On The Radio Ep. 8
Many of you know that I grew up as a huge New York Mets fan. Back then a baseball-loving boys best friend was his portable radio. Lazy summer day after lazy summer day I recall the sun of my face, my glove on my hand and radio earpiece in my ear listening to Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner.
Long gone are those days but the good news is that there is another top notch team that deliver Mets baseball on the radio in 2018. Let's start with play-by-play man Howie Rose. Howie took over for legendary announcer Bob Murphy, calling play-by-play full time for WFAN Radio in 2004...Became the lead play-by-play voice in 2006. Howie anchors the Mets broadcast team for 710 WOR, the radio home of the Mets..
Rose started his career doing sports updates on New York City based SportsPhone, a telephone dial-in service, during the mid-1970s, which led to sports updates on news radio station WCBS-AM through the early 1980s.
Rose has called Mets play-by-play on radio or television since 1995, and is regarded by fans and media outlets alike as an expert of Mets history.[4] He has previously hosted the "Mets Extra" pre- and post-game shows. He worked the television booth until the retirement of long-time Mets radio voice Bob Murphy in 2003. The following year, Rose took Murphy's spot alongside Gary Cohen on WFAN. Cohen became the play-by-play broadcaster on new Mets television network SportsNet New York starting during the 2006 season, sharing the radio booth with partner Tom McCarthy.
In 2008, Wayne Hagin replaced McCarthy, and since 2012, Rose has called games with Josh Lewin. Starting in 2014, he has called games on WOR. He has also co-hosted MLB Now, joining Brian Kenny, Mark DeRosa and Ken Rosenthal on MLB Network.
Rose has also been the master of the ceremonies during key Mets events, including Opening Day at Shea Stadium and Citi Field since 2004. He has hosted ceremonies marking the opening of Citi Field in 2009, the 40th anniversary of the Mets 1969 World Series victory, a special pregame ceremony honoring Ralph Kiner in 2008, and Mike Piazza's number retirement ceremony in 2016.
Rose's end-of-game catchphrase is, "Put it in the books", used after the final out is recorded in a Mets win. After Mets losses, Rose says "and the ballgame is over". When he uses the phrasing "and the Mets are leading by a score of _ to _", he is using the same diction as original Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson.[citation needed] Despite broadcasting in the racially diverse New York metro, for a sport where more than 30 percent of the players are Latino, Rose makes little effort to pronounce Spanish names correctly, telling the New York Times: "I don’t feel comfortable trying to use those affectations that are totally foreign to me and totally foreign to the majority of our listening audience.
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JOSH LEWIN
Lewin is originally from Rochester, New York, but lived outside of Boston for several years as a young boy. As early as nursery school, he was an avid sports fan, and he got his start in broadcasting as the radio commentator for the Rochester Red Wings at the age of 16. After graduating from Northwestern University (where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity) in 1990, Lewin became the Red Wings' regular play-by-play announcer.
Lewin went on to call Baltimore Orioles games on the radio in 1995 and 1996, on TV for the Chicago Cubs on WGN in 1997 and on TV for the Detroit Tigers from 1998-2001 on Fox Sports Detroit. In 2000, he was the first-ever recipient of the Ty Tyson Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, awarded by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. He was the TV voice for the Texas Rangers from 2002through 2010, usually on Fox Sports Southwest but also on local broadcasts for KDFI, KDFW and TXA 21. The Rangers organization announced on October 11, 2010, that Lewin would not be returning as play-by-play announcer for the team.[2] On February 9, 2012, it was announced that Lewin would be joining the New York Mets Radio Network, succeeding Wayne Hagin. He shares play-by-play duties with Howie Rose on Mets broadcasts.
Lewin was one of the original play-by-play commentators for Fox Major League Baseball, calling regular season regional games from 1996-2011. He started on the fourth regional crew calling games, but by 1999 was promoted to the number three booth where he would remain from 1999-2011. He would often fill in for principal play-by-play men Joe Buck (with Tim McCarver during the regular season) or Thom Brennaman (with Steve Lyons during the postseason). Lewin left Fox Sports after his contract with Fox Sports Southwest was not renewed. Since 2006 Fox typically only hires national play-by-play announcers who work more than one sport.
