Journey Behind the Mic: Q and A with Rays Broadcaster Dewayne Staats
Introduction: Professional Background of Dewayne Staats
Dewayne Staats is the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball, a position he has held since the inaugural season of the franchise in 1998. During his time with the Rays, Staats 68, worked in the booth alongside color commentator Joe Magrane from 1998–2008. During the 2009 and 2010 seasons, he was primarily paired with Kevin Kennedy on the Bally Sports Sun Tampa Bay Rays broadcasts. Current Rays color commentator Brian Anderson has been on the call with him as his main broadcast partner since 2011. Before he arrived in Tampa Bay, he served as the play-by-play announcer for the Houston Astros flagship TV/radio station (KRBE (104.1 FM), Chicago Cubs on WGN Superstation, and New York Yankees on MSG as well as national baseball weekly telecasts for ESPN. He has been a past nominee for the Ford C. Frick Award(broadcasters path to the Baseball Hall of Fame) multiple times over the course of his career.
Staats and Harry Kalas
Dewayne Staats caught my attention many years ago on the local Fox Sports Sun telecasts of Rays baseball when I heard an iconic sound in his voice that reminded me of the late Harry Kalas, the former NFL Films narrator and legendary Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster. Ironically, Harry’s son Todd Kalas worked primarily with Staats as a pre-game, in game, and post-game reporter on the telecasts of Rays baseball from 1998–2016. I feel as though the Kalas association is what originated my interest in baseball. As a viewer, hearing the voice of Staats in his nightly Rays telecasts during the baseball season drew me closer to the game. So a short time ago I reached out to Dewayne on social media, inspired by the hand I felt he played in cultivating my interest in America’ s favorite pastime and we later conducted a written Q and A interview correspondence.
Q1: Houston Astros (1977–1984)
Dan Miegel: Growing up, you listened to the late Gene Elston from the time of his initial radio broadcast of the Houston Colt 45’s in the inaugural season of the South East Texas franchise back in 1962. It was at that time that you began to envision yourself as the one behind the call of a Major League team someday. Walk us through your experience of entering the Houston broadcast booth for the first time and sitting down next to Gene, your childhood idol, as you prepared to call your first game in the Major Leagues back in 1977.
Dewayne Staats: There was definitely an element of the surreal when I joined the Astros crew in 1977. I had listened to Gene Elston since I was nine years old, had conducted a correspondence with him spanning the years of my own development, and he was always gracious enough to indulge my journey. Playing organized youth baseball and particularly pick-up neighborhood games during my childhood, I think it was a frequent occurrence for many of us to have our own play-by-play running through our heads, especially when we reviewed in our heads what had just happened in the moment.
In 1976, I had the opportunity (in a combo fill-in audition role) to work an Astros/Cubs game at Wrigley Field alongside Gene. Bob Prince was also on the crew and was in the process of leaving to return to Pittsburgh. I received enough advance notice to allow the jitters to dissipate and tell myself; This may be the only chance you ever get…so you had better do it well.
During my minor league time in Oklahoma City, the veteran GM Dick King had always stressed to me preparation was 90% of the job and I wanted to make sure I properly checked that box. I had a good working knowledge and historical perspective of the Astros going in and I did my homework on them. Jim Marshall, who had managed for Wichita against Oklahoma City during my minor league time, was now managing the Cubs and invited me into his office for a private scouting report on his team. It was truly a gracious act.
Gene’s trademark was also preparation and I felt much better after my time in the manager’s office. I felt things went pretty well during the broadcast; the game clipped along at just over two hours (JR Richard vs. Rick Reuschel) and my read of Gene’s reaction seemed to be positive as well.
On my way back to my TV job in St. Louis, I was hoping for the best, thinking I had represented myself well and at this point realizing it was out of my control. Shortly after the season ended, the call came from Houston for an interview with the proper executives…then back to St. Louis… followed by another call from Houston extending me the opportunity to broadcast Major League Baseball. When the call came, I was in the KPLR TV newsroom with my close friend, Gil Engler (he had been the only other person at the station who knew I was up for the job). We celebrated. Gil later became the news director and a solid executive. We have remained friends since.
