Friday, July 23, 1999
SPORTS ON TV-RADIO
Hall of Fame induction done in Grande style
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
George Grande has been going to Cooperstown, N.Y., to be part of Baseball's Hall of Fame induction since 1980. It doesn't get old.
“It's the greatest thing in the world,” he said. “It puts the game in perspective. All the heroes of the game — who played for love of the game, not the money — are there. It brings everything together.”
Grande, the play-by-play man on Fox Sports Net Ohio for Reds broadcasts, will miss Sunday's game to be in Cooperstown.
Grande has been going to Hall of Fame inductions since the '70s, when he was with CBS Sports.
He was with ESPN in 1980 when the network started doing the induction live.
“The Hall of Fame had never done that before,” Grande said. “They asked me to help out.”
Grande has been part of the ceremony ever since, which shows how respected Grande is in baseball. He introduces the returning Hall of Famers at the reception and serves as emcee. For Grande, who seems to know everyone currently in baseball, it is a chance to meet the stars who played before he was a broadcaster.
“It's an honor,” he said. “You see Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, all the greats sitting there.”
John Sanders, the Cleveland Indians' play-by-play man for FSNO, will fill in for Grande on Sunday's Reds game.
NO MARTY: The most qualified play-by-play man in town won't be doing Xavier basketball on Channel 64. Marty Brennaman is not interested.
“I don't want to do regular-season games,” he said. “When I was doing (Southeastern Conference) games a few years ago, they wanted me to do more, and I said no. I don't want to commit to that much travel in the (Reds') offseason.”
MORE XAVIER: Channel 64 is weighing proposals from five people to produce and direct Xavier basketball. The station will use someone under a freelance arrangement.
“We don't have the expertise to do it,” Channel 64 General Manager Bill Pullian said.
Pullian hopes to have the production team set in about two weeks.
“Then we'll hire the talent,” Pullian said.
A strong candidate to direct the games is Matt Luken, who directed Xavier broadcasts on Channel 9.
Pullian said he has heard from 20 candidates interested in the play-by-play duties.
LANCE-LARKIN: Lance McAlister had a talk with Barry Larkin on Sunday after Larkin said he heard McAlister had been talking him down on WBOB-AM (1160) and wanted to meet him.
Larkin said nothing was really resolved.
“But at least he showed his face,” Larkin said.
ESPN AGAIN: The Reds' game with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday will be the backup game on ESPN. It will be the Reds' second ESPN appearance in a week.
Tonight's Reds game is not on TV locally, but the five games following it are, starting with Saturday's game on the Fox network.
John Fay covers TV/radio for The Enquirer. He can be reached at 768-8445.
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