{image1}Listening to the radio and TV broadcasts of Brewers and Packers games, you wouldn't know Wisconsin's teams are the ultimate definition of small-market clubs.

From Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker to nationally-appreciated talents like Wayne Larrivee, Jim Powell, Pat Hughes, Matt Vasgersian and Daron Sutton, some big names in sports have landed on -- and moved through -- Milwaukee's TV and radio dials.

But how does their management retain talent when some consider Milwaukee the farm system for big league broadcasting? And what can it do to keep broadcasters here, like it didn't do for Hughes, who left for the Cubs, and Vasgersian, who now announces Padres games?

A handful of teams are looking for new broadcasters this winter: the Cubs, the Dodgers and the new franchise in Washington all have spots to fill. Might they try to tap into Powell, who sits side-by-side with arguably the most famous announcer in baseball, or pry away Sutton, who is still just settling into his job?

"Even Jim knows that another ball club would be crazy not to see if they could lure him away," says Tim Van Wagoner, who was the Brewers director of broadcasting until the end of this season. "He has the ability to be a No. 1 broadcaster at the vast majority of teams."

Van Wagoner says he's seen broadcasters make a switch before.

"When I first started, that's when Jim Paschke left to concentrate on the Bucks. I was responsible for finding the top five replacements, and we ultimately hired Matt Vasgersian (who later left for San Diego). Any good director of broadcasting will have five guys in their tickler file in case someone leaves or in case someone gets ill. You gotta be ready. I have five guys to this day."

Vasgersian stresses that his reason for leaving was different than most.

"I wanted to be back on the West Coast, but I wasn't looking to leave the Brewers. I really liked it there."

That is a different situation than Powell may find himself in, according to Vasgersian.

"Jim is married with children and has more to think about than himself," says Vasgersian. "I could make those selfish decisions."

Jon Schweitzer, senior vice president and general manager at WTMJ radio, the flagship station of the Brewers Radio Network, says there are processes in place to make sure his talents don't jump ship.

Says Schweitzer, "When you a have a good talent, at least we put him under a contract. That is the case with Jim. Over and above that, we make sure that working conditions are appropriate for that talent. We make sure he's challenged. We make sure he understands what our direction is. We have a great relationship with Jim."

Will the Cubs come calling?

Powell's current contract runs for the next two years, however it's not unusual in broadcasting for a talent to leave his market for another opportunity somewhere else. Most stations don't want to keep an employee who wants to leave.

The Cubs, for their part, are remaining tight-lipped about their search for new talent.

"(We're in the) very early of the stages of the process," says the Cubs vice president of marketing and broadcasting John McDonough. "We're really not going to get into the name game."

Other sources have reported that Sutton and his predecessor, Vasgersian, are on the short list for the Cubs job. After all, Chicago is a lucrative and high-profile market, and there are very few open spots.

"There are 55 radio play-by-play positions, and 100,000 people would want one of the jobs," says Van Wagoner. Even in Milwaukee, he says, "There's no lack of candidates who come out of the woodwork and would express interest."

Vasgersian agrees, and says a broadcaster must tread carefully if he's looking for a better deal.

"If Jim wanted to get into some prolonged contractual squabble, there'd be 75,000 kids with demo tapes and Brooks Brothers suits waiting to take his -- and my -- spots," says Vasgersian. "Regardless of how good you are, the team thinks they can get someone in there cheaper. It's like the situation with players' (contracts), but there's no union for broadcasters."

He also admits that every broadcaster is expendable, too, except for Vin Scully in Los Angeles.

"When you start to get fat and lazy that's when you lose your edge. And none of us are so good that we're not replaceable," says Vasgersian.

So, is it likely that a current or former Brewers talent could wind up with the Cubs, as was the case with Hughes? Van Wagoner thinks it's possible.

"All I can say is that in any TV play-by-play situation, you have to go with the intricacies of the marketplace. Chicago is used to the lovable Harry Carry, Dick Butkis and Ron Santo types, who aren't as much of broadcasters as characters. Vasgersian could do Chicago but maybe not Florida, where they have an older listenership and want their play-by-play right down the middle. Daron would be a great fit in any market. He's the type of guy that is always asking what extra he could do from a community relations standpoint. (He's) unbelievable -- if you gave him a chance to work a ticket booth, he would."

{image2} Sutton, however, stresses that he has no plans to leave Milwaukee.

"I haven't spoken with anyone at the Cubs organization," says Sutton. "There have been lists generated (by the Chicago media), but I'm incredibly happy here. I moved to Milwaukee, and my family moved with me because we wanted to be in the Midwest and in Milwaukee. I had high expectations when I got here, and it's turned out to even be better."

Vasgersian, who is under contract with the Padres, also denies that he is a candidate for the Cubs position.

"I haven't talked to anyone, and I'm technically not supposed to talk to anyone," he says. "I don't know what's going on, but it's flattering to have your name pop up."

For Powell, staying in Milwaukee means more than the six months out of the year that make up the baseball season.

"I measure my situation here by a lot more than just what my job is," says Powell, who just completed his ninth season with the Brewers. "For me it is all about the quality of life. I don't aspire to be on top of the broadcasting world ... I aspire to share as good of a life as possible with my family. Wisconsin is a great place to raise a family, and that is at the top of my priority list at this point."

However, calling games for a team that hasn't produced a winning season since 1992 can be professionally frustrating for any announcer. It's something that Powell would like to see change, and he thinks it will.

"Naturally I would love to call meaningful pennant race games and post-season games, but I think that can happen here, hopefully in the near future," says Powell.

Heir apparent?

Most insiders think Powell will stay put -- for now.