Q 2: Chicago Cubs (1985–1989)
DM: In 1985, the WGN Superstation came calling for your services, to be a part of the Chicago Cubs broadcast team in the Windy City. The opportunity arose for you to work with legendary sportscaster Harry Caray. Caray was known to have many trademarks one of which was his famed home-run call; It could be, it might be, it is! What did you learn from him about using unique phrases and original dialogue to connect with fans?
DS: During my time with the Cubs and WGN, Harry Caray was the “Pied Piper and King.” After his long stint with the Cardinals, one year in Oakland and then his time on the South Side with the White Sox, his run with the Cubs was nothing short of phenomenal. I listened to Gene, Harry, and Jack Buck more than any other broadcasters and consider it a blessing. They demonstrated contrasting approaches to covering the game and taught me via osmosis many things. Their love of the game was foundational to building a play-by-play approach. It was fun. There was the excitement of a live event and a live broadcast. It was about people, whether they were players or fans or all those in between.
Harry would sometimes take literary license with his coverage, but in whatever enterprise we engage, the mission is to move it forward — and in their own styles Gene, Harry, and Jack did just that. They helped me realize it is about covering the game, making friends, loving what you do, entertaining people…including ourselves, and developing trust and credibility. At the end of the day, it is not brain surgery, it should be about fun.
Home run calls vary. Some are the same (Harry Caray and Phil Rizzuto both used “Holy Cow”), but unique in their own way. I have always felt the best calls are not contrived but come naturally. Harry’s home run call verbiage may have been largely the same but that certainly did not make them a negative. He made them fun. My personal experience is to vary the call based largely on the situation and make them appropriate. I do have some favorite phrases;
That baby’s out of here! High and deep and gone!
Q3: Broadcast Production (Television and Radio)
DM: During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s there was a popular trend for local baseball team broadcasters to often split up play-by-play between the start of the game, only to give their voice off to a colleague to call the middle innings of the game, and then switch back to the original broadcaster who began calling the game at the top of the broadcast at the start of the game. You were a part of that alternating style of play-by-play, especially during your time with the Houston Astros and the Chicago Cubs.
What made this diverse style of sportscasting popular at that time, and how have things changed in the production of game telecasts where we don’t see that as much on the air in the delivery of today’s game?
DS: Switching back and forth between television and radio was very prevalent in the early days of television (not so many games were televised). When I first went to Houston we were of course broadcasting all the games on the radio (162 games total), but only 50 on television. That quickly changed in a two or three-year span. During my time with the Astros, Gene and I alternated on a three-inning basis back and forth, until it was eventually decided one of us would begin on radio or TV and remain there for the full game, then switch mediums for the next game. One of us was on radio full time one day, then one of us was full time on television the next day.
There are a number of reasons to switch back and forth…cross promoting, rights holders, egos, etc., but today with almost every game on television it seems logistics, if nothing else, tells us to separate television and radio.
Q4: New York Yankees (1990–1994)
DM: In September 1993, you were the lead play-by-play broadcaster of the New York Yankees on MSG working with color commentator Tony Kubek. You happened to be calling a game featuring starting pitcher Jim Abbot, born without a right hand. The tough-minded lefty took the mound for the hometown Yankees against the Cleveland Indians. Abbott pitched a no-hitter. What sticks out to you in your memory of Abbott that gives you perspective on how hard some athletes have to work to overcome adversity in order to achieve their goals?
