Charley Steiner is one of my favorite sportscasters of all time, but when calling the end of the Padres-Dodgers game over the holiday weekend, he had a little bit of an issue. Tom Hoffarth, of the LA Daily News, caught Steiner getting confused about the number of the runs scored in the ninth, and the audio has finally been leaked. Here is the hilarious call from Sunday's extra inning Dodgers win....

"Venable scores...and a throw to third base ... OUT AT THIRD BASE ... AND THE DODGERS WIN! Edgar Gonzales, trying to come home, then he stopped short, and then tagged out a third ... AND THAT IS HOW THE DODGERS WIN THE GAME!

Wait a minute, two runs are in. Out at third base was Venable. The Padres in fact HAVE TIED THE SCORE, scoring five in the ninth inning.... My mistake ... In to score was Gonzales ... ALFONZO is out at third base. And we will go to the 10th inning ... UNBELIEVEABLE. ..."- Charley Steiner

Too funny. At least he caught it and apologized for the mistake though. Most people would have tried to make an excuse, but not Steiner. Follow him....FOLLOW HIM TO FREEDOM!

Sorry, Charley, but this isn't what Steiner would like to be his signature call: "Dodgers win! ... errrr... We go to extra innings" (Farther Off The Wall)

Jeanne Zelasko tried all offseason to become the Dodgers play-by-player, but in the end, wasn't even invited to a tryout. Well the Dodgers have decided to bring her on, but there's a catch. Well three catches actually. She'll only be working one day a week, the broadcast is online, and it's part of the Dodgers' new venture to target women listeners. DodgersWIN (Women's Initiatives Network) will debut on May 20th, and Zelasko will be paired with former Dodger, Mark Sweeney, in the booth....

The Los Angeles Dodgers will debut their DodgersWIN broadcast on May 20, with former FOX baseball anchor Jeanne Zelasko handling the play-by-play duties alongside former Dodger Mark Sweeney, who will serve as the analyst. The program, believed to be the first of its kind in Major League Baseball, will continue for each Wednesday home game for the remainder of the season, with the live audio feed available for free at www.dodgers.com/win.

DodgersWIN is a network of initiatives to bring women closer to the game and to bring the game closer to their lifestyles. The program, created by Dodger Chief Executive Officer Jamie McCourt, is a fundamental component of the Dodgers' active participation in the community.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jeanne to the Dodger family," said McCourt. "Her track record and knowledge of the game speaks for itself, and as a mother, she'll be able to bring a unique perspective to our WIN broadcasts and help spread her love of baseball to fans around the world."

I honestly don't know how you would make a broadcast more appealing to women, but I guess it's worth a shot. The only rub is what direction do you take? If you are trying to attract women who don't watch Baseball regularly, you'll almost certainly alienate those who are well-versed in the Sport.

Dodgers WIN (Dodgers.com)

Eric Collins has been a staple on ESPN's College Baseball coverage, now has a new gig. Collins has won the coveted Dodgers announcing gig that a dozen or so really wanted, and will be taking over the role next season. Via the LA Times....

Eric Collins spoke from South Bend, Ind., Saturday about how he'd just realized "an unattainable dream."

Collins, who has also called some college baseball playoff games for ESPN as well as doing part-time radio and television play by play for the Chicago White Sox in 2004 and 2008, will handle play by play for the Dodgers on the road games played east of the Rockies when veteran Vin Scully takes off.

It was a role held last season by Charley Steiner, who will move to the radio booth full time, partnering with Rick Monday.

Collins and other candidates auditioned during Dodgers spring-training games.

Collins said even though he was born in Cleveland, went to Syracuse University and lives in Chicago does not mean he can't be quickly up to speed on the Dodgers and what they mean to Los Angeles.

Collins also called Baseball for NBC during the Olympics, and while he was one of the people I didn't really enjoy, I guess he impressed the Dodgers enough to fill in for Vin Scully during the season.

Dodgers hire ESPN college baseball announcer (LA Times)

A month or so ago, I posted an article on Jeanne Zelasko wanting the Dodgers road play-by-play gig. Well today, the LA Daily News is reporting that not only is she not getting the job, she wasn't even a finalist for a tryout....

