Mattern works 2,000th game behind mike
With the call of Wednesday's game against the Reading Phillies, Mattern reached the 2,000 mark. He started working on Senators' radio when baseball returned to Harrisburg in 1987.
"I don't think any of us would have thought we would still be around 19 seasons later," Mattern said just before the Reading game. "I have been very lucky. Lucky to get this job in the first place and lucky to work with some great people, both in the booth and in the Senators' office."
Mattern, a Mechanicsburg High School graduate, joined the Senators after working on radio and television in New Jersey. After a few seasons of doing radio in Harrisburg, he was promoted to public relations director and then to Senators assistant general manager.
From 1987-94, Mattern worked all Senators radio games, home and away. When Brad Sparesus joined the broadcast team, Mattern cut back on the road trips.
"I felt like I was missing my son (Perry) growing up," Mattern said. "It sounds funny, but I really liked traveling with the team. That's the time you get to know the players and the staff. I just needed to be home more."
When you are with the team and broadcasting the games, an announcer sees it all. Mattern has his favorite moments covering the Senators.
"Opening Day 1987 was great. Tommy Prince's homer in the 1987 playoffs was special. Winning any of the six championships. But the defining moment has to be Milton Bradley's grand slam home run in 1999. When I was interviewing him during the celebration, we both started to cry. I will never forget it."