When Thrall was named successor to Reds broadcasting legend Marty Brennaman, Garagiola took over in the booth as the solo voice of the team. That effort and success landed him an internship with the Reds, then later with the Blue Wahoos working under Tommy Thrall during the Blue Wahoos 20 seasons. During his collegiate career, he opted to pursue sports broadcasting and worked with the school to establish the Trinity Sports Network and develop the school’s own broadcasting studio. He came to that realization a decade ago while attending Trinity University in San Antonio, where Garagiola earned a baseball scholarship as a right-handed pitcher. You’re talking about just a handful of broadcasters that were so good, such a cut above.”īlue Wahoos broadcaster Chris Garagiola, left, and Rocket City broadcaster Josh Caray are grandsons of baseball broadcasting legends, making their own mark this week in the series between the teams. “In the color commentary position, especially in television, he is on Mount Rushmore. “It is a mixed bag of emotions for me right now - only in the sense that you have to remember how elite he was,” said Chris Garagiola. Before his death, Joe Garagiola was aware his grandson was pursuing a broadcasting path and expressed his pride. His memory is honored at Arizona’s Chase Field with the Joe Garagiola Press Wing where Chris will now work. In his own way, with his own style and delivery, Garagiola earned the opportunity by building his own name, apart from grandfather and broadcast legend Joe Garagiola Sr., who become one of America’s most iconic television personalities, both in baseball working with Tony Kubek and Bob Costas on the NBC Game of the Week and later with the NBC Today Show. Remember When?: World Series filled with players who played in Pensacola Chris Garagiola is building his own name This is the team I grew up rooting for and for obvious reasons.”Įnd-of-season recognition: Pensacola Blue Wahoos players fill Miami Marlins top awards I am so fortunate, so blessed, so lucky and honestly so happy to return to this team. Not only to be able to call some big league games, but to actually go to Chase Field as an employee, wow.

“I consider myself almost indescribably fortunate.

“I think any person who pursues this type of career, knowing how small the odds are, you just want to try and get to the big leagues,” said Garagiola, who began with the Blue Wahoos in 2017 as an intern and trainee, working with Tommy Thrall, who is now the lead radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds.

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