Former Fox MLB studio host Jeanne Zelasko was inexcusably left out of the group of six broadcasters who the Dodgers invited to a play-by-play tryout during March, their attempt to find someone for a package of 40 TV road games. A forward- thinking organization couldn't figure out that by including her in the mix, they'd elicit some positive reaction? Listening to a couple of games this week showcase 28-year-old Ben Wagner, a poor man's Matt Vasgersian currently with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, any recognizable voice in the So Cal market who missed this cut must really reassess his or her future. What are the Dodgers trying to achieve here, if not a search to replace Vin Scully someday?

Well that's a shame. You'd think that with the good PR that would come from at least a look at Zelasko, would be enough to bring her in right? I'm not saying she would be good or bad, but she definitely deserved a shot.

What Chokes (LA Daily News)

I personally thought that the MLB on FOX pregame show was just about the biggest waste of time on television, and was extremely happy when they decided to drop it for this year. It wasn't because of any one person, but rather all parties involved were just not right for a Studio show.

With that said, it comes as a huge surprise now that the Dodgers are actually considering hiring host, Jeanne Zelasko as their play-by-play voice. Zelasko has been "beating down their door" following the move of Charley Steiner to radio, and there seems her hiring could become a reality soon. Via The Arizona Republic....

Zelasko said it is understandable that the Dodgers asked her if she ever had done baseball play-by-play - the answer is no - but she had that role for ice-skating and gymnastics competitions.

"But I've been around baseball for a very long time, and Kevin Kennedy, who should be managing somewhere, taught me more about that the game than I think most people could even consider. I was blessed to be next to him for eight years. So I'm excited. I don't know if they'll bite."

She knows the experience and gender factors are not in her favor, but she has conquered the odds before. She was the first female reporter to walk the NASCAR pits, and she has handled other "firsts" with relative ease.

"Honestly, I have walked on this thin ice before with anything I've ever done in my broadcasting career," she said. "As I was telling the Dodgers, I would never ask for something I thought I would fail at. I think it's gonna take the right woman at the right time, and if I may be so bold, I believe that person's me."

I don't know if she's the best option out there at the moment, but it would be interesting to hear a female voice in Baseball. I say the Dodgers try her out for a bit, and if it works great, if not....no harm done.

Zelasko also says she is winning her battle with thyroid Cancer, which is definitely a great thing.

Zelasko seeks Dodgers' play-by-play gig (Arizona Republic)
Jeanne Zelasko Looking To Become MLB's First Female Play-By-Play Announcer (Vent About Sports)

Not in that way, silly.

By now you've likely read that Jeanne Zelasko, the former host of Fox's MLB pre-game show (which got the ax earlier this year) would like to bring her voice to play-by-play. Zelasko has thrown her name into the hat to call the package of 40 L.A. Dodgers' road games that Vin Scully doesn't. (For those of you unfamiliar with the arrangement, Scully scaled back his broadcast work a couple years back; he doesn't call road games outside the NL West, with the exception of Angels interleague games. Basically, he doesn't travel further east than Colorado.) Charley Steiner held this role for a few years, but the Dodgers decided to have him handle all of the radio broadcasts with Rick Monday (he had been replaced by Jerry Reuss when called on to do TV.)

Despite a lack of experience (she's never done PBP for the sport before, only handling such duties for gymnastics and figure skating), she obviously believes she's a strong candidate for the gig. As someone who watches a lot of Dodger games, I probably wouldn't mind her. I don't find her as annoying as some folks do, but the "no experience with calling a game" thing is a bit of a bother.

Zelasko seeks Dodgers' play-by-play gig [Arizona Republic]
Zelasko interested in Dodgers' play-by-play gig [Sports Media Watch]
Charley Steiner will do radio only for the Dodgers [L.A. Times]

Just a great showing by the Phils from start to finish in this Series. Tonight, with a little help from an early J-Roll homer, a few Furcal errors and some amazing pitching by Cole Hamels, the took the National League Crown. Here are your highlights....

Cole Hamels is your MVP after only allowing three runs in two NLCS games, but as you could tell in the clip above, Shane Victorino was the spark. Enjoy it tonight Philly fans, but the World Series begins October 20th. We'll see if the Rays can follow suit tomorrow night and join the party.

If you asked me before the Playoffs started, who I'd like to see in the World Series, I honestly would have said the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Not because of any affiliation or anything, but I genuinely like it when the same teams don't get in year after year. I've actually enjoyed the past few World Series because of that fact.

Well the same cannot be said about FOX, who is of course in the business of making money. The odd thing about the potential matchups for the W.S. is just the sheer difference of the best and worst result for the network could be. A Dogders, with Torre and Manny, Red Sox Series would put ratings through the roof. A Phillies-Rays Series, however, could possibly top the Cardinals-Tigers in 2006 as the lowest rated MLB championship ever.

