Ritzo answered 'call' to San Jose

SAN JOSE -- Two years have passed since the Class A Advanced San Jose Giants took home their most recent California League title, the team's third championship in its 20-year affiliation with the San Francisco Giants.

Joe Ritzo, the Giants radio broadcaster, still cracks a smile when he talks about the 2005 season.

"That was a great team," Ritzo said. "Eliezer Alfonzo was our catcher that year; Kevin Frandsen was our second baseman. That team just had an attitude of we know we are better than everyone else, and they went out and proved that."

Still, it was a bumpy ride in the playoffs.

The Giants fell behind two games to none in the championship series against the Lake Elsinore Storm, but were able to pull off two victories to bring the series back to San Jose.

In the fifth and decisive game, the Giants again played from behind, eventually overcoming an early 1-0 deficit with three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the title.

The series was nerve racking, sure, but the suspense made it all the better for Ritzo.

"The crowd was unbelievable," he said. "That whole experience, that whole day and the celebration afterward. It was just an unbelievable reward for such a long season."

For Ritzo, calling that title game is his favorite memory with the Giants, but it was more than just a championship. It was a step toward realizing a dream -- and it came at age 21.

A Bay Area native and lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants, Ritzo knew sports broadcasting was what he wanted to do for a living early on in life.

His career started in high school, calling baseball games for Stanford University, and the vocation continued into his college years at Santa Clara University when he began to work part-time with the Giants.

Now with five years of experience under his belt, Ritzo can still admit he's still learning, but he is glad to be with the Giants to get his real-world education.

"I love working here in San Jose," he said. "It's a great team and a great front office."

It's also been a great ballclub as of late. The Giants emerged from April with the California League's best record and atop the North Division at 18-8.

Ritzo said the team's success starts at the top with manager Lenn Sakata, who has won two championships during his time with the Giants.

"He does a great job," Ritzo said. "He's the all-time, most-winningest manager in San Jose Giants history, and he's taken his teams to the playoffs the previous five years he has been here.

"My experiences with him have been phenomenal. The players all really like him and respect him. The record speaks for itself."

Ritzo also credits this season's success with having players on the team that have a winning attitude. Most of the players on the roster are fresh from the Class A Augusta GreenJackets, who went 92-47 in 2006.

"I believe it was the best record in Minor League Baseball," Ritzo said. "And we almost have that whole team, so they're used to winning and expect to win. It's nice to come to the ballpark and be around a team like that."

Coming to call the play-by-play at San Jose Municipal Stadium is part of the fun for Ritzo too. He describes the park as one of the older ones in the California League, but he enjoys the stadium's character.

"I really enjoy the park," he said. "It's a great place to watch a game. You're close to the action.

But while San Jose may be the ideal place for him now, Ritzo, like his player counterparts, has aspirations of moving up the professional ladder.

"Eventually I'd like to work up to my goal of working in the Majors, sure, but I'm still learning," he said. "I'm just trying to get stories, hang around the guys and pick up lots of stuff."