"I don't (think he'll leave), and I say that because I'm pretty confident he enjoys it here," says Schweitzer.

And though no one wants to talk about life after the retirement of Bob Uecker, most agree Powell would make an excellent replacement down the line.

Says Van Wagoner, "I can't say what they're thinking, but it would be a slam dunk if I was making the decision. He's qualified to be a No. 1. Why wouldn't he deserve to have a No. 1 position?"

"Bob has given us no indication that he's ready to hang it up or (that) he has a timetable for that," says Schweitzer. "Obviously we want him there as long as he wants to be there. I don't think it would be fair to say, if we had any plans, what they would be. Obviously, Jim is capable of being the No. 1 guy here or anywhere else."

Powell says he doesn't even think in those terms.

"Bob Uecker will never be replaced, not by the Brewers and not by the baseball community, in general," he says.

Continuity is key

Powell says he is the type of broadcaster who thinks continuity with a team is important, both for a career and for the fans.

"I hope that I can be one of the lucky baseball broadcasters who is able to stay with one team for virtually an entire career. It takes time to earn the trust of the fans of a team, and I feel like I have gotten to that point where fans have accepted me and know I am their advocate, and that we are in the Brewers' foxhole together.

"I have been here long enough to learn the history of the team from the guys who played in the big games like Robin Yount, Jim Gantner, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas. I have a strong affinity for the team and a healthy respect for the fans who have hung in there during recent years when the team wasn't winning. I emceed the groundbreaking ceremony for Miller Park and watched up close while baseball in Wisconsin was transformed forever as the park was built. I have invested a lot here, and the Brewers Radio Network and the team itself have invested a lot in me. I am hoping that I can be part of the Attanasio era, too. It is a very exciting time."

Schweitzer agrees that it's better to keep a radio team together as long as possible.

"It's important," stresses Schweitzer. "There are 162 games, not counting preseason games, where listeners have the choice to listen or not. The announcers play a big part in that. I think Jim is a wonderful complement to the best play-by-play guy in baseball.

Powell says his professional motive isn't really "taking it national," to borrow from an old Brewers' slogan.

"Some guys want to work their way up and work national games for a network and stay neutral as a broadcaster. That, to me, would be boring in the long term. I want to identify with a team and its fans and live and die with them. When I think of the magical voices of sports, I think of the guys who stayed with one team forever like Ernie Harwell, Larry Munson (of the Georgia Bulldogs), Vin Scully and Marty Brennaman. My Hall of Fame partner is right at the top of the list. I know all of those guys could have taken other offers at some point or another, but they loved being identified with one team as much as the team and its fans loved having them at the mic."

Schweitzer says that despite Milwaukee's size, this market can compete with larger cities.

"I don't know intimately what some of those markets are paying for baseball broadcasters, but I think we can (compete) when factoring in cost of living and all the benefits in living in a state like Wisconsin."

Schweitzer can point to announcers like Larrivee, who left Chicago to cover the Packers, to make his point.

"We have some of the best. I'd put our football or baseball teams against any in their respective leagues. Wayne and Larry (McCarren) are the best team in the league. Bob and Jim are without a doubt some of the best in the Major League."

For Sutton, being in Milwaukee is most importantly about community.

"Working in a market like this, your responsibility is not to just call the games as you see them but to be a baseball ambassador. There is no luncheon or dinner big or small to say no to. In a small market, it not only helps you to get to know people but it helps the team as a whole. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here, and that wasn't as available in Southern California."

Sutton says he considers his broadcast partner, Bill Schroeder, his second family, and he simply can't envision a situation in which he would want to leave.

"That may sound short-sighted, but as much as Milwaukee chose me, I chose them a long, long time ago. This is the one job I wanted and I got it. For me to move in another direction would puzzle even me. We'd all be a little puzzled."

Better opportunities elsewhere?

No matter how much they love their jobs, sometimes announcers do have to move on, and it's safe to say that working next to a larger-than-life figure like Uecker is a tall order.

Says Van Wagoner, "People tend to take Jimmy Powell and his talents for granted. Let's face it, Uecker is arguably the best play-by-play guy in baseball. He's an icon. (Working next to him), you're in his shadow. If you're a No. 2 guy, it's tough to build your niche in just three innings."

According to Van Wagoner, it's not unfathomable that Powell could someday leave for a larger market.

"(It would have to be) the classic overwhelming offer you can't refuse," he says.

Says Schweitzer, "To lose Jim would be to essentially start over in some regards. Bob would have to get used to the workings of another person. Jim is extremely intelligent and understands his role in the broadcast. He doesn't play second fiddle and understands the strengths he brings to the broadcasts."

Vasgersian puts it more bluntly.

"Jim is good enough to work in any market. What it comes down to, is the Brewers have to pay. (In the past), they've made penny-wise, pound-foolish decisions. They are gonna have to pay him; that's what it's gonna take."

Vasgersian says he lost a lot of respect for the organization when it dismissed Van Wagoner at the end of the season, and it's these types of decisions that make him skeptical about their commitment to retain their talent.

"The Brewers blew out 'TVW,' which is horse sh**," says Vasgersian. "He was an important guy, the kind of guy I would hire. He's a loyal citizen type who is gonna work his ass off. He was a great employee."

"They continue to make blunders like that, and it pisses me off, because I have a warm spot for the Brewers," he says. "I left there under great terms, but when I read about jackass decisions in other matters, that just fries my ass."

No broadcaster should consider himself irreplaceable, says Vasgersian, but no one should stay in a stagnant position, even Powell.

"Eventually even though he loves Milwaukee and wants to stay here, there's a cap on a situation. Is he gonna be the No. 2 guy forever? He's better than that."