Jerry Howarth retiring (effective immediately)

[Wo1verine]

Welfare replacements

[And1Skip]

Siddall out of the booth!! Woot!!

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/joe-siddall-joins-blue-jays-central-tv-analyst-sportsnet/

“Since joining the radio broadcast team in 2014, Joe has become one of the industry’s leading analysts,” said Rob Corte, Vice President, Sportsnet & NHL Production.

said no one ever. and that's why we are reducing his time on the air.

(seems like the nicest guy, just offers ZERO insight. parrots whatever Jerry says. talks about pitch location 100 times a game. I turn off the radio once he starts talking a stream of empty calories)

I like the addition of Cliff Floyd though..always entertaining and honest - wish he would be more of a regular. Kevin Barker? I mean I know he has a job there because.. but I admit he has improved immensely since he first started as a media guy.

[BigLeagueChew]

As long as it's not Arencibia.

[C Court]

Looks like our prayers have been answered. It’s NOT Wilner.

Read on Twitter

[Lateral Quicks]

From what little I've listened to this spring, Wagner is the correct choice. Good voice, and just the right amount of enthusiasm.

They had another guy on with a great voice, but he was a bit of a robot - probably would be better on TV.

Now who will be paired with Ben Wagner?

[Al_Oliver]

Looks like our prayers have been answered. It’s NOT Wilner.

Read on Twitter

One of the Jays best moves this offseason...

[C Court]

Listened to a lot of the home opener in the car on the radio and I thought Ben Wagner was very good. He has a professional, articulate delivery. Different than Tom or Jerry, but easy to listen to.

[raptors2019]

Was watching video highlights of Ben Wagners calls and I like it. Definitely better than Buck and Wilner.

[The_Hater]

Was watching video highlights of Ben Wagners calls and I like it. Definitely better than Buck and Wilner.

Buck is a Solid colour guy but has always been terrible PBP. I wonder how many games Shulman does this season?

[C Court]

Read on Twitter

[phillipmike]

As long as it's not Arencibia.

See what you did? Now we have Thole.

[BigLeagueChew]

See what you did? Now we have Thole.

For 9 games. How often do you listen on radio?

[phillipmike]

See what you did? Now we have Thole.

For 9 games. How often do you listen on radio?

Pretty often but im not concerned... i was being sarcastic. I actually dont mind any Jays broadcasters both on the radio or on tv except for Kevin Barker... Barker is knowledgeable but his voice makes him hard to understand like Boomhauer.

[BigLeagueChew]

Pretty often but im not concerned... i was being sarcastic. I actually dont mind any Jays broadcasters both on the radio or on tv except for Kevin Barker... Barker is knowledgeable but his voice makes him hard to understand like Boomhauer.

Oh i know , usually just gameday boxscores or tv for me.

[C Court]

Read on Twitter

[polo007]

Read on Twitter

When your first real job is the hot, hard work of baling hay, any diversion is welcome.

For Ben Wagner, the escape from working on his family’s farm in rural New Paris, Ind. — a small, flat town of about 1,500 that sits 55 kilometres south of South Bend — was a baseball game playing on the radio in the background. It was the way the game sounded, the rhythm and the intimacy, that enticed him.

“I first fell in love with it being on the farm and just bouncing around on the fender on a tractor in the fields as a kid,” Wagner said. “That’s where I was really drawn to baseball on the radio. It was an easy entertainment for me, too.”

Now Wagner’s voice is the one on the radio.

He began calling baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Class-A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws, in 2004. Like the players whose afternoons and evenings he chronicled, Wagner moved up through the minor-league system over 14 seasons, the bulk of them spent with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, affiliated with the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets before their relationship with the Blue Jays began in 2013.

In March, shortly after the longtime voice of Blue Jays baseball, Jerry Howarth, announced his retirement, Wagner was called up to the big leagues as Howarth’s replacement.

“That’s something that I really battled with in the last three or four years,” Wagner said. “I really struggled with: Was I doing the right thing? Was I doing the job the right way? Was I in the right spot? Were all these things supposed to connect? Because guys with less experience, or even really minimal professional baseball experience, were getting major-league jobs and that was really frustrating for me. Really frustrating. That’s what makes all of this even more gratifying.”

[C Court]

Another leaves Toronto for the Atlanta Braves

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[Lateral Quicks]

Another leaves Toronto for the Atlanta Braves

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First we lost his bat, then we lost his voice.

[spykelee]

Personally I didn't like Thole. I love the insights of former players but sometimes there broadcasting chops are just too terrible for me to overlook. Working in broadcasting I prefer former players who can also grasp the broadcasting side above all. Failing that though, If given a choice, I'd take a baseball fan that's a professional broadcaster over a former player who's a terrible broadcaster. In that vein, I wont miss Thole. He sucked