As the Microphone Turns

Matt Bruce

Last week I wrote about ex-jocks moving into managerial positions, some of them even from the broadcast booth to the dugout. This week I'll look at some guys on their way from the dugout to the broadcast booth, or from broadcasting into the sunset.

According to the newspaper clippings my mom sends me, there's intrigue brewing on the North Side of Chicago. Color analyst Steve Stone is leaving WGN after 18 years to pursue his own consulting interests -- or, as the Chicago papers describe it, to "help young players." Stone's heir apparent is former Cub pitcher Rick Sutcliffe. Many people, however, see Mark Grace a better fit, were it not for his apparent desire to keep playing until his talent disappears completely.

In some ways Stone's job has been one of baseball's greatest challenges. Sharing a broadcast booth with Harry Caray on his best days could not have been easy. Before his stroke, Caray was a marvelous broadcaster, albeit one with quite a cult of personality surrounding him. After 1969 there was not enough room in St. Louis for both him and the Busch family. One year in Oakland was enough to show that Caray and Monte Moore could not peacefully coexist.

When Caray joined Jimmy Piersall on Chicago White Sox broadcasts of the 1970s, what made the team gel was Piersall's ability to be the sidekick, to play along with Harry and let his own comic personality serve as wingman. This is the model that Ken Harrelson and Tom Paciorek brought to either perfection or the annoyance threshold (depending on your view) 15 years later. One can only hope that Piersall didn't let Caray use and abuse him to quite that extent.

In his early years with Harry, Steve Stone was able to set himself up as a foil. He was the young upstart with the thick curly hair, in the presence of an old master who knew his way around baseball and women. His stogies were the bane of Harry's airspace, his opinions just enough to start an argument now and then. Never, of course, would he dare show up the legend, a lesson that Milo Hamilton (admittedly not one of baseball's most pleasant people) learned the hard way.

In the last decade of Caray's life, Stone became something like a caretaker. Given the erosion of Harry's broadcasting skills, it was easy for Stone to make himself look good. He tried, and often managed, to do something a lot harder: prevent Harry from looking bad. There's a fine art to knowing when to correct your partner (always gently) and when to let it slide with a non sequitur.

Those who listen to him frequently say that Steve was finally able to be himself around Chip Caray. I have to wonder about that. From what I heard, while Stone kept up the Caray legacy by criticizing players when they deserved it (something Chip himself should learn how to do), he never once crossed the line to badmouthing his employer. Granting that this is something only a Harry Caray gets away with (Tim McCarver and Jon Miller have both lost jobs over management sensitivity), there's a difference between being diplomatic and proudly sporting the company logo.

His succession might depend on whether Rick Sutcliffe is that kind of company man. There's the small matter of a contract with ESPN; Chip almost lost his chance to join the Cubs over his Fox obligations. If he got out of that, Sutcliffe would be loyal, since he credits the team and its fans with making his career what it was. All the same, anyone who remembers his clashes with Don Zimmer knows that Sutcliffe won't simply toe the line.

As a broadcaster, Sutcliffe is above average for an ex-jock. One Chicago writer, who watched the World Series with him, says that he noticed Jorge Posada tipping his pitches. Being that close to the game lets you bring out details other people would miss, though it might not be as conducive to the big picture. Like many broadcasters, Sutcliffe has yet to embrace the stathead movement.

Even as Sutcliffe returns to Wrigley, Mark Grace appears on his way out. Some speculated that he would take the broadcasting job himself, a conspiracy in which Stone's departure lets the Cubs play a first baseman with power. Roe Conn and Garry Maier, afternoon radio personalities on Chicago's WLS, had a good laugh when they suggested letting Grace broadcast and play at the same time.

Too bad Grace's agent, Barry Axelrod (who also represents Sutcliffe -- am I the only one to smell a rat here?), all but ruled out Grace's return with these comments:

"They don't try to win; they're a tourist attraction. The right fielder is not a good player and now they're talking about bringing H-Rod back, so they'll have more guys who hit 40 homers but can't play good defense."

Um, Gracie? Fire this guy as soon as you can, okay? Even though he's dead-on about the tourist attraction part, the rest of what he said won't exactly endear you to that clubhouse. Also, I'd be shocked if Axelrod had Grace's best interests at heart.

By now it will never happen, but putting Grace with Chip Caray would not have been half bad. From the Division Series games he called in a pinch for ESPN, the knock on Grace is a chumminess borne from not yet adding the "ex" to his jock status. That said, he's smart enough and funny enough (putting previous years' fill-ins Joe Carter and Kirby Puckett to shame) to keep the listener interested. He and Chip could be a perfect fit, outdoing even the Hawk (now stuck with the bumbling Darrin Jackson) in the fun department.

For what it's worth, the Cub radio booth looks to stand pat, not that this is good. When Harry still had radio skills, WGN saw a stable of rising stars trade off duties with him. Dewayne Staats, Thom Brennaman, and Josh Lewin all moved on from Chicago to national gigs. Then the Tribune Company brought Pat Hughes down from Milwaukee for reasons unclear.

Jack Brickhouse at his best supposedly brought sweet sunshine to the pre-Harry Cub broadcasts. If anything, Hughes is Brickhouse with a bit less excitement and far less talent. His partner, Ron Santo, only knows how to do two things: cheer in the booth and reminisce about his playing days. Webcasts from Wrigley Field are thus among the most painful in the league.

The Internet may be worldwide, but most of this probably won't matter outside the Windy City anyway. It's been years since WGN decided that Cubs night games were less valuable to TV than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nonetheless, those of us who grew up with the Superstations can keep tabs on this stuff, a bit wistfully. Ted Turner willing, we'll always have Skip to kick around.

about the author

Matt Bruce invented peanuts. He also invented the punchcard ballot, for which you may express your eternal gratitude at mb@strikethree.com.