More than anyone, Chris Berman is associated with ESPN. He’s been with the network since near its beginning and has continued to work there in some capacity ever since. But in the late 1980s, he nearly left the network to take a job as the primary play-by-play man for the San Francisco Giants.
Berman shared the story on Pardon My Take recently. He recalled Bob Lurie, then the owner of the Giants, wanting to meet with Berman at New York’s 21 Club while the Giants were on the road, playing the New York Mets.
“We meet and he goes, ‘Well, up ’til now, most teams, the announcers are hired by the station they work for.’ But just about a year or two before that, teams were hiring the main guy, or woman, but let’s just say guy, at the team, was a team employee. I don’t know when that happened, in Chicago with Harry or with Jack Buck, I don’t know. But it was starting, but only like one. He goes, ‘Next year, it’s going to be our hire. We think you’d be a great San Francisco Giants play-by-play guy.”
Berman earlier noted that while he grew up in the northeast, he’s been a lifelong Giants fan. As a seven-year-old, he remembered cheering for the Giants and Willie Mays in the 1962 World Series.
“It was one of my goals, to do the Giants. And I told him, I said, ‘Well, we just got football. I’m kinda that guy.’ We didn’t have baseball yet. And it would have been a salary increase. At that time? Oh, God, yes. Not times four, but times two, maybe. Never discussed. Move to the Bay Area, which I love, from afar. Young family. I’d be hired by them. Hmmm. He goes, ‘Well, think about it. Call me in a day or two.’ I did. And I said, ‘Mr. Lurie, I can’t believe I’m telling you this. It’s been my life dream. But I’m gonna have to turn it down.
“And here’s what he said. This is what a good guy he was, is. ‘After what you told me about ESPN, about, ‘You’re the host, you’re Brent Musburger. You made the right decision.’ That’s the guy who offered me the job. That’s ’88 and ’89. Since then, I’m a tourist. I’m stubborn. I ain’t leaving.”
Berman’s situation at ESPN continued to get better over the years. It was roughly in that same era when the Giants announce team of Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow was formed. Kuiper got into announcing in 1986, just after his playing career ended. Krukow’s playing career ended in 1989 and like Kuiper, he quickly got into broadcasting, as well. Those two are mainstays on an announce team that is consistently regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in baseball.
It can be fun to play the “what-if” game here, wondering what might have happened had Berman taken Lurie up on his offer. Fortunately, in this case, it’s hard to imagine a “what-if” scenario that would have worked out better professionally for all parties involved.