Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Former Stars broadcaster Reuss now with Angels

He retired in 1990, but to hear what Jerry Reuss is up to these days it's tough to tell.

After 22 years winning 220 games in the major leagues, Reuss hung up his cleats and quickly became a sort of communications entrepreneur.

He spent his past two summers as an analyst for the Las Vegas Stars, but now is the California Angels color commentator on KCAL Channel 9 in Los Angeles.

"The Angels said 'You're our man and that's the way we're going to keep it,'" he said while visiting friends at Cashman Field this weekend.

Reuss, who turns 47 this summer and maintains his westside residence, now teams with Steve Physioc for a 50-game television schedule.

"I don't know how far it can go," said Reuss, who spent his first three years of retirement with ESPN. "I'm more concerned at this point, because I'm relatively new, in bringing as much to a telecast as I possibly can, which means for me that I'm concise and I'm accurate and I tell the viewer something he didn't already know.

"The ultimate compliment for me is when somebody watches a telecast and says 'I didn't know that. That's interesting.' When I do that, I know I've done my homework."

A math major while at Southern Illinois, Reuss has no formal broadcast training. He learned by calling the action with teammates on days he didn't pitch.

"A lot of times that was the only way that I was able to keep in the ballgame was to do a play-by-play or an analysis with another player," he said. "I was doing it for fun with the eye that one day I would do it. I did it without notes and I made stuff up as I went along."

Winging it, however, is not indicative of his nature. Even when he was active, Reuss always had a plan for his post-retirement life.

"I would sit in the dugout and think 'There's going to be some things I really want to do when I finish this game,'," he said. "I'd sit on the bench and I'd say 'I want to do a book on rock and roll.' People would kinda laugh. 'Why? You know baseball.' Well, I did a book on rock and roll."

It took him five years to compile, but he got published with "Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles CD Guide 1955-79 Compiled by Jerry Reuss."

But broadcasting and writing weren't enough. There were more mediums to conquer.

"I wanted to pursue photography, sports photography in particular," said Reuss, whose photos have appeared on Upper Deck baseball cards. "What I intend to do this year is collect enough pictures of pitchers and their delivery so that I can use them as teaching aids."

With the addition of instructor to Reuss' r'esum'e, when will he find time to retire from retirement?

Static

* PRESSBOX POTPOURRI: In addition to former Stars announcers Jerry Reuss and Ken Korach, several notables popped in and out of the press area at Cashman Field over the weekend. Broadcasters included Tigers Hall-of-Famers Al Kaline and George Kell, former all-star catcher Ray Fosse and retired pitcher Lary Sorensen. Also stopping by: former A's and Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stewart, "Karate Kid" star and Saturday's national anthem singer Pat Morita and Sunday's anthem singers the Oak Ridge Boys.

* TRACK THE A'S: KTV Channel 63, Las Vegas' affiliate for the Kaleidoscope Television Network, America's Disability Channel, will broadcast a minimum of 20 more Oakland A's games this season. Coverage began Sunday from Cashman Field. The UHF station, not available on local cable, struck a deal with KRON, the team's flagship station. The next telecast is April 15 at 5:30 p.m. when Oakland visits Texas. Channel 63 currently is negotiating for a package of Los Angeles Dodgers games as well.

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