Undoubtedly, you’ve heard Brian Anderson call a game. If you live in Milwaukee, you definitely know him, since he’s called Brewers games since 2007. Anderson has exploded on the national scene, with his work for Turner Sports on coverage of Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Versatility is his calling card and he achieves great heights in every sport he calls.
Anderson was born in Texas. He was a catcher on the nationally ranked baseball team at St Mary’s University (Texas). He graduated from the school in 1994. Anderson is from a baseball family. He played the game and his older brother Mike was a Major League pitcher for the Reds and now is a special assistant to the GM with the Texas Rangers.
Anderson credits a Padres scout, Chuck LaMar for his and his brother’s successes in their respective careers. It all came down to a Cincinnati Reds tryout, where Mike, was looking to sign a deal as an undrafted free agent. Brian was there when Mike was throwing 95 on the radar gun, allowing LaMar to sign him and send him on to minor league baseball. Brian would visit his older brother at all his minor league stops. Brian would spend time with the local play-by-play crews along the way.
This is why he credits the scout for his livelihood. “It was totally Chuck LaMar who is responsible for both our careers,” Brian Anderson told the Athletic in May.
Brian was an English major in college, “I had no aspirations of becoming a broadcaster before that.” he said.
In the early 1990s, Brian would go into an auxiliary booth and do a ‘mock’ broadcast to try and improve on this new ambition. His college happened to be using the field the San Antonio Missions, then the Double-A affiliate of the Padres, played on. One day after practice, he went to their front office and asked, if he could meet the team’s broadcasters.
Little did he know that after graduating from college in 1994, the Missions hired him to be their No. 2 radio person. That started his career.
Anderson was destined for bigger and better things, and those things were on the horizon for the talented play-by-play man.
ROAD TO TURNER SPORTS
Since 2010, Anderson has also called play-by-play for Turner Sports’ Sunday MLB on TBS package, a role he continued to fill on select Sunday national games in 2022. Outside of baseball, Anderson has covered the NCAA basketball tournament for Turner Sports/CBS Sports since 2012, the NBA on TNT since 2014 and various golf events since 2016.
Along the way, Anderson showed that versatility I spoke of earlier. He was a play-by-play announcer for The Golf Channel from 2003 until 2006. Anderson also hosted a variety of events on both the PGA and Nationwide Tours for the network. Nearly simultaneously, he also worked at FSN Southwest as the sideline reporter for the Spurs, from 1997 until 2007. He covered 3 Spurs NBA Championships during his time with the NBA team.
Anderson told the Sports Broadcast Journal in 2019, “My versatility is purely based on my willingness to say yes when offered assignments.” He adds, “It’s putting my fears aside, getting out of my comfort zone and being fully present to the event I’m hired to do.”
Starting in 2007, Anderson moved on to be the play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson remains a member of the Brewers’ broadcast booth today, though he cut his schedule down last season to accommodate more national assignments for Turner.
The sign that Anderson has risen to the top of his field, the ability to pivot on a dime. Going from one sport to the next, seamlessly. How is it that he can handle the big transitions? Again, he told the Sports Broadcast Journal in 2019, “The mechanics and prep are vastly different. Yet in all sports, it’s important to absorb the vibe of the game/event. That’s hard to explain or teach but I believe it’s the most important first piece to successful preps.”
The high-profile assignments continue for Anderson at Turner Sports, where he has become a well-known announcer.
WHY IS HE SO GOOD?
Every great announcer has a presence about him or her. Some have booming voices, some have schtick and some just rely on talent and being themselves. Anderson has developed into one of those ‘big time’ voices, not just because of top notch assignments, but for the way he handles those jobs.
Anderson has a ‘relaxed enthusiasm’ about him. I know those are diametrically opposed words, but it’s true. The enormity of his games, never get the best of him. He’s always in control, hence the relaxed part, but in the big moments Anderson rises to the occasion, covering the enthusiastic element.
He has a very relaxed and friendly on-air persona. That friendliness comes across in the broadcast in the way he relates to his analysts and the audience. He brings life to the basics of every game. The way he performs, game in and game out is so consistent. Which is huge in the industry.
BEST CALLS
Anderson has been a part of many big moments in sports. From the baseball field, to the Bermuda grass of the fairway, to the hardwood. Here’s a selection of some of his great calls over the years.
October 6, 2010 – Anderson called Game 1 of the 2010 NLCS between the Reds and Phillies for TBS. That’s the series in which Roy Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history. Anderson’s call of the final out:
Halladay is one strike away, the 0-2… a bouncer. Ruiz, IN TIME! ROY HALLADAY, HAS THROWN A NO-HITTER!
April 22, 2018 – Anderson called Game 1 of the 2018 Eastern Conference First Round match-up between the Bucks and Celtics where Khris Middleton hit a buzzer beating 3 to tie the game at 99 just minutes after Terry Rozier hit a 3 to put the Celtics up with 0.5 seconds left in the 4th quarter:
Who’s going to get the last shot here? Gets it in, Middleton for the tie! OH MY GOODNESS! KHRIS MIDDLETON! TIES IT, WITH A LONG RANGE 3! And now they will check to see if he got it off in time, I think he did.
March 22, 2018 – Anderson covered the 2018 Sweet Sixteen match-up between the 11th seeded Loyola Ramblers and the 7th seeded Nevada Wolf Pack on CBS. Loyola had a 1-point lead until Marques Townes hit a 3 to help ice the game to advance the Ramblers to the Elite Eight.
Custer… crossover, kicks it. Townes, for 3. YES SIR! MARQUES TOWNES!
October 15, 2022 –Anderson was on the call for the marathon ALDS Game 3 between the Astros and Mariners in Seattle. The game was scoreless through 17 innings. Then Jeremy Pena walked to the plate to send the Astros to the ALCS.
The 3-2 pitch…in the air deep left center field, hit well, Rodriguez on the run…and it is GONE! Oh ho! Jeremy Pena sends one to the seats and the Astros lead 1-0 in the 18th inning. (lays out for crowd noise and pictures) This kid is the real deal himself, what a moment!
DID YOU KNOW?
Anderson played catcher on the nationally ranked baseball team at St. Mary’s University, Texas. His team played in the 1993 NAIA World Series that season. While stats for that era were a little hard to come by, there is this nugget. Anderson is tied for 7th all-time in school history with 401 putouts in 1993.
Anderson was on the call for TNT’s “The Match” golf series for the May 2020 event featuring Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning defeating Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in Florida.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
