Who Would Ever Replace Mike Lange?

[Cherpak]

I know he has a big time gig up in Boston, but throw a bunch of money at Tim Neverett. That man's voice is a gift from the gods.

I believe he still does some local college basketball from time to time here.

This is either heavy sarcasm or you have the absolute worst idea of what makes a good play by play announcer.

He would put Pirates listeners to sleep calling a game and you think he would be ideal for hockey?

 

[wgknestrick]

Mears is the only choice.

Which party will be bigger?

"MAF finally gets traded", or "Steigy replaced by Mears" party?

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Drinking will do that.

I can't speak to drinking but I have witnessed big-time smoking and what appeared to be a Diet Coke addiction... Didn't stop me from asking if I could have my picture taken with him when I caught him sneaking a heater outside Nationwide Arena at the 2007 draft. He was most gracious to a then-40-year-old fanboy.

But Lange has been replaced once already, by Steigerwald.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...nge-as-Penguins-TV-voice/stories/200606300237

"I don't look at this as replacing Mike Lange," Steigerwald said. "He's irreplaceable."

The Penguins wasted no time in offering Lange the radio job. If he accepts, it will go a long way toward diffusing fan anger over the firing.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

I can't speak to drinking but I have witnessed big-time smoking and what appeared to be a Diet Coke addiction... Didn't stop me from asking if I could have my picture taken with him when I caught him sneaking a heater outside Nationwide Arena at the 2007 draft. He was most gracious to a then-40-year-old fanboy.

But Lange has been replaced once already, by Steigerwald.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...nge-as-Penguins-TV-voice/stories/200606300237

I never really understood/don't remember the whole Lange/Steigy thing. I figured Lange was done because they didn't want to pay him (enter Steigy), however I don't get why he'd do the radio in that case because surely that can't pay anything special. The Penguins pay both those salaries do they not?

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

I never really understood/don't remember the whole Lange/Steigy thing. I figured Lange was done because they didn't want to pay him (enter Steigy), however I don't get why he'd do the radio in that case because surely that can't pay anything special. The Penguins pay both those salaries do they not?

I remember him admitting that he took a pretty drastic pay cut when he went to radio. I would think the Pens pay him and Root would pay Steigy but I may be wrong.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I remember him admitting that he took a pretty drastic pay cut when he went to radio. I would think the Pens pay him and Root would pay Steigy but I may be wrong.

I don't know but this would be my guess. He was fired by Fox, so I'd think they would have been paying him, and the story says the Penguins wasted no time offering him the radio gig. Again, I really don't know.

 

[Gallatin]

I never really understood/don't remember the whole Lange/Steigy thing. I figured Lange was done because they didn't want to pay him (enter Steigy), however I don't get why he'd do the radio in that case because surely that can't pay anything special. The Penguins pay both those salaries do they not?

Was lucky enough to get tanked a couple times with Lang back in the late 80's, would run into him at a local bar now and then. Fun times.

And that's why he got fired, primarily. First of all, he overplayed his hand in contract negotiations, pissing off his bosses. But the real nail in the coffin, was being on the air noticably drunk. I imagine the fact he doesn't do that on the radio means he got a handle on the problem.

 

[Whale Mingo]

I remember trading e-mails with Steve Tello (I think) who was the broadcasting manager at (then) Fox Sports when Lang got let go. Mike Lang didn't need my support and, yea, nobody is above the rules, but I think had the negotiations not gone the way they did they would have overlooked the other issue.

I'm just guessing on that. Tello understood my position that the fans would be the ones suffering, and boy was I right.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Speaking of the PA announcer, am I the only one who can't stand how he announces Crosby?

CAH-roz-bee

 

[Fordy]

Speaking of the PA announcer, am I the only one who can't stand how he announces Crosby?

CAH-roz-bee

if i remember he wanted to invert barbero's pronunciation which always put emphasis on the last syllable of players' names

but it really just sucks

 

[mpp9]

My 95 year old grandmother looks younger than him. Smokes and alcohol took a toll on the guy. Hopefully he can stick around for the rest of the core's good years.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Jesus Christ, Lange's only 69... I honestly thought he was close to 90.

 

[gopens66]

To answer a question above, the Pens have no say over the TV PBP, that is why they hired Lange to do the radio broadcast, which they control.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

if i remember he wanted to invert barbero's pronunciation which always put emphasis on the last syllable of players' names

but it really just sucks

Yeah it does. I understand him wanting to be unique but it just irritates me and makes me think of Barbero every time he says it.

First world problems, I guess.

 

[Cherpak]

John Barbero was also an irreplaceable voice in Penguins history.

The guy they have now sounds like he should be doing monster truck rallies.

 

[Shady Machine]

Speaking of the PA announcer, am I the only one who can't stand how he announces Crosby?

