This will somehow be his 16th season in the booth. And it changed to raise it, raise the Jolly Roger. Johnny Cueto dropped the ball on the mound; two more playoff appearances followed. KDKA is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. Ill hold any critiques of these three until they get some games under their belt, but I do remember cringing at McKenrys robotic attempts at post-game commentary, most of which sounded like a deluge of sport clichs. The guy who once stood in the back of the broadcast booth and acted as a runner now enters his 27th season as the Pirates' play-by-play man. WebPirates Broadcaster John Wehner: 'I Like Our Chances Right Now Better Than The Cubs' June 30, 2017 / 3:45 PM / CBS Pittsburgh PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) -- As we enter Went to Indiana University. And as the decades passed, the math did not add up: Major League Baseball hurtled toward $11 billion in annual revenues, yet the Pirates largest financial commitment remained the six-year, $60 million deal given catcher Jason Kendall in 2000. The play was chaotic, with the ball ricocheting in the air off Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek's shoulder pads, before being secured by Darby. WebJohn Paul Wehner (pronounced "Waner") (born June 29, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former utility player in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was doing sports talk at night. This article is written by Brian Frank of HerdChronicles.com, a website dedicated to some of the many great stories from the storied history of the Buffalo Bisons. I know that sounds like Im rewarding him for simply doing his job, but it can be tough, especially if the supporting crew is lackluster (Im looking at you Wehner, but more on that later). 2023 Audacy, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I didn't really know what he meant." I feel happy Im going to be here for a long time. ", "So you wonder, do you keep letting him run out there until he runs into a bit of a slump? Reynolds hasnt been caught in five attempts, while leader Ji Hwan Bae has 11steals in 12 attempts. Wehner recounts his improbable journey to the Pittsburgh Pirates Then I go up to Buffalo one year after they had opened up Pilot Field, and a million people was a regular occurrence. But it made it an easy transition." Right-hander Vince Velasquez, signed for a $3.15 million flyer this winter, has a 3.06 ERA through six starts, nearly two runs better than his 4.93 career mark entering the season. They talk about RTJR, Raise the Jolly Roger, #Raiseit. Without being disrespectful to any other minor league team. "And that's what Van did all the time I just adored him. And again, that's a major league facility and operation, everything about it. His nickname is "Rock". Until the day I got called up by the team, I never thought Id make it, he said. My point is don't ever lose that passion. His nickname is "Rock". You have to let me think about it.' It's guttural. Not a bad idea. John Wehner Career. All other remaining Pirates Grapefruit League games can be heard via webcast at pirates.com with mobile tune-in available via the MLB app. Can that continue? Buffalo rallied for eight runs in the game's final frame, but Greg Edge was called out on a close play at the plate to end the game. He also noted the professionalism demonstrated by the Bisons ownership and front office: "For me it was easy to have fun when the Bisons held themselves to such a high standard. He called minor league games for the Great Falls White Sox, Jacksonville Suns, Billings Mustangs, and select games for the final two seasons of the Montreal Expos. "The people in the front office realized that I wanted to become a broadcaster," Brown said. "He was from Cincinnati," Brown said of Finney. Johns salary is $80,532 annually. Finally, there are some signs of permanence. Well, you dont need one. Trying to muster conversation or insight from Wehner seems akin to pulling teeth. Yet you dont have to squint too hard to see a core forming. It sure sounds like Pirates Broadcaster John Wehner believes they can when he joined The Cook and Poni Show on Friday in his regular weekly spot. He joined the crew prior to the 2005 season and serves as an analyst on both So that absolutely stands out. Something I like about Block is that he tries to take somewhat of an analytical approach to the game, often citing certain statistics. Greg Brown, Joe Block, Bob Walk and John Wehner will return to call the action throughout the 2021 season. WASHINGTON Bryan Reynolds first four seasons in Pittsburgh were not so much the launch of an All-Star career as they were a feedback loop, continuous reminders of what it meant to be a Pirate. As Owner Must Be on a Mission to Alienate Everyone in Oakland "John never hit homers, rarely did he start. It's passion. "As he spoke about his time with the Herd, memories of interacting with some of the Bisons' stars from that era began flooding back to him. After retiring from playing, Wehner took a job as hitting coach for the Altoona Curve, a Pirates minor league affiliate, and held that position from 2002 through 2004. As fate would have it, the Pittsburgh kid came up big in the historic game. Because of injury he went back and forth between the major and minor leagues before being picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996. I dont know how the rest of the fanbase feels about Wehner I dont keep my finger on the pulse in that regard, but I think he is nothing short of bad. All my family and friends are big Bucco fans. The next day, Brown was called in to WGR program director Chuck Finney's office, for what he assumed would be a reprimand for shouting over Miller's call on the crucial play. On many nights we would outdraw Pittsburgh. I think I was on the caravan, because that's another thing I did, I helped put together the Pirate caravan. So I knew them all. "Mike got to know me very well and realized I wanted to be an announcer someday," Brown recalled. Pirates announce 2021 Spring Training broadcast schedule After a successful collegiate career at Indiana University, he was drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round I was very blessed and I owe that to Jim Leyland.. Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Starter Mitch Keller is nearing the ace status the club once envisioned for him, and will have two more years of control after this one. After the game he received a call from an Indiana University scout with a scholarship. Pete's rsum was big league, and that was certainly part of it, that he treated that position like a major-league broadcaster. I get tweets and texts and pictures from people in every part of the world, showing them raising the Jolly Roger. "I became a tv sports anchor at WFMJ tv in Youngstown, Ohio for a summer." Going back to 2012 Bleacher Report ranked the Bucs broadcast team at 28th. John Wehner Has Expressed Interest In Becoming The Pirates He suggested me, his assistant." For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for John Wehner. "I was doing sportscasts. Perhaps this is the broadcast teams way of grooming a replacement for Wehner, as the three will rotate throughout the year. (10.15.2020) Bucco broadcaster Wehner talks baseball, life The schedule gets tougher immediately: The Pirates opena three-game road series Tuesday against the only other team hotter than them the 23-6 Tampa Bay Rays. MICHELLE GANASSI michelleg@dailyamerican.com. Lanny Frattare had 'There was no doubt about it!' Block used to call games for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Ive heard some fans suggest he still has somewhat of an allegiance to the Brew Crew. I'm not sure what they do, I guess it depends on his play. All Rights Reserved, Raise the Jolly Roger: Herd Chronicles catches up with former Bisons broadcaster, Greg Brown. 2023 Audacy, Inc. All rights reserved. WebJohn Paul Wehner [1] is an American former utility player in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In April 2022, owner Bob Nutting broke Kendalls franchise record, even if on another team-compatible extension for infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes: Eight years, $70 million, with a 2030 club option. Pirates Preview: Can Oviedo & Bucs maintain momentum and earn the sweep? Brown's suggestion was shot down at the time, but the idea returned years later. Wehner talked about the emotion of playing the final game at the stadium where he grew up watching the Pirates. PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan)- Through 20 games of the 2019 season, the Pirates have battled injuries, blown late-game leads, won games late, have gotten excellent starting pitchingand have had multiple players make their Major League debuts. They talked to my boss, the VP of Broadcasting, Dean Jordan, about recommendations he might have had for someone who might be able to do some play-by-play backup and color, but also help put the radio network together. When Jerry Springer retired from "Judge Jerry" a year ago after 40 years on TV, he told me he had "a great life, it's a life of no regrets." The epic game went 18 innings before the Sounds finally prevailed by a score of 9-8.Brown also reminisced about Game 4 of Buffalo's five game playoff series with Denver in 1991, when the Bisons staged a furious comeback after trailing 9-0 and being no-hit for eight innings. Brown and Weber began doing Bills pre-game shows on WGR, even though the station didn't have the rights to the team's broadcasts yet. I talked to him (Wehner) before the game. Pirates Broadcaster John Wehner Talks Team's Struggles "There is a ton of holes in that (Cubs) lineup and the rotation is iffy. WebTHE ROCK joins us for one of the final times of the season. Then I really helped put the entertainment package together during ball games." Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasters and media, Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories, Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series home run, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Wehner&oldid=1109117982, American expatriate baseball players in Canada, American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hit the final home run and grounded into the final out in, Tied for MLB record 99 consecutive games without an error at 3rd base, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 8 September 2022, at 02:03. "In 1990, WGR finally got the rights to broadcast Bills games and Brown and Weber continued to host the pre- and post-game shows. "While he had to make this big career decision, another enticing opportunity presented itself. Not only did Brown catch Wakefield, he also stepped on the mound once to throw to Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Prince. Yet Reynolds deal answers one question effusively and perhaps signals better, sustainable times ahead. He graduated from Michigan State University of 1999 and resided on the east side of Milwaukee with his wife, Bethany, when he was with the Brewers from 20122015. "I can't sit here and say they we are a favorite," Wehner added. The somewhat errant throw is fielded in Jeter-esque style by Justin Morneau and then relayed to Russell Martin at home, who then tags out Nate Schierholtz. Five years later and McCutchen is back, on a one-year deal that puts him directly behind Reynolds in the batting order. Pun aside, Joe Block is still the new kid on the block. "And I'm going crazy. Frank has done extensive research on the early days of the Bisons and shares tremendous stories about the team and baseball in the, This article is written by Brian Frank of HerdChronicles.com, a website dedicated to some of the many great stories from the storied history of the Buffalo Bisons. Once when Joe Block was talking about a players hair (it might have been John Jaso but I cant find any evidence to corroborate this claim), he said, You need a guy on the team with crazy hair, simply trying to make conversation. Certainly, theres room for criticism of the team, and perhaps Brown would benefit from appealing to the fans sensibilities in that regard, but overall Brown seems to do a good job as the primary play-by-play guy for the Pirates. The call has become synonymous with Pirates wins. And no, he wasnt a pitcher. "No doubt about that. Its just that Santanas three steals in his 26 games exceeds his total for 349 games between 2020-2022. He was the radio studio host and backup announcer for the New Orleans Hornets and handled play-by-play for various regional networks for college football and basketball before the Brewers hired him. "Sure enough, he hits a home run," Brown remembered. But then he went to Giant Eagle and ran into announcer Bob Walks son. And teammates with one guy who was one of his biggest fans when McCutchen was the 2013 NL MVP. Sports is unrehearsed. Martin rolls to his knees and holds the ball up in triumphant victory as Jason Grilli comes to hug him, an image that will be immortalized in our collective Pirates memories. Miller's infectious enthusiasm rubbed off on Brown. "It was from John Wehner." Wehner hit a two-run home run to give the Pirates the lead in the fifth inning. "He closed the door and said 'You know why I'm calling you in here?'" On January 30, 2016 he was hired to serve as play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates replacing Tim Neverett who left to become the radio play-by-play voice for the Boston Red Sox. As of late, however, the Pirates booth has received low marks from a slew of online evaluators (whether or not theyre qualified to judge them is another story).