For one year, the Mariners had the funniest announcer in baseball history. Ken Levine, a former writer for Cheers and The Simpsons, served as play-by-play guy for the dismal 1992 season (though you can only attribute one or two of the M's 98 losses to his announcing). He wrote a book about his experiences with the M's, It's Gone...No, Wait a Minute.
Levine's back for a limited-time return engagement during Dave Niehaus' post-all-star-break vacation. Levine's got maybe the worst radio voice you've ever heard, but he's consistently hilarious. Just from last night:
On watching the replay of that crazy play where Beltre avoided Guillen's tag and headed to third: "It looked like a fat man's picnic."
On a stop in the action after Sean Green left the bullpen gate open when entering the game: "It's always one of the most exciting plays in sports: The closing of the outfield gate."
Levine's got a regularly updated blog which received some notoriety last October when he wrote this hilarious Aaron Sorkin parody: If Aaron Sorkin wrote a show about baseball.
According to his blog he's announcing tonight and Friday's games--today he announced through the fifth on radio, then moved to TV. Check it out.
Here's some bonus Levine--a story from his blog about his time with the Mariners:
During one spring training with the Mariners we played the Angels, who at the time were still in Palm Springs. Since they were also televising that game there was no room in the actual press box for visiting radio (us). So they set up a long table in the stands and that’s where we did the game. I’m on the air to a thirty-station radio network, sitting on the aisle, and calling a very exciting inning. Hits and double steals and rundowns. Forget that I can’t see them because the six LaKishas in front of me stand up, but as I’m calling a triple I feel a tap on my shoulder. I glance over to see a vendor with a two beers. He wants me to pass them down the row. I do, continue to call the play, and then feel a tapping on my other shoulder. I’m to pass the money along. I do, keep announcing, another tap, I have to send along the change. This was the big leagues!
That's Levine on the left, with radio personality "The Greaseman" in the middle, and some other even less famous guy on the right.
4 comments:
Thomas Howard, leading the major leagues in first names, with two!
I think the guy is damn funny and actually is a pretty good broadcaster. I don't know what he's been up to, but I thought he was pretty solid, given the rust.
And as far as being funny, would you expect anything different from a guy who used to write for the show "Cheers"? (Among others.)
Levine's book is actually about his announcing with the Orioles, alongside ESPN announcer Jon Miller. He does have nice words for Niehaus, though.
I love Levine's Law: A lead-off walk will always come around to score... unless it doesn't.
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