On Long Island, Neil Best noted John Smoltz is heading into his first season as the analyst on Fox' top MLB broadcast team, and has "received generally positive reviews for his TV work." Many people "viewed him as an obvious choice" to succeed analyst Tim McCarver following the '13 season. There is "little doubt in baseball or TV circles that he is ready for the spotlight, given his playing resume, personality and broadcast experience." But Smoltz said that he "still has much to learn" (NEWSDAY, 4/1). Smoltz: "When I really committed to getting into this industry as a career seven years ago, I told my agent, I'm not just doing this just to do it. I want to be in the moment of the greatest time in baseball: I want to call the World Series. I know I've got to put in my time, work hard, learn from my mistakes, and that's been my blueprint" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/3).
SORRY, HATERS: In Boston, Chad Finn noted it has been a "rapid ascent" for ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza, who is joining the net's "Sunday Night Baseball" booth full-time this season. Mendoza said that "becoming a 'Sunday Night Baseball' analyst wasn't specifically her goal" initially. But when "watching baseball games," Mendoza "realized she had a deep desire to talk about them as they were unfolding, to analyze them in the moment, and to ask the participants questions that would bring the answers she coveted as a curious viewer." Mendoza has learned to block out "those who wallow in the cesspools of social media and try to bring her down because she is a woman in a role that has typically gone to male ex-ballplayers" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/1).
ONE-MAN SHOW: In California, Jim Alexander wrote when Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully retires after this season, he will "do so not only as the soul of this franchise but as one of the last of his breed." The era of the home team announcer "indelibly associated with his ballclub over time has pretty well ended." There also are no broadcasters "who still work alone, the way Scully always has on Dodger broadcasts." Scully has "been blessed with competitive teams and interesting personalities to talk about for the most part." Alexander: "But even when the game or the team hasn't been good, he's always found a way to make it enjoyable" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/3).
BIG SHOES: In Providence, Tim Britton noted new Red Sox TV play-by-play announcer Dave O'Brien is "stepping into the large" shoes of former team voice Don Orsillo. O'Brien "knows what he's stepping into," and he "wanted this job precisely because it was this job." O'Brien: "It's more than a dream come true for me in many respects, because I never really sat around and believed it would ever happen" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 4/3).
THE MASTER: In Milwaukee, Tom Haudricourt noted Brewers radio announcer Bob Uecker for the fifth time is "breaking in a new sidekick this year." With Joe Block leaving to join the Pirates, Jeff Levering "moves up" to work alongside Uecker. With Uecker "still at the lead microphone, there's always going to be a soothing, comfortable feeling, no matter what's happening on the diamond." Meanwhile, being teamed with Uecker in the past has been a "good thing for young broadcasters looking to carve their own paths in the game" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/3).
FUNNY BRAND: In Philadelphia, Matt Gelb noted Phillies radio announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen are entering their 10th season together in the booth, and in the "touchscreen digital age when anything visual is so accessible, we still listen to baseball on the radio in Philadelphia." The pair "fills the depths of bad nights using a particular brand of slapstick banter." Franzke: "We're trying to entertain ourselves. ... If we start out with the idea that we're going to entertain each other, that will carry over to entertaining our listeners." Andersen: "I don't think we try to do funny stuff. We both have a sense of humor" (PHILLY.com, 4/3).
