TUBE TALK: Let's make a deal: Padres' network in talks to bring back Vasgersian

By JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Thursday, October 2, 2008 11:23 PM PDT ∞

Matt Vasgersian would like to return for an eighth season as the TV voice of the Padres. Craig Nichols, the man who runs the team's TV partner ---- Channel 4 ---- would love him have him back.

So what's the hang-up?

"At this point in my career, I'd like to keep working on one-year contracts," Vasgersian said.

That's not a problem for Nichols.

But Vasgersian said he's growing weary on traveling and hinted that he'd like to cut his workload in 2009. It would be hard to work fewer games than he did this season and still be called the team's TV voice.

Vasgersian is good. He's in demand. He works baseball and NFL games for Fox.

And this summer, he spent most of August in New York as a network host for NBC's coverage of the Olympics. Throw in poker tournaments and other various freelance assignments, and he's away from home a lot.

"Matt has a lot of things on his plate; he's doing a bunch of things," Nichols said. "But his job is Padres baseball. He was away more in 2008 than ever before.

"Obviously, we have to figure this out. We'd love to have him back because he's so strong."

Mark Grant, Vasgersian's partner, is under contract for 2009. Together, they're alternately very good or awfully silly.

This year, with a bad product on the field, they were silly a lot because games were often out of hand early.

"I think the team of Matt and Mark is phenomenal," Nichols said. "I think their interplay is a joy.

"It's not just balls and strikes with Matt and Mark."

Grant is the only Padres TV broadcaster under contract. Vasgersian, Steve Quis (Vasgersian's backup) and Tony Gwynn (Grant's backup) work year to year.

"We don't have deals with Steve and Tony, but I think their work is strong," Nichols said. "As a matter of fact, Tony's work is very good. He gives the viewers a great perspective.

"We'd like to have all the guys back, but we're working on Matt's deal first. We don't have a timeline. Nothing is definitive yet.

"But he wants to come back. And we want him back. So I think we'll get something done."

On the radio side

Padres radio voices Ted Leitner and Andy Masur both signed two-year extensions.

Leitner's deal, which includes an option on a third year, will carry him through his 31st season with the Padres. Masur, who turned down a third-year option, will be in his third season in 2009.

Jerry Coleman, who is in the last year of a long-term deal, will work his 37th season in 2009. Chances are that if Coleman wants to come back for 2010 and beyond, he'll be back ---- and rightfully so.

Diamond dust

-- Barring a three-game sweep in the Phillies-Brewers and Dodgers-Cubs series, there could be four games on TBS this Sunday. That would mean early and late starts to cram all four games on one network.

-- Barring rain, the latest the division series can go is Wednesday. The National League Championship Series is set to open Thursday, with the ALCS opening a week from Friday. TBS, in the second year of a seven-year deal, will air the ALCS, Fox the NLCS. The World Series is set to start Oct. 22 on Fox.

-- Braves pitcher John Smoltz was sensational in his network TV debut. Working the Brewers-Phillies game on TBS, Smoltz was glib and insightful. Hopefully, his Hall of Fame career isn't over, but when it is, he has a future in the broadcast booth. Smoltz is working with Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson on a crew that is very good. Simpson is perhaps the most underrated announcer in the game.

-- Tony Gwynn, working with Dick Stockton and Ron Darling on the Dodgers-Cubs series, was solid as usual.

-- Detroit outfielder Curtis Granderson, working the TBS studio shows, was really good. He was loose and natural.

-- I love the TBS in-game players' scoreline. It looks like a scorebook and gives a nice summary of a player's performance.

-- I counted at least 100 promo ads for "Frank TV" during the TBS Wednesday playoff tripleheader. Sorry, I don't get it. Frank Caliendo is mildly entertaining, but he's not side-slapping, nose-running funny. And he certainly isn't worth triple-digit promos. One is left to wonder: Did TBS sell any ads?

