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Chip Caray

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Harry Christopher "Chip" Caray III (born 1965) is a television broadcaster for Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and is also an occasional radio broadcaster and co-host of the pre-game and post-game shows on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. Chip is also very well known from his time as a broadcaster for the FOX Saturday Game of the Week and as the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs from to . He is the son of Skip Caray, the long time Braves broadcaster, the grandson of the late Harry Caray, the Hall of Fame broadcaster of the Cubs, and the older half-brother the Rome Braves broadcaster Josh Caray.

Career

Early career

Caray graduated from the University of Georgia in 1987 with a degree in Journalism. Well before his first big job with FOX, he worked with local television stations in Panama City, Florida, and Greensboro, North Carolina. He was the play-by-play broadcaster for the Orlando Magic of the NBA from 1989 to 1996.

He worked on baseball games for the Seattle Mariners of the American League from to . While broadcasting with the Mariners, Caray received a two-game tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals. After the 1994 season, he was expected to sign with St. Louis, but chose instead to remain with Seattle. Caray was also a broadcaster for the very first edition of Major League Baseball on FOX in .

Chicago Cubs

In 1998, Chip Caray was hired to work alongside his legendary grandfather as an announcer for the Chicago Cubs. Harry died in February 1998, and Chip stayed with the team and took his grandfather's place as "the voice of the Cubs". He would go on to serve as their announcer for several years, with Steve Stone providing the color commentary for most of those years. In 2004, after a difficult season for the Cubs, Chip strongly criticized Cubs manager Dusty Baker. Both the Cubs and Caray thought it was best to part ways, and Caray and Stone both left Chicago after the season.

TBS

On the final day of the 2004 season, Chip announced that he had signed a long term contract with both TBS and Clear Channel to work alongside his father Skip broadcasting games for the Atlanta Braves, and to stay closer to his family who call Orlando, Florida home (which is also the Braves home for Spring Training). Chip also became a broadcaster for TBS' college football coverage of the Big 12 and PAC 10.

In 2007, there was a major shake-up amongst the Braves broadcasters: Don Sutton departed to be the full time broadcaster with the Washington Nationals, Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren became the full time broadcasters on the Braves Radio Network, Joe Simpson signed with Fox Broadcasting Company to be a color analyst on FSN South and Sports South and he also signed to call a limited schedule of games on TBS with Chip.

It was announced that Chip would be the full time broadcaster for TBS and would also be the main play-by-play broadcaster for TBS during its coverage of the Major League Baseball playoffs. TBS with Caray at the helm will cover all Division Series games and the National League Championship Series. Hall of Fame player Tony Gwynn called the playoff games with Chip.

He currently is the main play-by-play broadcaster for TBS MLB Sunday alongside rotating analysts, Ron Darling or Buck Martinez. He also works several Atlanta Braves for Peachtree TV.

Career timeline

Broadcasting style

Chip resembles both his father and his grandfather. Chip's style is chatty, focused, yet effusive. He has been criticized by some and praised by others for interjecting his game analysis while delivering play-by-play, breaking the mold of one man strictly doing play-by-play and another offering color commentary, a style developed by his Atlanta Braves mentors.

He has been criticized for poor quality of his play-by-play. During the 2007 American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, he started mentioning teams that Indians reliever Joe Borowski had played for. He mentioned several teams that Borowski had never pitched for, including the Cincinnati Reds. Borowski had played in the Reds' minor league system, but never with the Reds.

Family

Chip's grandfather Harry is a Hall of Fame broadcaster most famous for calling the Chicago Cubs in his later years. His father Skip is a long time broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves and is one of the most familiar voices in all of sports. Chip also has a brother Josh, who is the radio broadcaster for the Rome Braves (the Class-A minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves)

Chip is married to wife Susan. They have two sons, Christopher and Stephan, and a daughter, Summerlyn.

References

External links



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Last updated on Friday July 25, 2008 at 11:38:12 PDT (GMT -0700)
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