Ex-Braves announcer van Wieren opens up about cancer

From Matt Pearl at 11Alive.com on November 19, 2012, on longtime SABR member Pete van Wieren:

For 33 years, Pete van Wieren’s job could be summed up in four words that the broadcasting legend still says today: never give up hope.

“I think back to all those years when the Braves were finishing in last place,” van Wieren recalls. “People would look at you and say, ‘How could you work for a team like that?'”

But he didn’t just work for the Braves; he was the voice of them. Along with Skip Caray and Ernie Johnson, Pete van Wieren formed the third leg of the broadcast team for “America’s Team.”

And when things did turn around for the Braves, Pete’s hope – and Atlanta’s hope – paid off in a big way.

These days, Pete is four years into retirement, and the mantra, never give up hope, has taken on a whole new meaning.

“The plan was to take it easy and enjoy life, that was basically it,” van Wieren said. “And then almost a year to the day after I retired, I got the lymphoma diagnosis.”

Watch the interview below or read the full article here: http://www.11alive.com/news/article/264661/40/Ex-Braves-announcer-Pete-van-Wieren-opens-up-about-cancer



Originally published: November 19, 2012. Last Updated: November 19, 2012.