We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to interviewed famed broadcaster Josh Lewin. We thank him, greatly, for his time.
Here is the interview. (It is terrific!):
SSTN: How did you become involved in professional broadcasting?
It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do since I was a little kid. I was one of those nerds who would sit in front of the TV doing fake play by play all day.. I used a soup spoon or a ladle for a microphone. I was lucky enough to get an internship in high school with my local minor league team in Rochester and that kicked over all the dominoes from there. 20-25 years or so in MLB booths, 13 in the NFL, even some NHL back in FOX’s “glowing puck” days. Now it’s all about UCLA football/basketball, calling games for EA Sports in the eSports universe and trying to become a player in this podcast field 😉
SSTN: What has been your greatest thrill in broadcasting?
Way too many to condense to just one moment… baseball, wow, I was the Orioles in-game reporter for the Jeffrey Maier game (missed getting the chance to interview him by mere minutes.) Was the in-game reporter for FOX for the Bartman game (missed him too. That’s probably why I never grew up to become Jim Gray or Ken Rosenthal :/) In the booth itself, getting to the World Series with the Mets in ’15 ranks right up there.. got to call a lot of the historic Bonds and McGwire HR’s on national TV for FOX back in the late 90s and early 00s.. some fun payoff games for FOX including the Yankees clinching the ’03 ALDS in Minneapolis then them losing the ’06 ALDS in Detroit.) Lots of cool football moments with the Chargers (although never a Super Bowl).
SSTN: You have called games professionally in almost every major sport. Specifically in baseball, who was the greatest player you ever saw?
Hmm, great question. Cal Ripken, Jr was there when I was in Baltimore. Sammy Sosa with the Cubs. Josh Hamilton’s MVP season with the Rangers in 2010 was pretty epic. A-Rod several years before that in Texas. Was kind of hoping I’d see a repeat of ’18 from Mookie Betts in ’19 since I did Red Sox games last year but obviously, that failed to happen.
SSTN: What was the most unique baseball game you ever called? What made that game so unique?
Jeez, another tough one, yikes. I’ve had a couple no-hitters.. some epic brawls to cover.. strangely, what jumps to mind right now is a random July game at Fenway where the Rangers fell behind 10-0 in the first then rallied to take the lead, then lost, 19-17. Same series where Bengie Molina somehow hit for the cycle.
SSTN: Our final question is actually a collection of short answers:
What was your favorite team growing up? Mets with the Orioles a close second
Who was your favorite baseball player? Cal Ripken Jr – who was a pleasure to cover in Baltimore it turned out!
What is your most prized collectible? Signed soccer jersey from my favorite English soccer team, Brighton. I really don’t collect much. Gave my Mets NL championship ring to my daughter.
Who is your favorite musical group or artist? Old school? Billy Joel and Doobie Brothers. 10-15 years ago? Cake and Ben Folds. Now? I literally listen to a little bit of everything. My tastes have gotten way more ecclectic as I advance in age!
What is your favorite food? (If it’s pizza – what is your favorite pizza restaurant?) Cajun food, Mexican food, Italian. Gnocchi in a vodka cream sauce is pretty much the perfect creation.
Please share anything else that you’d like with our audience… I totally apreciate the chance to diversify and talk to a Yankees crowd! Loved my time cross-town with the Mets… I miss NYC a ton, but am very happy living this California lifestyle right now. It allows me the bandwith to tackle projects like The Throwback League, which I hope you guys will sample and enjoy… although (Spoiler alert) the three Yankees teams I’ve had in the tourney so far haven’t exactly performed as expected. Never thought Onix Concepcion could go 2 for 3 against Mussina but hey, that’s life, eh?
WE ONCE AGAIN THANK JOSH LEWIN.
This was tremendous. We greatly appreciate your time. (As for The Throwback League, we’re happily linking the Yankees games here on the site, although we hope some of the teams start winning.)
We wish you continued success and hope to talk again one day soon!
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