The St. Paul Saints will start their first season in the newly formed American Association with a former Twins and Red Sox TV mouthpiece manning the microphone on their radio broadcasts. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Charley Walters. (link taken from Toby Boyce’s Independent Thinking)
The minor league St. Paul Saints have made a major league acquisition. They have hired Bob Kurtz as their radio play-by-play voice for 48 Midway Stadium games for the coming season.
“I was looking for something to do this summer, and I enjoy baseball a lot,” Kurtz said Thursday. “Baseball and radio are a nice combination.”
Kurtz, with analyst Tom Reid, calls 82 Wild games a season.
“The Saints will be more responsibility for me in baseball than the public address deal,” Kurtz said of the PA job he had for Twins games at the Metrodome last season following the death of legendary PA voice Bob Casey.
“This is Minnesota, it’s baseball, it’s outside, it’s hot dogs, it’s a three-mile drive from my house; what’s not to like?” he said. “Baseball is probably the best radio sport there is. This will be a lot of fun.”
Kurtz, who had been talking with the Saints about a broadcasting opportunity for a couple of years, declined to address the issue, but with hall of fame Twins radio voice Herb Carneal’s future uncertain because of health issues, he would seem a natural fit with the Twins if an opportunity arises.
Carneal, 82, will have pacemaker surgery soon but plans to be in the broadcast booth for Opening Day. He has decided to delay hip surgery until fall.