Play-by-Playcast

Mike Reis has been the voice of the SIU Salukis since he was, well, in college. Still in school when he called the 1977 College World Series, Reis has never left Carbondale more than four decades later.  Beloved across Illinois and the midwest, Reis is one of the best college voices in the country.

Donny Baarns had a huge 2018.  The veteran MiLB broadcaster made his MLB debut, filling in for the A's in the fall. For several years he's called spring training games for the A's and currently calls middle innings for the Omaha Storm Chasers.  Donny talks about his ascent through the minors, taking a leap of faith in moving to Omaha, making his MLB debut and more.

The title of this episode is a little misleading.  Leah Secondo does indeed work for CBS Sports Network.  It's where she and I call women's basketball from time to time.  But she does so much else for so many sports in so many chairs and on so many networks.  And she's a pioneer when it comes to women in the industry.  Follow along on episode #137 with Leah Secondo.

Brendan Burke is one of the brightest young broadcasters in pro hockey, and he's still only in his mid-30's.  Also a voice of hockey on NBC and football on FOX, Burke climbed his way up the ranks before he took over for Howie Rose on Islanders broadcasts.

Anne Marie Anderson didn't start in play-by-play ... actually, she didn't even start her career on-air.  A former producer at ESPN and Emmy winner as part of SportsCenter, Anne Marie continued to pursue the next challenge each step of her career.  She eventually climbed her way to sideline reporting, analyst work and the play-by-play chair.

Steve Wolf has worked with CBS Sports Network since back in the CSTV days.  Originally getting his start as a radio analyst for Xavier men's basketball, Steve worked his way into a larger TV role as he ascended through the business.  Steve talks how he got into broadcasting, calling a sport that wasn't in his wheelhouse, how he creates his relationship with his partners, his prep and more.

Robert Ford worked his way through the baseball ranks to become the voice of the Houston Astros, reaching the pinnacle of the sport when he broadcast the final out of a World Series win just two seasons ago.  Ford dives into why he loves pxp -- specifically baseball play-by-play, and how he's gotten to where he is.

Rafael Hernandez Brito, or "The Mayor" came to America in his teenage years after leaving El Salvador.  After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and working a sales job, Rafa decided at 31 to pursue a sportscasting dream.  He's since become one of the preeminent Hispanic voices in American sports radio today.  He's called the Final Four, Super Bowl, Worlds Series and NBA Finals...and we're just getting started.

Guy Haberman has called Major League Baseball, the NBA, Network TV and held every role from hosting to play-by-play and more.  This week he joins the podcast to talk about how he built his pallet of employers, how he preps, how he works with analysts, getting creative and more.  Follow guy on twitter @GuyHaberman.

At long last! It's Episode 100 (or 130) of Play-by-PlayCast with the TV voice of the Chicago White Sox, Jason Benetti.  Jason is also a voice for ESPN and Westwood One across a variety of college sports.  We talk our relationship over the years, his creativity on the air, how he improves, working with Bill Walton and more!