DS: I have been blessed to call nine no-hitters in my career from Nolan Ryan’s record-breaking fifth no-hitter vs. the Dodgers to Matt Garza’s gem representing the only one in Rays history. I loved Jim Abbott’s no-hitter because I liked him and had such respect for him. It would be very difficult not to be a fan of Jim Abbott, the person. I liked the way he carried himself and his interaction with people. As you point out, Jim was born without a right hand…but realized his goal of pitching in the Major Leagues. Jim gave credit to his parents for never recognizing the absence of his right hand as a handicap. From that mindset, he never saw himself as handicapped. It never occurred to Jim that he could not compete with other athletes.
His parents freed him from the psychological battle Jim otherwise might have been forced to face. He worked hard to beat the odds as any other athlete must do and I felt privileged to include his no-hitter as one of my highlights. I worked the game with Tony Kubek, who before we went into the 9th inning, turned to me and said: “Dewayne…the ninth is all yours. I’ve said everything I can say about this game. Take it home.” Jim Abbott took it home… all I did was ride the moment.
Q5: ESPN (1995–1997)
DM: During a three-year stint with ESPN in the mid-1990’s you covered Major League Baseball. You called games involving different teams during each weekly telecast. How did preparing for these national games differ from calling games involving a team that you saw every day during your time doing play-by-play for a city’s local team?
DS: The ESPN years were good in that it presented me the opportunity to broadcast baseball on a national level and work with some really talented people in the booth and the production crews. The preparation work was a bit different in that we generally covered different teams each week but we had more time to concentrate on that single mission. The regular season of covering a team tends to build itself day by day. A national game becomes a separate entity. The season is a process…covering a single game becomes an event. While it afforded me more time home at an interval when our family needed it, I realized how much I missed the process.
Q6: Tampa Bay Rays (1998-Present)
DM: Being there since the inception of the franchise how rewarding was it to see things come together in a big way in 2008 as the Rays secured their first AL East division title and postseason berth, culminating in a trip to the World Series?
DS: Being with the Rays from the inception will always be a special part of my professional life. Not many people get to be a part of and document the birth of a Major League Baseball franchise. In a way, we have come full circle…from adopting an expansion club in 1962 as a favorite team until what we have witnessed in Tampa Bay. For that reason and chronicling the ups, downs, false starts, and other assorted episodes of the early years made 2008 about as special as anything could be. Knocking off the Red Sox and earning a trip to the World Series was truly wonderful.
The other special experience during that process was having our son-in-law Dan Wheeler come back to the Rays and be a big part of the success story out of the bullpen. Dan has never been a self-promoter and that is why I am always gratified to hear Joe Maddon talk about Dan as being the first acquisition the Rays made in putting together the pieces of a team that dramatically turned it all around and went to the World Series. It was truly a great experience.
Q7: Book Release (2015)
DM: I’ve heard many broadcasters talk about how at first they’ve always been writers at heart. Do you think this assessment rings true when you teamed up with co-author Dave Schiber to write the book Position to Win?
DS: As to broadcasters being writers at heart, I believe we are in the business of storytelling. A new season is a new book or a different chapter in a greater volume. The similarities are striking…so I guess you are most likely correct. One of the elements I love about a baseball season is one day builds toward the next, with multiple storylines popping up all over the place. There is success. There is failure. Loss. Triumph. What better to write about? Or broadcast?
DM: Thanks for your time, Dewayne.
In the early pages of his book Position to Win, Dewayne takes readers through his experience on the night of September 28th, 2011, in what has become largely considered by many to be the greatest night of regular season Major League baseball to date. The Rays entered the season’s final game tied with the Boston Red Sox atop the Wild Card standings at 90–71. The Rays needed a win and a Red Sox loss to essentially secure their spot in the post-season, a night forever known as Game 162 in Rays Nation. As the Rays entered September, the last month of the season, they were a full nine games behind Boston for the one and only American League Wild Card spot for the 2011 MLB season. The Rays made up the largest September wild card deficit of any team in MLB history that year.
Early in the first chapter, of his well-written personal story, he revisits every single moment of that unpredictable night, as he cites it as the most memorable call of his career. This is just one of the many incredible experiences he recounts during his broadcasting career.