Dick Enberg Officially Named Padres TV Play-By-Play Announcer

Dick Enberg Officially Introduced As Padres' Play-By-Play Announcer

The Padres Thursday officially introduced Dick Enberg as their TV play-by-play announcer. Enberg is expected to join the team in February and will call the majority of regular-season games on Channel 4 San Diego while continuing his tennis coverage of Wimbledon on ESPN and the U.S. Open on CBS (Padres). Enberg signed a three-year deal with the team. In San Diego, Jay Posner writes a team "would have to be crazy not to hire him, right?" But Enberg, who turns 75 next month, "makes more mistakes than he used to and he hasn't been a baseball broadcaster in 25 years." However, Enberg said, "I still think that I've got my fastball. I may not locate it as well as I used to, but I think the experiences that I've had as a broadcaster will more than compensate for that. ... I'm not going to embarrass anyone" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/4). Both Enberg and CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus stressed that Enberg "wasn't forced out at CBS." Enberg said that the "lure of doing baseball -- the sport he loves -- in a city where he has spent half of his adult life without giving up his tennis duties was too good to pass up." Enberg will be teamed with Mark Grant for "most of the season" (NORTH COUNTY TIMES, 12/4).

LINEUP CHANGE: In Cincinnati, John Kiesewetter reports after "three years splitting time between Reds TV and radio," Thom Brennaman "will become the Reds primary TV announcer." Brennaman said that he will call about 100 Reds games for FS Ohio, "similar to the number" former Reds play-by-play broadcaster George Grande did last year. Brennaman said that "most will be home games," while he also will "do a few games on radio." Brennaman will "dramatically reduce" his Fox Saturday TV game commitments to "spend more weekends at home." The Reds also announced that Jim Kelch "will join the broadcast team." Kelch has called games for the Triple-A Int'l League Louisville Bats, a Reds affiliate, since '89 and "filled in on Reds' broadcasts the last two years" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 12/4).