Here's what some quotes collected by SBD about the dreaded Phils-Rays Series....

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian on PTI: “It would be a ratings disaster. Even though the Rays are the best story to me as a team since the ’69 Mets, that one doesn’t translate nearly as well as the Red Sox against the Dodgers with Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez coming back to Fenway Park. That was a story made for everybody. The other one isn’t going to nearly get the ratings as Boston-L.A. would”

ESPN's Mike Greenberg: “That sound you hear is the sound of executives at Fox crying right now over the possibility of a Rays-Phillies World Series."

SI's Tom Verducci: "But adding to the low profile problem of both teams is the playoff schedule with the extra off-days. We might be looking at as many as five straight days with no baseball by the time we get to World Series Game 1. By then, with any momentum killed, people will be out of the habit of tuning in to baseball and any of its storylines. In any case, what baseball really needs is an exciting seven-game series to develop a national narrative to draw in viewers."

LA Radio Host, Roger Lodge: “Television executives are about to jump off buildings in New York with that World Series”

While I wouldn't go that far, it actually might be time for say FOX to tell Joe Buck to stop going gah-gah over Manny, and actually give some background and storylines on the Phils. TBS has been trying to do that with the Rays all ALCS, and while it's occasionally been over-the-top, they've kept people interested in both teams. If you add in the fact that the Sox have a penchant for coming back from three games down, they're setting themselves up nicely.

I would personally be extremely interested, but the Rays magic just might not be enough to bring in the casual Baseball fan. Plus, FOX's ratings for the NLCS are already down 22.6% from the ALCS that they aired last year, isn't helping. We shall see though.

Ratings Disaster Waiting To Happen? (Sports Business Daily - $)

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least provide a place where those of you watching baseball tonight could discuss if you wanted to. Playoff series don't get started until Game 3 -- at least that's what the Dodgers hope, as they're down 2-0 to the Phillies, and tonight's game at Chavez Ravine is a must-win, obviously.

My prediction? Dodgers will get Game 3. That line-up can hit Jamie Moyer, and he can run hot and cold. The Dodgers will send out Hiroki Kuroda, who does much, much better at Dodger Stadium than he does on the road, plus these two teams are too evenly matched in most aspects for this to be so lopsided.

You can say a lot of things about Tim McCarver, but the guy rarely pulls any punches. The Philly Inquirer talked with the FOX analyst about the NLCS, and he had some interesting things to say about Manny Ramirez. He even went so far as to say that his actions in Boston were "despicable"....

"It's extraordinary - the dichotomy between what he was in Boston and what he is in Los Angeles," McCarver said. "I mean, talk about wearing out your welcome in a town, and it was a long welcome with the Red Sox. But some of the things he did were simply despicable, despicable - like not playing, refusing to play. Forgetting what knee to limp on. And now it's washed, it's gone."

Not gone in Boston, McCarver said, but he gives Ramirez his complete due for what he's done in L.A.

"A rejuvenated Manny, I think it would be fair to say," McCarver said, sitting in the Phillies dugout yesterday. "More than old Manny. Manny's doing things that even Manny doesn't do, [like] scoring on a double to right field from first base."

TBL called the comments a "swipe", and while I wouldn't go that far, it's still odd that McCarver went that far (especially as an ex-Phillie). He's obviously right about the Dodger, but again....not sure why he was THAT honest. Should be an interesting call come this Thursday.

Update: McCarver was also on the DP Show today talking about Manny as well....

McCarver calls Manny's behavior in Boston 'despicable' (The Dan Patrick Show)

McCarver outspoken about L.A.'s dread man (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Tim McCarver Takes a Swipe at Manny Ramirez (The Big Lead)

Manny and the Dodgers look to put the Cubs away at Chavez Ravine while the Phillies are sending out Old Man Moyer to do the same to the Brewers in Milwaukee. Your announcers on TBS are, again:

Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers - Brian Anderson, Joe Simpson, John Smoltz and David Aldridge
Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers - Dick Stockton, Ron Darling, Tony Gwynn and Tom Verducci

Yep, it's a baseball open thread, and if this week in college football isn't doing much for you, have at it. Personally, I wish TBS nothing but awful things -- these announcing crews have been less than stellar, and I wish Vin Scully could at least call a Dodger game or two.