Fresno, Calif. (KGPE) – A longtime broadcast voice here in the Central Valley will not be behind the microphone anymore for the Fresno Grizzlies.
Doug Greenwald, who has been the voice of the Grizz since the 2003 season, has been informed he will not be retained by the organization.
Doug telling Sports Central over the phone Wednesday he’s obviously disappointed by the decision, and surprised, since he intended to be back this year, and was told he would be back, but that ultimately, he fell victim to “budget cuts.”
As part of Major League Baseball’s restructuring of the minor league system, the Grizzlies transitioned from a Triple-A franchise to a Low-A team in the California League before the 2021 season.
In the California League, many of the play-by-play broadcasters also help with several other duties within the organization, whereas Greenwald had remained solely the team’s broadcaster the last two seasons, after the transition to Low-A.
The 48-year-old Greenwald is the son of the late sports broadcaster Hank Greenwald, whose resume included calling San Francisco Giants games for 16 years through the 80’s and 90’s.
Doug has called over 2500 Grizzlies games, including the 2015 Triple-A championship won by the Grizzlies.
He was behind the microphone to see future Giant stars like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner come through Fresno, when the Grizzlies were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, and future Astro stars like Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez, when the Grizzlies were affiliated with the Astros.
Even though he is disappointed he won’t be back this season, “it brings a smile to his face” when Doug thinks about his 20 years in Fresno.
“All the friendships on and off the field, whether it be various media members, or members of the organization,” said Greenwald. “Not just the players you get to interact with calling games, but the friends you meet along the way.”
Greenwald is also appreciative of the opportunity he was given to develop as a broadcaster by the Grizzlies organization.
“20 years of good stuff,” said Greenwald, “My time in Fresno really developed me as a broadcaster. I was hired to broadcast, and only had to worry about that.”
Doug says he’ll miss seeing the fans, and the fun minor league atmosphere the Grizzlies have created.
“Fireworks night, all the promotional nights,” added Greenwald. “It was fun to come to the ballpark, not just to broadcast baseball, but to see postgame fireworks, the different uniforms.”
A Grizzlies spokesman wouldn’t go into specifics about the organization’s decision to part ways with Greenwald, but in a statement said, “our entire organization is extremely grateful for Doug’s stewardship of our radio presence over the past two decades and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Doug has been an integral part of many historical moments with our club and will always have a cherished spot in Fresno Grizzlies history.”
Doug lives in San Francisco, and is currently the voice of the UC Davis women’s basketball team.
He has filled in on the radio for a handful of San Francisco Giants games in the past, and has over a decade’s worth of experience calling Giants spring training games, so he remains hopeful of finding a permanent gig broadcasting in the big leagues.
“I’m out there looking, I’m available,” said Greenwald.
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