Wayne Hagin is top candidate for WFAN's Mets booth
My profound apologies to WatchDog readers across North America for being silent most of the day. I was at Giants Stadium for much of time. More about that later.
For now, I wanted to share this: I just spoke to someone familiar with WFAN's plans for filling the vacant spot in the Mets booth next to Howie Rose and was told veteran Wayne Hagin is, in fact, the leading candidate for the job.
(This confirms a report in Wednesday's New York Post, which beat me to it by thismuch. Touche!)
Hagin has a long resume, including three years with the Cardinals before being let go after the 2005 season.
It is not clear exactly what contractual arrangement will be made with whoever gets the job, because WFAN's deal with the Mets runs only through the end of 2008.
Hagin created a huge stir before the 2005 season when he accused Todd Helton of the Rockies, whose games Hagin previously had called, of being on "the juice.''
Helton was furious, telling ESPN at the time: "I would like to extend a hunting trip to him deep in the woods somewhere.''
Hagin originally had said this on the radio: "I'm going to say something that is the absolute truth, and he will be mad at me for saying it if it gets out, but Todd Helton, a tremendously gifted baseball player, he tried it. I know he tried it because Don Baylor told me. He said to me, 'I told him to get off the juice, that he was a player who didn't need that, get off it. It made him into a robot at first base defensively, and may have altered his swing.' He got off it, but he is not unlike so many athletes who have tried it because they wanted to get into that level playing field."
Wow! Hagin later apologized and clarified, telling ESPN Radio that he "was referring to supplements, creatine, not steroids" when he said "juiced" and that there was "no way I would have said Todd was on steroids."
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Comments (17)
Neil- Do you think WFAN will try aggresively to renew the Mets contract? I sure hope so- I would miss the lead-in jingle to commericals-"Let's Go Mets F-A-N".
Also- does WFAN or the Mets employ the radio broadcasters?
WFAN employs them, and the Mets approve them.
I do think eventually the Mets will stay on WFAN, but if they do not CBS Radio will just shift the Yankees over from 880.
I thought I heard you on XM 175 Baseball Beat today.
Neil, this will be the second time Ed Coleman won't get the job. Why won't he?
Susan: You did. How'd I do?
I thought you were great, first because you spoke in a normal, conversational tone of voice. Some get on radio and raise their voice a few octaves and adopt other affectations which render them hard to listen to, but you didn't do that. You mentioned journalists such as yourself rely on access to certain people for information. Various small-time types (bloggers) who comment on work of persons such as yourself don't have to worry about what they say so much as they don't rely on access to big name type people.That was just one point I thought was interesting.
Jeff- you are right. Eddie C is a good guy and I have enjoyed listening to him on Mets Extra and especially lately on the FAN during a regular show. I'm sure he must be dissapointed. I always thought he did a good job filling in for Howie early every season when Howie is doing Islanders games.
After looking up some archives among Cardinals fans, Wayne Hagin seems to have his whole career judged on the basis of one incident. He was let go by the Cardinals after the best radio guy in the business at the time not named Gary Cohen, Missouri native John Rooney, was let go by the White Sox after a contract dispute and was available. Hagin had a tough task trying to be the follow up from Jack Buck and also trying to not smack Mike Shannon in the face during a broadcast.
What was he doing in his spare time? Is he like Scott Graham or Kirk Ferentz who just seems to enjoy having their name in running for another job?
Hagin is good...wish they would have fired Drunks Mike Shannon & LaRussa instead...enjoy his wide knowledge of the game.
Neil, you ignored my question regarding Eddie C!
I have listened to Wayne Hagin for a number of years and agree that he is deserving of this opportunity because he is probably one of the best announcers at giving you every day information about the team and goings on in the baseball world. I'm sure he will do an outstanding job in New York.
It'd be great if Eddie C took over for Screech Roberts in the midday show!
