Results tagged ‘ Cory Provus ’

Provus remembers Santo

Cory Provus only spent two seasons on the Chicago Cubs’ broadcast team, but he’ll never forget his time with Ron Santo. 
Santo, who put the “color” in color analyst during Cubs radio broadcasts on WGN for the past 21 seasons, died Thursday from complications of bladder cancer. Provus, who did pre- and post-game work with Santo in 2007 and 2008, learned the sad news on Thursday night. 
“I loved the guy,” Provus said. 
Provus felt instantly embraced by the Cubs veteran color man. His first on-air work for the Cubs came in March 2007 in Las Vegas, where the team played one of its annual Spring Training exhibitions. Provus was nervous, and feeling a bit down after boarding the charter flight to Cincinnati for Opening Day. 
“Halfway through the flight, Ron came back and sat with me for an hour,” Provus said. “He told me to relax, be myself, have fun and that we were going to laugh all the time. That meant the world to me. That started our friendship.” 
Provus worked particularly close with Santo because part of the daily duties of the pregame host included recording Santo’s daily chat with manager Lou Piniella. The on-the-record portion lasted just five minutes, but the off-the-record portion was the good stuff. Provus sat in every day while two baseball veterans bantered. 
It was the best part of the job, Provus said. 
“I didn’t say much unless they wanted me to,” Provus said. “I just soaked it up.” 
Santo played 14 of his 15 seasons with the Cubs and remained a fan even after joining the broadcast team in 1990. He cheered the Cubs when they scored a big run and groaned when they committed a costly error, and never apologized for either. 
“And he never should apologize,” said Brewers radio broadcaster Cory Provus, who worked very closely with Santo as the Cubs’ pre- and postgame host in 2007 and 2008. “That’s what Cubs fans want. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo make such a great team, because if you missed any analysis, Pat was there to pick it up. 
“Ron was vital. Cubs fans wanted to hear Ron Santo be Ron Santo. They didn’t want to hear somebody say, ‘Oh, he hung a breaking ball.’ That’s what a lot of guys say. Ron was different. He was genuine, he was pure.” 
Santo had both legs amputated below the knees, the result of complications from his diabetes, so Provus and engineer Matt Boltz would help Santo get around the ballpark. Santo took a keen interest in Provus’ marital prospects, and gave a hearty endorsement after meeting a then-girlfriend named Dana. Cory hasn’t dated anyone since, and in two weeks, he and Dana will be married. 
Provus moved on to Milwaukee beginning in 2009 and recently signed a two-year contract extension through 2012. He’ll continue calling Brewers games alongside Bob Uecker, who has battled his own health issues this year. 
“I’ve been lucky enough to work daily with the voices and faces of their franchise,” Provus said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget.” 
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Uecker to resume in-game routine

I just spoke to Brewers radio man Cory Provus, who is thrilled to have his broadcast partner, Bob Uecker, returning to the booth beginning Friday. Uecker will address his workload that afternoon, but Provus’ understanding is that when he does call games, Uecker will resume his regular routine.

“He’ll have the Macha show, and he’ll call six innings and I’ll call three,” Provus said. “I’m really excited about it. I think everybody should be.”
Uecker has been on leave since undergoing heart surgery on April 30. 
“I’m looking forward to hearing the first ‘Get up, get up, get out of here! Gone!’” Provus said. “It’s been a blast with Davey [Nelson] the last three months, and he’s been a huge help to me and the broadcast. It’s just the Bob is the Brewers. This is the voice of the franchise, and we miss him.”
Look for more on Uecker’s pending routine over at Brewers.com later today.
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Spring broadcast schedule set

The Brewers today finalized their 2010 Spring Training broadcast schedule on Friday and announced that all 30 spring game dates will include a broadcast on at least one of three platforms: Webcast via Brewers.com, radio via WTMJ-AM and television via FOX Sports Wisconsin.
A total of 16 games will be broadcast on Newsradio 620 WTMJ with Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker and Cory Provus calling the action on the Brewers Radio Network. The TV schedule includes Monday, March 8 vs. Seattle; Monday, March 15 vs. Cleveland and Saturday, March 27 vs. Texas.  Brewers television play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson and Brewers television analyst Bill Schroeder will team up for their fourth year in the broadcast booth in 2010.   
Twelve other games will be webcast on Brewers.com. Anderson will once again handle the bulk of that duty.
Here’s the full schedule in PDF form: 2010 Spring Training Broadcast Schedule (calendar).pdf
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Provus is radio pick; radio and TV schedule unveiled

The Brewers’ flagship radio station hired Cory Provus of WGN in Chicago to fill the vacancy in Milwaukee’s radio booth on the same day the Brewers unveiled their Spring Training and regular-season broadcast schedules.

Provus, a 2000 graduate of Syracuse University, appeared on AM 620-WTMJ in Milwaukee on Monday morning and will call his first game alongside Bob Uecker on Feb. 25, when the Brewers host the A’s at Maryvale Baseball Park. He handled Cubs pre- and post-game programming for WGN and often spelled play-by-play man Pat Hughes in the fifth inning of game broadcasts.

He replaces Jim Powell, who left in January for a higher-profile job with the Atlanta Braves after 13 seasons in the booth with Uecker.

The Feb. 25 game is one of 36 Brewers Spring Training games and all will be broadcast either on the Brewers Radio Network, MLB.com, FSN Wisconsin or Milwaukee’s WMLW TV. A total of three games will be broadcast on television, 19 on radio and 16 via MLB.com webcast.

During the regular season, Uecker and Provus will call all 162 games on the radio as usual, and a total of 157 games will be televised, with Brian Anderson (who has an excellent MLBlog, by the way) and Bill Schroeder back in the booth. That includes 136 games on FSN Wisconsin, 15 games aired locally in Milwaukee on WMLW and four national broadcasts.

On his blog, Anderson wrote that Telly Hughes will replace departed sideline reporter Trenni Kusnierek on TV broadcasts.

The national games, some with updated start times, include:

April 12 game vs. Cubs at 7:05 p.m. CT on ESPN
May 24 at Twins at 7:05 p.m. CT on ESPN
May 26 vs. Cardinals at 7:05 p.m. CT on ESPN
June 13 vs. White Sox at 3:05 p.m. CT on FOX
June 15 at Indians at 6:05 p.m. CT on ESPN
June 20 at Tigers at 3:05 p.m. CT on FOX
Sept. 5 vs. Giants at 3:05 p.m. CT on FOX

All of those times are subject to change, of course. The team’s complete 2009 broadcast schedule will be online soon.
 

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