Tweet
Chip Caray and TBS Part Ways
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
UPDATED: 10:30 p.m.
Chip Caray’s tenure as TBS’s lead major league baseball announcer ended Monday when he and the cable network agreed to part ways.
Caray’s high-volume style was mixed with a penchant for bad play calls, embellishments and factual errors. His best known incident occurred during the American League Central Division tie breaker between the Twins and the Tigers in October. He called an obvious lineout this way: “Line drive. Base hit. Caught out there. The runner tags. Throw to the plate. On target. And in time! A double play!”
In a memo sent to company employees, David Levy, the president of Turner Sports, wrote on Monday: “Since the end of this year’s M.L.B. playoffs, we’ve had several discussions with Chip Caray regarding 2010 and beyond. Both sides have agreed that now is the right time for Turner Sports and Chip to move ahead on different paths.”
Levy did not name Caray’s replacement. He wrote in the memo that “we are currently in the process of looking at a number of candidates to becoming our lead play-by-play announcer and we’re committed to finding the top person available.” TBS will be hamstrung, in part, by top-level announcers’ commitments to their current employers and their availability to call a national game every Sunday in advance of the playoffs.
Caray had some time left on his contract with Turner, where he also called Braves games on the Peachtree TV cable network. Levy said the company was looking at a “number of candidates” to replace Caray at both positions.
Through a TBS spokesman, Levy declined to comment.
Caray had roots at Turner; his late father, Skip, called Braves games on TBS for more than 30 years. His grandfather, Harry, was a storied voice for the Cardinals, White Sox and Cubs.
The younger Caray called TBS’s Sunday game of the week for the past two seasons and playoff games since 2007. Caray has also called Cubs games.
In a statement issued by his agent, Caray said: “Baseball is a passion of mine and I am looking forward to my next opportunity to call games at the Major League level.”
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
UPDATED: 10:30 p.m.
Chip Caray’s tenure as TBS’s lead major league baseball announcer ended Monday when he and the cable network agreed to part ways.
Caray’s high-volume style was mixed with a penchant for bad play calls, embellishments and factual errors. His best known incident occurred during the American League Central Division tie breaker between the Twins and the Tigers in October. He called an obvious lineout this way: “Line drive. Base hit. Caught out there. The runner tags. Throw to the plate. On target. And in time! A double play!”
In a memo sent to company employees, David Levy, the president of Turner Sports, wrote on Monday: “Since the end of this year’s M.L.B. playoffs, we’ve had several discussions with Chip Caray regarding 2010 and beyond. Both sides have agreed that now is the right time for Turner Sports and Chip to move ahead on different paths.”
Levy did not name Caray’s replacement. He wrote in the memo that “we are currently in the process of looking at a number of candidates to becoming our lead play-by-play announcer and we’re committed to finding the top person available.” TBS will be hamstrung, in part, by top-level announcers’ commitments to their current employers and their availability to call a national game every Sunday in advance of the playoffs.
Caray had some time left on his contract with Turner, where he also called Braves games on the Peachtree TV cable network. Levy said the company was looking at a “number of candidates” to replace Caray at both positions.
Through a TBS spokesman, Levy declined to comment.
Caray had roots at Turner; his late father, Skip, called Braves games on TBS for more than 30 years. His grandfather, Harry, was a storied voice for the Cardinals, White Sox and Cubs.
The younger Caray called TBS’s Sunday game of the week for the past two seasons and playoff games since 2007. Caray has also called Cubs games.
In a statement issued by his agent, Caray said: “Baseball is a passion of mine and I am looking forward to my next opportunity to call games at the Major League level.”
Somewhere out there JJ is smiling.
Comment