Bona: Indians announcer addresses SABR group, talks 2017 season
From Marc Bona at the Cleveland Plain Dealer on February 7, 2017:
Fans know Matt Underwood from his role as Indians play-by-play announcer – he’s in his 18th year with the team and the 11th paired with analyst Rick Manning – but he’s also a baseball historian, and someone who respects the game’s past as well as its present.
Underwood is working on a documentary on Addie Joss, the first Cleveland pitcher to throw a perfect game. Joss – a Hall of Famer – died during his prime in 1911.
Underwood spoke to a gathering of more than 60 SABR – Society for American Baseball Research – enthusiasts this past weekend at the Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park on Lexington Avenue. He likened the excitement of going to the park each day by saying you never know what you’re going to see. Who knew, he said, that Tyler Naquin would belt an inside-the-park walk-off home run in August?
“For me as an announcer,” Underwood told the crowd “the journey is more fun than the end. It’s the day-to-day grind, the stories that evolve. I try to enjoy the season as it unfolds.”
Here’s Underwood on the 2016 season, what to expect in 2017, the game and his observations:
Read the full article here: http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/02/indians_announcer_matt_underwo.html
Originally published: February 7, 2017. Last Updated: February 7, 2017.