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The Dodgers plan to announce today the hire of former ESPN anchor Charley Steiner as the team's newest announcer, replacing Ross Porter. Steiner is 55 and may have been on the verge of being ousted from the Yankees broadcast booth. Coverage and criticism at the New York Post and N.Y. Daily News and the blogs Dodger Thoughts, LAist and Bronx Banter. Brooks Melchior, who has been a baseball announcer, really doesn't like the choice:
On-air, Steiner is now well-known for being prone to hyperbole and bluster. He was also noted in New York for blatant homerism and a propensity to misjudge fly balls and other game situations. Essentially the opposite broadcasting style of longtime Dodger voices Vin Scully, Rick Monday and ... Ross Porter....But do you unceremoniously dump a 28-year class act for a 55-year-old radio baseball broadcasting novice, who was about to get fired on the east coast and has no local ties?
He says the Dodgers apparently hope that Steiner will "resonate with younger fans" who remember him from ESPN's SportsCenter.