CAH-roz-bee

Yeah it's terrible. Never been a fan of his voice, but it's really hard to replace a legend.

 

[gopens66]

Another Pittsburgh voice that is irreplaceable.......

 

[billybudd]

I'm a fan of Tom Grace. Left WBS to be the marketing director for the Panthers, but they have a new one now. Not sure what he's up to atm. Possible he just retired.

Jesus Christ, Lange's only 69... I honestly thought he was close to 90.

He looks really bad these days.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Yeah it's terrible. Never been a fan of his voice, but it's really hard to replace a legend.

Every time a player scores after coming off injury: "Look who's back!". Dude just say the names.

 

[billybudd]

I never really understood/don't remember the whole Lange/Steigy thing. I figured Lange was done because they didn't want to pay him (enter Steigy), however I don't get why he'd do the radio in that case because surely that can't pay anything special. The Penguins pay both those salaries do they not?

No. TV guys work for Root (formerly FSP). 105.9 guys work for the Penguins.

This is why Bourque only gets between the benches like once a year. If they were both Pens employees, he'd just need to come to an arrangement with Errey and a shared boss to be down there every 4th or 5th game or something, but TV and Radio are two different companies.

I don't know why Lange was fired beyond unconfirmed hearsay, but I do remember that the last 5 or 6 years, he was doing an awful job (much worse than his subsequent radio work). He would be talking about dead people who used to live down the street from him (and who had nothing to do with hockey) during play. He'd do improvised, (awful) poetry about certain peoples' names for no purpose (Ollie, Ollie, Ollie...Ollie the goalie, yo-yollie...ollieollieollie; ooooooooooohhhh Edzo..edzoedzo). One day he went on a ten minute diatribe involving leather pants that made me mute the game. At the time, I remember thinking he was going senile.

That's not to say I think Steigerwald's been a good replacement, but Lange's contract not being renewed didn't surprise or irritate me at all.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

No. TV guys work for Root (formerly FSP). 105.9 guys work for the Penguins.

This is why Bourque only gets between the benches like once a year. If they were both Pens employees, he'd just need to come to an arrangement with Errey and a shared boss to be down there every 4th or 5th game or something, but TV and Radio are two different companies.

I don't know why Lange was fired beyond unconfirmed hearsay, but I do remember that the last 5 or 6 years, he was doing an awful job (much worse than his subsequent radio work). He would be talking about dead people who used to live down the street from him (and who had nothing to do with hockey) during play. He'd do improvised, (awful) poetry about certain players' names for no purpose (Ollie, Ollie, Ollie...Ollie the goalie, yo-yollie...ollieollieollie). One day he went on a ten minute diatribe involving leather pants that made me mute the game. At the time, I remember thinking he was going senile.

That's not to say I think Steigerwald's been a good replacement, but Lange's contract not being renewed didn't surprise or irritate me at all.

Thanks to all for the clarifications. Wasn't sure how that all worked.

On another note, that is the second reference to leather pants that I've read on this board today. Weird day.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Speaking of the PA announcer, am I the only one who can't stand how he announces Crosby?

CAH-roz-bee

I can't stand it either.

Ditto for his call of "Ev-geniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii MALL-KIN!!!"

It's like dude you aren't Barbero and you never will be.....**** off.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Another Pittsburgh voice that is irreplaceable.......

RIP. I forgot he had passed.

 

[DanielPlainview]

No. TV guys work for Root (formerly FSP). 105.9 guys work for the Penguins.

This is why Bourque only gets between the benches like once a year. If they were both Pens employees, he'd just need to come to an arrangement with Errey and a shared boss to be down there every 4th or 5th game or something, but TV and Radio are two different companies.

I don't know why Lange was fired beyond unconfirmed hearsay, but I do remember that the last 5 or 6 years, he was doing an awful job (much worse than his subsequent radio work). He would be talking about dead people who used to live down the street from him (and who had nothing to do with hockey) during play. He'd do improvised, (awful) poetry about certain peoples' names for no purpose (Ollie, Ollie, Ollie...Ollie the goalie, yo-yollie...ollieollieollie; ooooooooooohhhh Edzo..edzoedzo). One day he went on a ten minute diatribe involving leather pants that made me mute the game. At the time, I remember thinking he was going senile.

That's not to say I think Steigerwald's been a good replacement, but Lange's contract not being renewed didn't surprise or irritate me at all.

To be fair, Lange had to do games for the post-Jagr, pre-Crosby Pens on a nightly basis.

 

[clefty]

I'm a fan of Tom Grace. Left WBS to be the marketing director for the Panthers, but they have a new one now. Not sure what he's up to atm. Possible he just retired.

Guy was a loon. Which is probably fine for the minor leagues, but that's about the level he should remain.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure he does Boston College games on the radio.