. sat down with and his dad, Chip, to discuss the passing of the broadcasting torch ðŸ¤
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics)
Like father, like son.
And grandson. And great-grandson.
This has been a special week for the Carays, the first family of baseball broadcasting. Oakland A’s television play-by-play announcer Chris Caray called his second big league series, and it happened with his dad, Chip, broadcasting the games on the Cardinals’ version of the telecasts.
“It’s a special day for our family — that’s my boy,†Chip proudly said when Chris was shown on the Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest screen during the series opener Monday in Oakland.
Chris was emotional on the air, with NBC ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ California, when partner Dallas Braden brought up the meaning of the day with Chris’ dad working in a nearby booth.
“It’s really special,†Chris said, his voice breaking a bit. “I’m just so proud of him and just being here. ... It’s all coming together.â€
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The family linage traces to 1945 in St. Louis, when Harry Caray began calling games of the Cardinals and Browns en route to a legendary career that included a long and immensely successful run with the Chicago Cubs after jobs with the A's and Chicago White Sox following his controversial dismissal in St. Louis.
His son Skip Caray built his own legacy in Atlanta and, like Harry in Chicago, became nationally prominent though a cable television “superstation†that carried the team’s games. Skip’s son Chip, currently the lead Cardinals TV play-by-play announcer, has kept the family business thriving. So has Chip’s half-brother Josh, who broadcasts the Angels’ Class AA team in Alabama.
The fourth generation made it to the big leagues last week, when Chris called his first Athletics game for NBC ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ California. He’s in a play-by-play rotation with — who has the bulk of the games and is the first woman to be in a team’s primary role.
So Chris was thrilled that his schedule, which did not begin until the club’s 14th game last Friday, included the series against the Cardinals.
“I’m grateful and fortunate enough that they picked this series (opener) to be my fourth game,†he told The Associated Press. “I can’t really even put it into words to tell you the truth.â€
Chip Caray still had a beam in his voice Thursday after returning to St. Louis following the series in Oakland and discussing Chris’ success.
“He’s off to a great start,†Chip said. “Our family’s buttons are bursting.â€
It was a family reunion in the Bay Area where Chip’s wife and Chris’ mother, Susan, also was on hand and their son was able to pull a nifty move after dinner one night.
“He did the old Irish goodbye, left his old man with the tab,†Chip said.
But there was no joking when it came to talking about Chris’ ascent.
“He’s found his niche, which is what every parent wants,†Chip said, adding that Chris has been “welcomed with open arms†by the team and his broadcast colleagues.
It might not take long for the family tree to add another big-league broadcaster branch.
Stefan Caray, Chris’ twin brother, is in his third season of calling games for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Class AA affiliate in Amarillo, Texas. He worked the past two years with Chris and also interviewed for the Oakland job.
His father thinks Stefan will get a big league job soon, although he said he didn’t try to steer either boy into the family business.
“Very little. My dad was the same way†with me, he said.
Chris’ rise to the big leagues gives his father reason to reflect. Chip was 24 — the age Chris is now — when he got his first pro sports broadcasting job, doing play-by-play for the NBA’s Orlando Magic.
“It’s very strange being on this side of passing the torch,†he said. “But it really has little to do with me — it validates what Harry started.â€
And he said he hopes Harry, who died in 1998, is “out there in the universe†watching with pride — whether “he’s looking down or up.â€
Blues sink
The Cardinals had their worst season ever last year in local television ratings, and the Blues have just concluded their lowest-rated campaign in nearly a decade and a half.
Nielsen, which tracks viewership, reports that an average of 2.9% of the market tuned in to Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest’s Blues telecasts this season. That’s the worst figure since 2009-10, the year after the club dropped an over-the-air station as a component of its local TV coverage. The rating then was 2.3.
A combination of an up-and-down season on the ice, leading the club to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year, and BSM’s distribution problems contributed to the viewership decline. While Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest is available on major programming providers in its service region such as Charter (Spectrum), DirecTV, Fubo, AT&T U-verse, Xfinity (Comcast) and Mediacom, it is not carried on YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV or Dish Network.
One difference between now and that 2009-10 season is that Bally sells a Blues streaming package directly to consumers — unlike with the Cardinals, a subscription to a programming distributor is not needed to watch the games. BSM does not release its streaming viewership figures, but it is believed it would translate into about one ratings point.
But this year’s rating is down from last year’s figure of 3.4, when the direct-streaming option also was available. That followed two seasons at 4.3.
Nonetheless, the Blues are among the top five American NHL teams in local ratings for the 11th consecutive season. Final numbers are not yet available, but heading into the final week Pittsburgh and Buffalo were battling for the top spot. Boston was firmly at No. 3, with the Blues solidly in the fourth slot.