Greenwald living his boyhood dream

FRESNO, Calif. -- Doug Greenwald strolled into his office at Chukchansi Park, eased down into his chair and gently put his headphones over his ears in preparation for another day of hard work.

The shelves of his office are filled with baseball media guides, and a Fresno Grizzlies hat gracefully sits on a table behind him. It was the perfect decoration for a baseball lover, or better yet, a baseball broadcaster.

Greenwald, the Grizzlies' radio play-by-play announcer, gazed onto the field as the players took their positions. He was born to be there, literally. After all, he is the son of former Major League broadcaster Hank Greenwald, who spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants.

"I first knew I was going to be a broadcaster when I found out I couldn't hit a fastball," Doug Greenwald said. "When I knew I wasn't going to make it as a player in seventh grade or whenever it may have been."

Hank didn't have to tell him what the next best alternative was -- the younger Greenwald was able to see it for himself. His father was living his dream.

"Once I started going to the ballpark around that time with him, it was pretty cool to see what dad did for a living," Greenwald said. "To go to a ballpark every night, having work-related travel but still getting to see other ballparks and work for a baseball team year around, it was great.

"Most important is getting the opportunity to communicate baseball to people, whether they're bringing their radio to the beach or driving in the car. And of course nowadays people can listen on their computers. Having the opportunity to talk baseball for a living always appealed to me, and there is no question my dad had a huge impact on that."

Contrary to what might seem obvious, however, Greenwald opened up the doors to his success in this profession on his own. His father's position may have undoubtedly helped, but Greenwald used relationships he had built in order to elegantly ease into the business.

Greenwald had become friends with the current broadcaster for the Tacoma Rainiers, Mike Curto, who then held a job as the radio play-by-play announcer in Bend, Ore. An opportunity eventually opened up for Greenwald in association with Curto, and he immediately jumped on it.

"My senior year of college I was online in the computer lab, looking at the transactions, and it said Mike Curto was hired by the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes," Greenwald said. "So I called Mike immediately and told him congratulations and wanted to confirm that it was true and he told me he had just been hired about 20 minutes ago. I confirmed if the Bend job was open, and he said absolutely."

It was an opportunity he wouldn't allow himself to let slip away.

"Mike gave me the owner's name and he happened to answer the phone, so I guess the owner answers the phone in the Minor League level," he said with a chuckle. "I told him I was a friend of Mike Curto's and that he suggested I call.

"He told me the job was open and to send him a tape and keep in touch, and one thing led to another and I got the job. It was something I really developed on my own."

Thirteen years later, Greenwald is still at it, on his way to his dream just like the players he talks about on a daily basis. His ideal job is to one day broadcast just three hours north in San Francisco, just like his father did.

It is only natural that Hank Greenwald still remains behind the scenes as his son travels through whatever endeavors it takes to one day achieve the goal of following directly in his father's footsteps and ultimately making it to the big leagues.

Hank consistently tunes into his son's broadcasts to absorb his progression and never hesitates to point out where Doug can use some improvements. Doug is on the receiving end of constant constructive criticism that helps him develop and excel in the correct avenues to build on his already successful style.

Doug, who was named the 2005 Minor League Broadcaster of the Year, calls his father a "built-in professor."

"I didn't have to wait for when his office hours were, he was there," Doug said of his relationship with his father while still learning the business. "He will listen on the computer, and even though he is retired, he will take his computer wherever he may be and listen. He tells me if there is anything I can improve on and he has made me more aware, and over the years that has really helped me."

Through day-in and day-out activity for the Grizzlies, Doug's passion grows stronger and stronger. And as he sits in Triple-A, he also realizes that he is one break short of finding his office in a Major League ballpark.

As games continue to pass and events roll on, it could seem to some that the job might become mundane, particularly if the team being broadcast isn't particularly good.

For Doug, it is a dream come true -- a dream he saw his father live during his childhood. It is his dream, and he couldn't be more enthusiastic about witnessing the game he loves daily, both in Fresno and at all the away games.

He can be described as a baseball knowledge buff, which is maybe something that comes with the territory.

"[My dad] will say this to anybody," Doug said. "In baseball you come out every night and you can see something you have never seen before."

That is the principle that keeps Doug hungry to achieve his goals.

"I'll often say before the first pitch, what am I going to see tonight?" Doug said. "Over the years I have learned something new in every game."