After waving bye-bye to radio play-by-play man Joe Angel, Orioles fans will hear Kevin Brown call 50 games on the Orioles Radio Network this year. No, not Kevin Brown the pitcher (who made a brief stopover in Baltimore in 1995), and no, not the Kevin Brown who co-owns the Station North Arts Cafe.
It’s the Kevin Brown who does commentary for ESPN’s coverage of high school football, college football, college basketball and college hockey, and has served as lead broadcaster for the Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
The club also announced a series of new changes to its team of on-air talent.
“Joe will be impossible to replace, but we are confident Orioles fans will receive superb game action and news across all Orioles and MASN platforms,” Greg Bader, Orioles vice president of communications and marketing, said in a statement. “Whether tuning in on television, radio, or following along via digital platforms, our talent will be seen everywhere, and fans will receive top-notch insight into all things Orioles.”
Sara Perlman, host of “MASN All-Access” on the cable network co-owned by the Orioles and Nationals, will provide on-field reports during Orioles games this season. Her co-host for the last two years, Paul Mancano, will run “MASN All-Access” solo.
Rob Long, a sports-talk host with 105.7 the Fan, will host the “O’s Xtra” pre-game and post-game shows on weekends.
And fans will be seeing a lot more of MASN journalist Roch Kubatko, who will take on an expanded role that includes more pre-game and in-game commentary.
Orioles faithful can otherwise expect the same crew from recent years. Gary Thorne will beat the mic for a majority of the television broadcasts along with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer. The always-optimistic Jim Hunter will helm the majority of radio broadcasts, and fill in on TV as needed.
Per usual, Tom Davis and Orioles great Rick Dempsey will continue to handle the lion’s share of pre-game and post-game duties.
Former Orioles Mike Bordick, Dave Johnson, Ben McDonald, Gregg Olson and Brian Roberts will also provide color commentary on both radio and TV throughout the year.
