As a student at Marquette University, Len Kasper used to carry a tape recorder into Admirals games at the Bradley Center, find an empty seat near press row and "broadcast" the action.

The practice and hard work paid off handsomely.

After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in public relations in 1993, Kasper moved on to stints at Milwaukee radio stations WISN and WTMJ, where he hosted talk shows and pre-game shows, and in 2002 he snagged a job as the television play-by-play man for the Florida Marlins.

After three seasons in south Florida, Kasper, now 36, hit the broadcasting jackpot -- he landed a job with the Chicago Cubs. Along with partner Bob Brenly, he calls the action for millions of Cubs fans across the world.

With the Brewers playing the Cubs this weekend at Wrigley Field, we figured it was a good time to catch up with Len Kasper. Enjoy this Milwaukee Talks interview with the Cubs announcer.

OnMilwaukee.com: You grew up in Michigan, matriculated at Marquette and now live in Chicago. You've been around Lake Michigan for much of your life. When people ask you where you are from, what do you tell them?

Len Kasper: I say I'm from a small town in Michigan (Mt. Pleasant) and if pressed further I say I then spent almost 13 years in Milwaukee where I went to Marquette and I now live in Chicago.

OMC: What drove you to attend Marquette and how did that teenage decision impact the rest of your life?

LK: I would say a few things: 1) It's in a city that has pro sports. 2) It's in a large city in general (being from a small town, I wanted to experience urban life). 3) I loved the Jesuit mission of MU. 4) I was accepted when I applied! I would say going to Marquette was an integral part of my life and I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I hadn't gone there. I made so many great contacts during that time that I don't know where I'd be without it.

OMC: You picked up a lot of broadcast / radio experience in the Milwaukee market. Who influenced you along the way?

LK: This is tough because I don't want to leave anyone out, but I'll give you a few: Bill Baxter, my mentor at MU (now retired, he was a long-time PR Professor), Steve "The Homer" True, Andy Friedrich (who worked at Marquette and gave me a chance to do some pre-game interviews on the radio), Steve Wexler (former WTMJ program director who hired me), Joe Fasi (my agent), Tim Van Wagoner (former Brewers broadcasting director), Dennis Krause, Phil Cianciola, Jim Powell, Matt Vasgersian and, of course, my first baseball broadcasting partner, Bill Schroeder. That's more than a few I guess and there were others who helped me along the way.

OMC: A lot of people may not realize how close you came to securing the Brewers TV job when Matt Vasgersian left. Sources tell me it was a very close race between you and Daron Sutton, who ended up doing the games. Do you think about how life could have been different had you gotten the Brewers job?

LK: It was my dream job at the time. The funny thing is Daron and I instantly became great friends after he got the job. He plugged hard for me to get his old job in Anaheim, for which I was a finalist, but didn't get. Ultimately, I was hired in Florida and the rest, as they say, is history. I would have been honored to get the Brewers job, but maybe in the end, it just wasn't meant to be. I really think there are times when maybe you're "too close" to the situation and teams like to bring in a fresh voice / face. I completely respected their decision, especially considering they hired Daron, who's a terrific broadcaster. And let me add, I think Brian Anderson is excellent. I've watched many of their games and he and Bill are great together and Brian sounds like he's been doing this a long time.

OMC: What was more thrilling -- watching the Marlins win the pennant/World Series or doing your first game at Wrigley Field as the Cubs announcer?

LK: Great question. The '03 season (with Florida) was amazing for a lot of reasons. The Marlins were 10 games under .500 at one point and to see them surprise the baseball world and win it all is something I'll always cherish. Plus, that was just the second year in my first full-time big league job. But, from purely a broadcasting standpoint, considering the TV play-by-play voice of the Chicago Cubs is one of the most prestigious jobs in sports, I'd have to say my first game with the Cubs at Wrigley was probably my proudest moment as a broadcaster.

OMC: The Cubs are having a somewhat difficult time this season. Is it hard for you to enjoy the rest of your life when the team is doing poorly?

LK: Well, you caught the Cubs in their best stretch of the season, so life's been awesome around the team lately! I look at it this way: I badly want the team to win; I'm a huge Cubs fan and I've gotten totally caught up in the passion with which Cubs fans follow this team. That part of it can be emotionally taxing, because of the rollercoaster ride on which this team takes its fan every year. But, I'm much happier when they win than I am upset when they lose. And the biggest reason for that is this: I can't go to the park in a "bad" mood everyday when the team is struggling. It hurts my on-air performance. Any broadcaster will tell you that. Plus, I have the greatest job in the world regardless of whether they win or lose, so I'm thankful to be there every time I put on the headset. It's tough to explain sometimes, but I show up every single day expecting to see a great game and hoping the Cubs win. Even last year when the Cubs lost 96 games.

OMC: One of the great traditions at Wrigley Field is the seventh-inning stretch. Which celebrity guest conductors were you most jazzed about meeting?

LK: Jennie Finch, Tim Robbins, Jeremy Piven, Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Eddie Vedder and did I mention Jennie Finch?

OMC: In that vein, what are some of the cool perks of being the Cubs' TV voice? Do you ever get the feeling that you are floating above your body and saying in a David Byrne voice "How did I get here?"

LK: Yeah, I would say that's a great quote to describe it. It's weird; I never, ever, ever said to myself, "I want people to notice me." I love baseball and I love the work and that's why I chose this path. But, to walk into Wrigley Field and to have a good portion of the fans I run into already know who I am is pretty neat. The fans here are so great and they've treated me like a member of their family and it's very satisfying when somebody tells me they watch Bob and me every single game, which means we're a part of their daily routine. It's a big responsibility and one I take very seriously.

OMC: What things do you like to do when you get back to Milwaukee? Is there anywhere you MUST go or people you MUST see to make the trip complete?

LK: I always try to hook up with some friends or family. The good thing is, many of those friends are at Miller Park, so I re-connect before the games usually. I don't have a must-go place, but I love how the downtown area has developed. There's so much more going on than I can remember.

OMC: You're a big music guy and have always turned me on to some good CDs. Who are you listening to these days?

LK: Secret Machines, Figgs, Redwalls, Wilco, Paybacks, Dirtbombs, Hold Steady, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dandy Warhols, Apples in Stereo, Tommy Keene, Bob Pollard. One of the thrills of MY ENTIRE LIFE was not only getting to hang out backstage with Bob Pollard and Tommy Keene before a show in Chicago last fall, but to have Pollard (formerly of Guided By Voices) tell me that my voice is audible at the end of the first track (Accident Texas Who) of his latest record called "Normal Happiness." Seems when he was recording a demo of that song, he had a baseball game on in the background, so when he recorded it for the record, he wanted to duplicate it and it just so happens his tour manager, Rich Turiel, is from Chicago and is a HUGE Cubs fan, so they stuck one of my calls at the end of the song. You have to crank it up to the max to really hear it, but it's there. Now, how cool is that? That's definitely one of those "How did I get here?" moments.

OMC: Finally, the big question: Can the Cubs overtake the Brewers in the NL Central?

LK: Another great question. I'll have a better answer after the weekend. It's still early enough for it to happen, but the biggest thing working against them is that after this weekend series, the Cubs only get three more shots at Milwaukee in late August, which means there will be a lot of scoreboard watching. It really looks like these are the two best teams in the division and I'm hopeful the Cubs can do it. It won't be easy though considering the deficit and how well the Brewers are playing.