In long-delayed return to big-league booth, SeaWolves' Greg Gania calls Tigers twinbill
The longtime voice of the Erie SeaWolves fulfilled a childhood dream of calling a Major League Baseball game on Sept. 8, 2018.
Greg Gania that night stepped up for the Detroit Tigers at the last minute to make sure the radio broadcast was taken care of at Comerica Park.
Gania's performance put him on track to call more games in the following seasons, especially during spring training.
Then COVID-19 hit, putting baseball and the rest of the world into a tailspin.
Then a 99-day major league lockout took place, ending only in mid-March of this year, scrambling the usual spring training schedule.
The opportunities to call more games seemed to fade over circumstances Gania couldn't control.
Instead of letting frustration sink in, Gania continued to hone his craft, hoping to return to the big leagues.
This past Wednesday, he joined the Tigers in Detroit and flew with the team to Oakland, California. One day later he was back in the radio booth calling a doubleheader at RingCentral Coliseum.
“It was an incredible experience. You work so hard in the minors to reach that apex, whether you are a player or front-office worker or broadcaster, and to be rewarded like that and to have the Tigers trust me to do it was pretty surreal,” Gania said. “It was the first time I've ever been on a team charter and it was a really cool experience. It was first-class all around and the Tigers do a great job of taking care of everyone.”
In any other year, Gania would have enjoyed a four-day all-star break from the daily grind of a minor league season. Dan Dickerson, the voice of the Tigers, couldn't attend the quick trip to the West Coast, which consisted of just one doubleheader in one day, leaving the door open for Gania to erase the missed opportunities of spring-training and regular-season games from the past few years.
“I was joking with Dan Dickerson in preparing for these games. He actually told me he felt bad this was interrupting my all-star break,” Gania said. “I told him he's the iron man of the big leagues and never misses a game, so I was happy to step in when he needed someone and I'm super appreciative.”
Double A Erie broadcaster Greg Gania and former Tiger and 2012 American League Champion Doug Fister will handle radio duties for today's doubleheader in Oakland. Dan Dickerson will miss today's games due to a family obligation.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) July 21, 2022
Gania, 39, has been the voice of the SeaWolves nearly since graduating from Bowling Green. He spent three summers in college as the voice of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, which is the short-season affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Mahoning Valley is located right next to Warren, Ohio, where Gania grew up.
After doing one more Mahoning Valley season in 2005 after graduation, Gania moved to Erie as the new voice of the SeaWolves and has also become the assistant general manager.
Gania now has three major league broadcasts on his resume and hopes, like the players he works with every day, to reach the big leagues permanently one day.
“Last time I had less than 24 hours to prepare, and the circumstances weren't great for my debut, but it worked out well. This time I had more time during the all-star break to get ready,” Gania said. “The first time I had a lot of nerves going into the game, but the second time around it felt more like I belong and felt natural. I think I had 10 pages of notes ready to go. It was a really cool experience and hopefully I get to experience it again one day.”
Related:Voice of SeaWolves gets radio call-up
Navigating the unknown
The pandemic and the lockout took away several spring training calls for Gania.
“It was a tough pill to swallow because you never know when you'll get back to the big leagues or if you'll ever get back there. A lot of guys have gone up and done some fill-in work and never get the call back to return,” Gania said. “I had a few opportunities that didn't happen because of COVID-19 and the lockout, and you don't know if you'll get those opportunities again.”
At the time was also dealing with a situation in his role assistant general manager. The SeaWolves appeared on a leaked list of minor league teams that might lose their major league affiliate.
More: How the Erie SeaWolves survived minor league contraction, endured through COVID-19 pandemic
“At the same time in Erie, we didn't know if we were going to have our team,” Gania said. “The thoughts start creeping in that will I ever have another broadcast again? A lot of thoughts go through your head at the time, but thankfully it all worked out.”
Gania didn't wallow in the missed chances as he focused on helping save the SeaWolves.
His patience paid off this past week.
“To have the confidence of Dan Dickerson and Stan Fracker, the director of broadcasting, to fill in two games speaks a lot, and I'm grateful,” Gania said.
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Big-league color commentator
Working with a different color commentator is nothing new to Gania. He has mentored numerous broadcasters over the years who have gone on to successful careers. They've acted as color commentators in his SeaWolves broadcasts and he has let them work a few innings each game as the play-by-play broadcaster.
Gania's No. 2 broadcaster in 2021 was Matt Sabados, who is now the No. 1 broadcaster for the Bowie Baysox. Evan Giddings, who worked with Gania in 2019, is a producer for 95.7 FM The Game in San Francisco and play-by-play broadcaster for a semi-pro football team and in the West Coast Conference. Bailey Angle, Gania's intern in 2017 and 2018, is the assistant director of communications at Virginia Tech. Pete Seymour, an Erie native, worked with Gania in 2015 and 216 and is a broadcaster for the Buckeye Cable Sports Network in Toledo, Ohio.
Gania imparted his experience to those broadcasters to help them improve. He had less time with former major league pitcher Doug Fister, but the two made it work throughout the doubleheader.
“It was fun. I had never spoken with Doug Fister until Monday, and he had never done a game in his life. I knew it would be a little bit of a challenge, but this is a guy that has pitched in the World Series,” Gania said. “He was nervous going in, but we talked through it. I was able to keep him at ease because this is what I've been doing since 2003 and he became more comfortable as the doubleheader went on.”
The two found their rhythm by the second game and Fister ended the broadcast with a simple message to Gania: “Thanks for showing me the ropes."
More: At 27, this Erie SeaWolves player found a second chance at pro baseball. He's seized it.
Experiencing the moment, hoping for the future
While each big-league experience has been a whirlwind for Gania, he made sure to take in the moment.
“For me, it was before the game. I was on the field waiting to speak with Tigers manager AJ Hinch,” Gania said. “I took out my phone and shot a panoramic view of the Coliseum. It's an older ballpark, but it's rich in baseball history from the A's of the '70s and '80s and guys like Tony LaRussa, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. This was place was rocking back then.”
Gania is hoping to do more big-league broadcasts, but he will finish the Double-A season with the SeaWolves in the playoff race and an experience he'll never forget.
“When I was on the field in Oakland, it felt pretty legit at that moment, like you belong,” Gania said. “It was pretty special.”
Game 1: Tarik Skubal superb as Detroit Tigers open second half with 7-2 win over Oakland Athletics
Game 2: Garrett Hill's solid start crumbles in 6th, offense silent as Detroit Tigers fall, 5-0
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves broadcaster Greg Gania calls Detroit Tigers doubleheader