-- ESPN Radio 800 is carrying all the postseason games. 

IndyCar news

The IndyCar Series enters 2009 with a new TV package.

The circuit will continue its relationship with ABC, but has signed with Versus as its new cable partner. ABC will air five races produced by ESPN. Versus will have 10 races, including the final eight.

And for those who say "I don't get Versus," yes, you probably do.

Versus is the cable home of the NHL, has numerous college football games, the Tour de France and many other events. Most viewers get it as part of a basic or expanded basic cable package.

NHL gets underway

-- Versus will carry 56 NHL games this season, starting with a doubleheader Sunday at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Versus is the spot for the NHL's All-Star weekend, Jan. 24-25.

-- The Los Angeles Kings will have 65 games on either FSN or FSN-Prime, starting with an Oct. 11 game against San Jose. The Kings' radio station this season is KLTK (1150 AM).

-- The Anaheim Ducks have 53 games scheduled on FSN or FSN-Prime. The Ducks' radio station this season is 1310 AM.

-- The NHL Network, which is available to digital cable customers with the sports package, will have 50 games this season.

-- NBC will air 10 games, starting with the Jan. 1 Red Wings-Blackhawks game from Wrigley Field in Chicago.

-- Matthew Barnaby, a 15-year NHL veteran, will join ESPN as a studio analyst.

Local notes

-- Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker will call Sunday's Chargers-Dolphins game from Miami. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. on CBS.

-- San Diego State football is back on TV this week after two weeks off the air. The Aztecs will face Texas Christian at 3 p.m. Saturday on the mtn., with Rich Cellini and Jon Berger calling the action.

-- Oregon plays USC at 5 p.m. Saturday on ABC. Washington State plays UCLA at 7:15 p.m. Saturday on FSN-Prime Ticket, a station that isn't available in most of San Diego.

-- John Kentera's "High School Scoreboard Show" returns to the air Friday night from 10 p.m. to midnight on XX Sports 1090 and San Diego 1700, after the prep game.

Around the dial

-- Last Sunday night's Eagles-Bears game on NBC was the highest-rated show of the evening, beating the season premiere of "Desperate Housewives" on ABC by 10 percent. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" posted a 12.3 rating and a 20 share of the audience. In Philadelphia, the rating was a 31.6 with a 44 share. In Chicago, the rating was a 28.9 with a 42 share.

-- This week's "Monday Night Football" game on ESPN ---- a 23-20 overtime win for the Steelers over the Ravens ---- earned an 8.8 rating with an audience of 8.595 million viewers. For the season, the rating for "Monday Night Football" is 9.6, up 14 percent from last season.

-- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII from Tampa, Fla. NBC has the game this season.

-- The 2007 AFC wild card game between the Jaguars and Steelers is Friday night's NFL Classic Game at 6 p.m. on the NFL Network.

-- ESPN2 is the home of the WNBA Finals between Detroit and San Antonio. Game 2 of the series is Friday at 4:30 p.m. Game 3 is 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with Game 4 at 4:30 p.m. Monday. If there is a Game 5, it's scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

-- Sunday's "Outside the Lines," at 6 a.m. on ESPN with a repeat on ESPNEWS at 9 a.m., discusses if Major League Baseball should retire the No. 21 of Pirates great Roberto Clemente.

-- Members of the Pahokee (Fla.) High football team voted to play their nationally televised game Friday night despite the shooting death of star linebacker Norman "Pooh" Griffith. Pahokee plays Brynes (S.C.), ranked No. 1 nationally by USA Today, at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNU, Cypress Bay (Fla.) plays Katy (Texas) in a nationally televised game.

-- Ratings for last weekend's PGA Tour Championship on NBC were down 45 percent from last year. The fact that Tiger Woods wasn't playing and Vijay Singh had already won the playoff title had a lot to do with that.

John Maffei's TV/Radio column appears every Friday. He can be reached at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.