn't working the 9th that game. After he left for the Brewers I know that he did the Sports on the Channel 18 news.

[monty57]

The reception was horrible at night, if you weren't within a few miles of a network station.

 

Reading Briggs' post, that may have been a positive :-)

[RockCoCougars]

Reading Briggs' post, that may have been a positive :-)

 

You have a point, but back in the dark ages of '81, there were maybe 50 televised games a year. No FSN. Back then, the only time that you saw County Stadium on TV was if the Brewers hosted the Game of The Week or they were playing the Sox.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

I believe in 1982 Uke went down to the locker room to do post game interviews during the 9th inning of game 5 of the LCS. I will miss Cory. I thought that he had grown into a top flight play by play man. He did a good job of painting word pictures. He described the weather, the light level, the team's jerseys, the defensive alignment, and other things that Uke would neglect to talk about.

[hawing]

I will miss Cory. I thought that he had grown into a top flight play by play man. He did a good job of painting word pictures. He described the weather, the light level, the team's jerseys, the defensive alignment, and other things that Uke would neglect to talk about.

(bold added by me)

 

He usually if not always mentioned the color of the piping on the teams' uniforms. Small detail, but as a fan of minutiae I was on board with it.

[miggs721]

I for one would love Doug Russell as Corys replacement!!!!1