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Challenge for voices of Marlins

By BARRY JACKSON

[email protected]

 

In a season that could test the patience of everyone involved with the Marlins, the team's announcers face a mighty difficult challenge. How, exactly, do you keep fans entertained when the Marlins are being drubbed? Or keep them watching when the Marlins are 20 games below .500?

 

Nobody watches sports to hear the announcers, but I'm more likely to stick with a lopsided game a bit longer if there's compelling, animated dialogue. Keeping the broadcasts high-quality -- even if the team isn't -- will be the mission for the Marlins' voices in what could be a long, long season.

 

''You're still getting paid to do a baseball game, which is a pretty good gig,'' said FSN's Rich Waltz, who's beginning his second season as the Marlins' TV play-by-play announcer. ``It presents different challenges. Tommy Hutton and I have a pretty good sense of humor and rapport, and in a season like this, you're going to need that.

 

``We have fun in the booth to begin with, but this year we'll have a lot of fun, because there are fresh stories and fresh faces. It will be fun to see what kind of manager Joe Girardi is. The expectations are low but there's so much mystery about who these guys are.''

 

Expect lots of storytelling, which is one of Waltz's strengths.

 

''Because these guys are not well known to the average fan, you will spend a good deal of April and May introducing these players, their stories, their strengths and weaknesses,'' Waltz said. ``You want to hear what Joe Girardi and the rest of his staff think about the players.''

 

Hutton admits the offseason dismantling makes his job more difficult to an extent. He's doing more preparation than past years to familiarize himself with the young players.

 

Hutton has been through a dismantling before, with the 1998 Marlins. He said even though that year wasn't as enjoyable as championship seasons, he didn't dread it, either. ``The most frustrating part of 1998 is we would go into cities and, for example, it would say the Cardinals against the defending champion Florida Marlins. I said no, they're not [the defending champions].''

 

Hutton, entering his 10th season as the Marlins' TV analyst, loves living in Palm Beach Gardens: ``Unless they don't have a team here, I have no desire to go.''

 

On WQAM's broadcasts, Dave Van Horne and Roxy Bernstein would be wise to discuss meaty baseball issues to liven the broadcasts on those long nights in July when the Marlins are losing big.

 

''In a way, I'm looking forward to this, to see how guys react to this,'' said Bernstein, entering his second year as the Marlins' No. 2 radio voice. ``They will come with an energy level that you didn't see from the club we had last year.''

 

AROUND THE DIAL

 

? For the first time, the Marlins' entire 150-game package will air on cable. FSN will carry 105 games, and Sun will air 45 games when there are conflicts with Tampa Bay Devil Rays or other programming on FSN. Fox (Chs. 7, 29) will air two Marlins-Mets games (May 20 and July 8) and a Marlins-Braves game Sept. 16.

 

? ESPN added Orel Hershiser and Tino Martinez as analysts, and parted ways with Tony Gwynn. . . . Peter Gammons will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on Sunday night games and will offer insights from the scout area behind the plate.

 

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sport...ll/14201718.htm

the announcers are awesome, they make me crack up

 

but..

 

On WQAM's broadcasts, Dave Van Horne and Roxy Bernstein would be wise to discuss meaty baseball issues to liven the broadcasts on those long nights in July when the Marlins are losing big.

 

wtf is up wit that part? negative stuff is not needed

DVH and Tommy Hutton are likely not moving to any other team. The Marlins are it for them IMO. Hutton and DVH could always do ESPN work, but regularly being on another team's broadcasts look unlikely for them.

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