Changes coming on MASN baseball broadcasts

Jim Williams, The Examiner
Nov 10, 2006 5:00 AM (1 hr 45 mins ago)
Current rank: # 5 of 6,178 articles

BALTIMORE - With the recent news that former Washington Nationals color analyst Tom Paciorek was let go, the big question is: Will the new Nationals’ opening have an effect on Orioles broadcasts, now that both are on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network?


Bob Carpenter will return as the Nationals’ play-by-play man, but his partner is yet to be determined. Scuttlebutt from Chicago and Phoenix says former Chicago Cubs broadcaster and Orioles pitcher Steve Stone has been in contact with the Nationals about the opening and that he wants the job.

Stone worked at ESPN last season, but he’d like to do home games for a local team. His wife is from the Washington area, so when the opening came he apparently jumped at the opportunity.

But MASN could hire Stone, partner him with Jim Palmer for Orioles broadcasts and send Buck Martinez to Washington. Martinez, who is a MASN employee, has worked with Carpenter at ESPN in the past. They have a good broadcast history together.

But there is another big name in the mix. Don Sutton, the former major league pitcher and long-time Braves broadcaster on TBS, got caught in the numbers game in Atlanta and is available. Like Stone, he has shown interest in the Nationals’ opening. He certainly knows team president Stan Kasten well, and one would think his résumé would lead to strong consideration.

MASN and the Nationals are likely to get a number of prospective tapes, because this is one of the premier jobs in baseball. It will certainly attract some other big-name candidates.

Joe Angel, Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra are all expected to be back calling O’s games, along with Jim Palmer and Martinez ... for now.

Meanwhile, both the O’s and Nationals are looking at new radio deals. Each team’s one-year deals expired, prompting hopes of a long-term contract and possibly a change of stations.

Stay tuned.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. E-mail him at jwilliamsexaminer@gmail.com.
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