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Published Sunday, April 1, 2001 -Miami Herald Tension gone from booth O'Brien settles in as Marlins' TV announcer after difficult season Dave O'Brien will miss announcing games on radio. What he will not miss is the friction in the Marlins' broadcast booth that made life very difficult for him and Joe Angel last season. Angel was convinced O'Brien pursued his job as the team's lead announcer. But it was the Marlins who came to O'Brien in May 1999 and offered him a job to replace Angel. The impending change in the booth created tension last season. O'Brien and Angel never spoke to each other. The uneasiness is gone now. ``We've got great people on our broadcast, and it's going to be a fun year,'' O'Brien said. ``All this other baloney I won't have to talk about anymore.'' O'Brien and analyst Tommy Hutton will announce 150 games on TV -- 95 on Fox Sports Net and 55 on WAMI-69. ``The title is very gratifying because there are only 30 guys who can stake a claim to it,'' O'Brien said. ``I've always wanted to be considered a No. 1 broadcaster for a club, and it's a goal achieved. ``It's extra special that it's the Marlins. I've been here since Day 1 in 1993. Marlins general manager Dave Dombrowski said to me, `I don't know about you. But when it comes to general managers, it's unique to be with one organization from the beginning.' He asked me if it's the same with announcers. I said it is. ``Long-standing voices are revered and special. My goal since I got into baseball was to serve a market for as long as they have me. This is my ninth year with the Marlins, and I'm only 37. But I think [radio voice] Dave Van Horne, [radio play-by-play announcer] Jon Sciambi and Tommy Hutton are just as much voices as I am. We all share an equal value.'' The Marlins were afraid they would lose O'Brien if they didn't make him their lead announcer. ``I never considered looking for another job,'' O'Brien said. But he said he would not have closed the door on better opportunities if the Marlins hadn't signed him to a contract extension last year. O'Brien, who worked six innings on radio and three on TV last season, says it will be difficult to give up radio. ``At first, I struggled with that only because I love radio so much. I don't know a baseball announcer worth his salt who doesn't consider radio a great medium for a broadcaster. But then I realized the value of it. It serves the audience well to have one broadcast team on television. There's no repetition of stories and anecdotes, no repetition of information. ``That hit home at FanFest. The fans seemed genuinely happy for us to have a set team and not switching. They liked Tommy and I together. We heard that in research.'' Hutton and FSN general manager Jeff Genthner also said they supported having one announcing team on TV, for continuity reasons. O'Brien said the Marlins' roster improvements have buoyed him. ``They are stepping up to another level. I don't think anyone is throwing around wild cards openly, but clearly this team will become one of the better teams in the National League.'' WAMI's 55-game package could switch to another outlet when Spanish-language Univision takes control of the station in the next couple of months. A final decision hasn't been made. WAMI has eliminated its Marlins pregame show for financial reasons. ELSEWHERE Fox takes over the postseason package after outbidding NBC and ESPN. Fox might switch some first-round playoff games to FSN, Fox Family Channel or another network. During the regular season, Fox will carry games on 18 Saturdays beginning June 2. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver return as the lead announcing team. Fox still hasn't hired a replacement for former No. 2 analyst Bob Brenly, who left to manage the Diamondbacks. Fox Family Channel will carry Thursday-night games, replacing Fox Sports Net. FX returns with a Saturday-night package. ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to carry Wednesday doubleheaders, with ex-Dodger Orel Hershiser announcing some games. ESPN did not re-sign analyst Ray Knight but will give a prominent role to Rick Sutcliffe. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan return on ESPN's Sunday-night package. ESPN has been contacting cable companies in South Florida and elsewhere to provide an access channel to carry Sunday-night baseball in Spanish. With NBC out of baseball, Morgan will stick with ESPN and ESPN Radio rather than move to Fox.
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