New Blues broadcaster working tonight in Peoria.

[Kyle1512]

SCP Worldwide is having Ashley Scharge work last night and tonight doing the Peoria Rivermen play by play. He is expected to move into another announcing role for SCP Worldwide. He is a hockey guy, not hockey smart, but has been fired from hockey play by play jobs in college and minor league hockey. He is horrid, talks slow (New York accent), mispronounces names, and doesn't do the play justice with his description.
Can listen live on Hippie Radio 101.1 FM
http://www.streamaudio.com/stations/player/pages/newplayer/index_win.asp?Owner=&public=&headertext=WHPI_FM&Station=WHPI_FM&Mac=No&OptIn=&Streamtype=&filename=

[ProngerBlues44]

Ashley Scharge > John Kelly

[Leedog]

A man named Ashley? I smell a Johnny Cash song somewhere.

[Mellanby_equals_grit]

A man named Ashley? I smell a Johnny Cash song somewhere.

If I ever have a son I'm gonna name him.... Bill or George any damn thing but Ashley.

[blueline]

Not sure what is going on. Brendan Burke is a solid play by play guy for a very young guy. It has to be politics for SCP to be auditioning someone else. Nobody can replace Norm Ulrich the voice of the Rivermen. Last season Tom Calhahon attempted. He did get promoted to Nashville Predators radio feed. IMO this season is much better when listening to the feed via radio. I think because he is very young the powers to be tend to step on his toes. Mr. Burke needs to grow a set a balls and tell the Rivermen staff and SCP to frank off. the kid has talent and does a great job.

[blueline]

[size=85]CLOWN PRINCE OF PUCK: Remember Max Patkin, the Clown Prince of Baseball?

Well, the Rivermen hit one out of the park over the weekend when they booked a broadcast comedy act, Ashley Scharge, and had him do play-by-play for their home games Friday and Saturday.

Regular Rivermen radio voice Brendan Burke hooked up all the equipment for Scharge — we’re not sure if that’s his stage name or real name — then did the pregame and postgame shows so Scharge would not have to talk to any players or coaches.

But the game broadcast was all Scharge’s, and it was hysterical stuff.

For two nights, he repeatedly butchered the names of Rivermen players Nicholas Drazenovic (“Dreznovitch,” “Draznick,” “Nick”), Steve Regier (“Ray-ger,’’ “Regiearrr”) and Jonas Junland. In his name, the J’s are pronounced as Y’s, but Scharge called him “June-land,’’ like the month.

There were plenty of other mispronounciations, too. Desperate to help, Burke resorted to tape-recording the proper pronunciations. Scharge held the recorder to his ear and listened during the broadcast, but he still botched them.

Thank God the Rivermen traded Andy Wozniewski earlier in the week.

Anyway, a lot of Rivermen fans didn’t get it. The team got some angry e-mails, while others switched over to the visiting team’s broadcast — which, of course, is a disservice to Peoria’s corporate sponsors, who pay for a presence on the home broadcast.

They heard Scharge confuse backchecking with forechecking, the Rockford zone with the Peoria zone, goaltender Manny Legace’s right with his left and endured 3-5 seconds of dead air between most sentences because he couldn’t keep up with the action on the ice. He even credited Rockford with picking a player in the NHL draft.

This made a lot of customers believe it was just an incompetent, bush-league broadcast.

Now everything I just told you was true, except for one thing. I’ll reveal it later in this space.

TIP OF THE DAY: The Rivermen have revised upward their earlier estimates on the amount gathered for Children’s Hospital of Illinois last week from the team’s inaugural “Tip-A-Rivermen’’ charity event at Gracie’s Sports Grille and Pizza in Washington.

The event — at which Rivermen players served as waiters for more than 100 fans who booked tables, and later led the diners in songs and an auction — raised $5,478.

All sides had a blast, and the Rivermen plan to do this again next season.

Check my Cleve’s World sports blog at www.pjstar.com for pictures from the event.

SHLAGEE, SCHLUDGE, SLARG? OK, the Scharge radio guy I just told you about earlier in this space?

He was not an act. His was an official audition. Yep.

Oh, everything detailed up there really did happen. But he was in Peoria for what was supposed to be a serious radio tryout.

Seems SCP Worldwide — the New York-based owners of the Rivermen and St. Louis Blues — yanked Burke off the broadcasts Friday and Saturday so they could fly in Scharge for a two-game tryout.

Never mind he lasted five games on the air at ECHL Wheeling this season before, well, “leaving” that job.

Never mind he lasted two weeks doing play-by-play for Northern Michigan University hockey before, well, “leaving” that job.

Never mind this was an insult to Burke. Or to the Rivermen players and coaches, or the franchise tradition that has produced broadcasters like Norm Ulrich and NHLers like Matt McConnell and Tom Callahan.

Never mind it was an embarrassment to the fans, and to the team’s radio sponsors, and that this self-serving stunt came in the midst of the most important weekend of the season.

“SCP Worldwide and the Rivermen are very happy with Brendan Burke,’’ Rivermen chief operating officer Josh Morin said Monday night. “He’s our guy and we’re committed to him long-term.’’

Morin declined to answer any other questions, and Burke had no comment.

I wonder if SCP would pull this stunt with the Blues broadcasts? Or is it just Peoria the ownership seems to disrespect?

I think SCP Worldwide owes an apology to Burke, and to Rivermen fans and sponsors.
Oh. And can I join the coaching staff for a couple games?

[section319]

Isn't this more of a thread for the Minor League Forum, not the Blues?

[cprice12]

Isn't this more of a thread for the Minor League Forum, not the Blues?

Yes...it should be.

And now it is.

[Kyle1512]

No this is a BLUES post, he is being hired by SCP Worldwide to work hockey, not Peoria Rivermen games. I should have put the title as NEW BLUES broadcaster working tonight in Peoria. Shouldn't have put the Question mark.
http://www.pjstar.com/sports_rivermen/x1593366211/EMINIAN-Looking-good-sounding-awful

[ProngerBlues44]

I'm a (Franking) douchebag.

Phixed.