ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ broadcasting executives love to hire recently retired big-name players to analyze the current game, with Tom Brady set to join Fox’s lead NFL booth this year being the latest prime example. But the Cardinals and their television rightsholder, Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest, are giving a different twist to the former-athletes-on-the-air approach.
Two men who haven’t played for the team in more than a quarter-century — Tom Pagnozzi and Mark Sweeney — have been hired to join the rotation of commentators on its Cards pregame and postgame shows this season that also includes returnees Al Hrabosky, Ricky Horton, Brad Thompson and Jim Edmonds. Thompson and Edmonds take turns as analysts on the game telecasts, too, and Hrabosky does additional promotional work for the club.
“We wanted to add analysts because we had open dates in our studio schedule and to give Horton and Hrabosky more flexibility in their schedules in their work with the Cardinals,†Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest general manager Jack Donovan said.
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While it will be the first broadcasting role for Pagnozzi, Sweeney had been part of the San Diego Padres’ crew for a dozen years but lost that job in the offseason as part of cutbacks associated with the bankruptcy of his employer, Diamond ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Group. MLB took over Padres telecasts in midseason last year and has downsized the production. (Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest also is under the Diamond umbrella but is expected to show the Cards throughout the coming season.)
“‘Pags’ brings that Cardinals connection. Sweeney brings that national experience,†Donovan said.
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were teammates in the late 1990s as the big league career of Pagnozzi, now 61, was winding down and that of Sweeney, now 54, was beginning.
Sweeney called Pagnozzi “one of my favorite teammates†then.
“He was so good to us. I called him ‘Santa Claus’ for a nickname because he was so nice and he took care of us and really showed us the way. He’s so knowledgeable about the game. It’s going to be great to have him†on some shows.
Pagnozzi added he is “happy to see†Sweeney also coming to BSM.
Pagnozzi’s position
Pagnozzi lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he played baseball and later coached at the University of Arkansas, and closely follows the Cardinals. In fact, he said there had been some informal talks previously about him doing some broadcasting for the team.
“It wasn’t the right timing then,†he said, adding that his wife had been battling cancer for several years before dying two years ago. “I was kind of like on lockdown†to be with her.
Time has marched on, and he was on a catamaran in the Caribbean last November when he received an unexpected call to gauge his interest in joining BSM’s studio rotation.
“It kind of got me excited,†he said. “I love baseball; I watch a lot of baseball. I’m at a lot of games and follow the Cardinals tremendously.â€
In addition to regularly watching them on TV, he said he tracks the progress of their minor leaguers on the internet and also by attending games in nearby Springdale, Arkansas, where the Kansas City Royals’ Double-A team plays and making the 100-mile or so trip to Springfield, Missouri, to see the Cards’ Double-A club in action.
Pagnozzi is tabbed for about 20 Cardinals broadcasts this season — about half the total Sweeney will have — and said that will be a fine way for him to transition into the business.
“I told them, ‘I’ll be honest, this is out of my realm to say that I could commit to 40 or 60 games,’ “ he said. “I know that I can give 20-30 games all my heart. Even if I don’t like it, I can go through it. But to go 60, man, might be miserable. If I love it, I’m willing to do more.
“I just want to make sure that I’m the right fit. I’m kind of a straight shooter when it comes to the Cardinals.â€
BSM’s Donovan said the club approached him with the idea of adding Pagnozzi.
“‘Pags’ is well-known and well-liked in St. Louis, and he has stayed close to the game and the Cardinals organization,†he said. “It will be his first time doing TV, but we think he’ll be a great addition.â€
Pagnozzi made nearly $16 million in his playing career, according to , and said once his playing days ended he enjoyed life.
“I was too young when I retired, and I did a lot of stupid things,†he said. “When you retire at 36 and your friends are working, you hang out with other retirees that are at the country club playing cards.â€
In the ensuing years, he has stayed connected to baseball, including being involved with a Little League program. He also co-owns a clothing company that produces Arkansas Razorbacks apparel, Southern Trend, which has its products in stores across the South. And now he has adding broadcasting to his resume and is ecstatic it is coming with the Cardinals.
“It’s my team; it’s my passion,†he said. “It’s been a big, big, big part of my life, and I’m excited about it from that standpoint.â€
He’s set to make his BSM debut May 17, when the Cardinals face the Red Sox.
Sweeney’s sway
While Pagnozzi will be a rookie on the air, Sweeney’s experience is extensive — not only with the Padres but also with some MLB broadcasting for Fox ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ, which he will continue to do this year.
He said he wasn’t expecting to lose his job in San Diego, where he still lives. But he’s happy to be returning to the city where his big league career began, a journey that took him to seven teams over 14 seasons.
“I was thrilled to even be asked,†he said, adding that he had overtures from other clubs. “Obviously the organization means a lot to me because being a rookie there in ’95, it meant the world to me that they were even asking. ... I’m super-excited. It’s a special place.â€
BSM is glad to add him, Donovan said.
“Mark has established himself as a well-respected analyst nationally ... and is well-regarded within our network from his work on Padres telecasts,†he said. “That he started his major league career in St. Louis is a bonus.â€
Tony La Russa, who had a well-known distrust of most young players, was the Cardinals manager when Sweeney broke into the majors. Sweeney experienced some of that aura but said that helped him grow.
“It wasn’t easy being around La Russa as a rookie,†Sweeney said. “It was tough — but I appreciated it because I like that tough-love stuff. Some guys didn’t like it, some guys really didn’t take to it very well. But I loved it, and I actually told Tony at the end of my career, ‘I want to thank you because I didn’t get to do it as a rookie.’ I appreciated the way he made it tough on us, and I loved it because it was really going out there and performing and doing a job and that he expected. So I love it, actually I love that.â€
He also loved being around Cardinals legends Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee during his rookie year.
“That set the tone for everything,†he said. “It was kind of a blessing for me to understand that this is really the big leagues. I instantly realized the type of fans that St. Louis has from just watching. Willie and Ozzie got different cheers, but the fans went crazy for both of them. It was respect for Ozzie, and it was the admiration for Willie. I absolutely loved my time there.â€
Sweeney isn’t scheduled to do any in-game analysis for BSM, a role he sometimes filled in San Diego and still does with Fox.
“The way things have turned and changed, I’m grateful for what I’m doing,†he said. “If they ask me if I want to do some stuff in the booth, I’d be happy to do it. But Jimmy is there; Brad does an outstanding job. If they need me to fill in, I’d be happy to do it.â€
Sweeney’s first BSM appearance is set for April 19, when the Cards meet the Brewers.
This article is part of the St. Louis Cardinals season preview section, which will be in print on Sunday, March 24.