Dragons on TV Thursday and Friday
Dayton Dragons games on Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18 will be televised this week from Fifth Third Field on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 (channel 23 and digital channel 372 on most Time Warner Cable systems in the Miami Valley). The games are available to more than 500,000 households.
Former Dragons manager/former Reds first baseman Todd Benzinger will serve as the guest commentator on Thursday. On Friday, former Dragons pitching coach/former Reds pitcher Doug Bair will handle the commentator duties.
Sponsors for Dragons television broadcasts include Dayton Power & Light, IUE-CWA, Smoothie King, Alliance for Consumer Education, Greater Ohio Virtual School, Gamin' Ride, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cohen Recycling, IWORKS, Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors, Courtyard by Marriott Dayton South, and Voss Auto.
Benzinger was the Dragons manager for the 2009 and 2010 seasons and a key member of the Cincinnati Reds 1990 World Series champions. He recorded the final out of the '90 World Series when he caught a foul pop off the bat of Oakland's Carney Lansford in the ninth inning of game four. He spent nine years as a player in the major leagues with the Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, and Giants, playing in 924 major league games.
Bair spent 15 seasons in the major leagues and appeared in 584 games with the Reds, Pirates, A's, Tigers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Blue Jays. His best season came with the Reds in 1978 when he finished third in the National League in saves with 28, going 7-6 with a 1.97 earned run average. He was a member of two World Series champions, the 1982 Cardinals and the '84 Tigers. He served as the Dragons pitching coach in 2007 and 2008.
The Dragons will televise 25 games from Fifth Third Field this season. The telecasts are produced by the Dragons' in-house production crew. Each telecast will feature a special guest commentator who will work with Dragons play-by-play announcer Tom Nichols. Among those expected to appear on telecasts are:
- Ron Oester, former Reds infielder (2014 inductee into the Reds Hall-of-Fame)
- Bill Doran, former Houston Astros star and current Reds Minor League Field Coordinator
- Tommy Helms, former Reds player, coach, and manager (member of the Reds Hall-of-Fame)
- Joe Price, former Reds pitcher
- Chris Sexton, former Reds infielder
- Jeff Reboulet, former Major League infielder and Dayton native
- Hal McCoy, Hall-of-fame baseball writer
- Paul Keels, Ohio State University broadcaster
- Mike Hartsock, WHIO TV-7 Sports Director
- Mike Vander Woude, the voice of the Dragons from 2000-2007
- Chick Ludwig, WONE Radio host
- Larry Hansgen of WHIO Radio
- Mo Egger, WLW Radio Sports Talk host
- Grant Griesser, former Reds Assistant Director of Player Development
- Jamie Ramsey, Reds Assistant Director of Media Relations (author of the blog "Better Off Red")
- Brad Del Barba, Major League Baseball scout and former Reds executive
- Daryl Smith, Baseball Author
- Greg Rhodes, Reds team historian
Dragons 2014 Television Broadcast Schedule (remaining games)
Thursday, April 17 - Kane County Cougars
Friday, April 18 - Kane County Cougars
Thursday, May 1 - Lansing Lugnuts
Thursday, May 8 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
Friday, May 9 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
Saturday, May 10 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
Thursday, May 22 - West Michigan Whitecaps
Friday, May 23 - West Michigan Whitecaps
Saturday, May 31 - Lansing Lugnuts
Thursday, June 12 - Bowling Green Hot Rods
Friday, June 13 - Lake County Captains
Saturday, June 14 - Lake County Captains
Saturday, June 28 - Lake County Captains
Thursday, July 3 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
Thursday, July 10 - South Bend Silver Hawks
Friday, July 11 - West Michigan Whitecaps
Saturday, July 12 - West Michigan Whitecaps
Thursday, July 24 - Quad Cities River Bandits
Friday, July 25 - Quad Cities River Bandits
Saturday, July 26 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
Saturday, August 2 - South Bend Silver Hawks
Saturday, August 16 - Bowling Green Hot Rods
Wednesday, August 27 - Lansing Lugnuts
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