Good Read by Brian Walton
The Hagin-Shannon-Rooney Affair
Brian Walton’s take on the major changes in the Cardinals broadcasting booth. I have been asked why I hadn’t commented on the change in the Cardinals radio broadcasting crew announced at the end of last week. I have to admit that I needed a few days to sort out my thoughts with the help of some others who were closer to the situation.
The bottom line for me is that when he was originally hired in St. Louis, Wayne Hagin needed to accomplish two things. Surprisingly enough, he came up short in the one that initially seemed to be the more attainable of the two. It is universally acknowledged that no one could replace the late Jack Buck. Yet, in terms of his knowledge and approach to the game, Hagin proved to Cardinals listeners that he belonged in this or any other baseball booth. However, his own personal Waterloo may have occurred due to his inability to fully mesh with Mike Shannon.
Say what you want about Shannon’s story-telling, gravelly delivery or malaprops, but the fact remains that he is “The Man” in terms of Cardinals broadcasting and will continue to be as long as he wants to be. Shannon earned that through his years wearing the Birds on the Bat as a World Champion player as well as 34 years of service behind the microphone. Like any relationship between two co-workers, the die between Shannon and Hagin was likely cast at the very start, and three years later, it was what it was. Fully understanding that, the Cardinals seized the opportunity to make a change, in hopes of establishing an even better chemistry on the airwaves.
Putting people and personalities aside, I can understand that. While Hagin has a strong resume, John Rooney’s is even stronger. He has worked the NFL, the NCAA Tournament, the World Series and college football bowl games, establishing a national presence. Rooney is a Missouri native and worked for KMOX in the 1980’s and on Mizzou basketball broadcasts. I lived in Minnesota when Rooney called games for them and recall I was disappointed when he left after the Twins’ 1987 World Series win.
Yet, while I cannot fault the fundamental decision to make a change, it is a separate discussion regarding how that change was handled by Cardinals management, a process in which Hagin was the recipient of “shabby treatment” and was the victim of an “ambush”, said Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch. Even team president Mark Lamping, who apparently delivered the news himself, coined it a “blindsiding”. A pretty damning quote, if you ask me.
Hagin deserved better. Heck, anyone would deserve better. Yet, it isn’t the first time that team management has been accused of insensitivity in personnel matters with on and off-field employees. While that does not justify how this change went down, it does help explain it a bit. But, just a bit.
Personally, I am sorry to see Hagin go. He was always supportive of me and willing to help, despite the ample time pressures he faced in his job and in his many community-facing activities. I will always remember that.
Initially, I was unsure if his enthusiastic persona was genuine or not. It didn’t take long for me to learn that Hagin is totally sincere – a truly good man. Yet, he knew what we all knew – that his partnership with Shannon was not ideal.
As a result, it was time for a change. Hagin has made it clear that he will move on and protect the interests of his family, which is where his priorities should be at a time like this. It is too bad his tenure in St. Louis had to end this way, but I know I am not alone in wishing
Neil - I wrote in yesterday supporting Wayne Hagin and for whatever reason it wasn't posted.
Jeff: I don't know.
Butch: Sometimes stuff isn't posted for screwy technical reasons. I will see if I can find the post in the "junk" comments section and get it out of there.
Wayne Hagin is a tremendous announcer, and a great man. The Mets are lucky to get him. My source, which is infallable, says that he got a three year contract.
Shannon is a relic, a rusty one at that, but the Cards will never let him go. He will drown in his Budweiser in the booth before the have the stones (and brains) to fire him. Hagin was on KMOX through 2005, but the Cards came crawling back to him when they needed a quick replacement on WB11 for the 2006 Championship winning season(sorry, quick gloat;). He got his World Series ring after all...
As both a Mets and Tampa Bay Rays fan (DON'T ASK!!!) I can't help but notice how much this guy looks like Joe Magrane!
Any way I can hear samples of him online? Wanna know what I am getting into.