Jim West (sportscaster)

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Jim Wetzel, [1] known on-air as Jim West, is a retired sportscaster who worked in Baltimore and Chicago. He was a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Capitals.

Biography

West was born in Baltimore and graduated from Towson State College. [2] In 1962, he was hired to handle play-by-play for Baltimore Clippers games on WITH radio. [3] The following season, both the Clippers and West moved to WBAL, where West also hosted the Baltimore Orioles pre- and post-game shows. [3] [4] In 1967, West received the James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding media coverage of the American Hockey League. [5]

In 1970, West became the television announcer for the Chicago Black Hawks. [6] From 1971 to 1976, he also called Cubs games for the station. [7]

In 1978, the Washington Capitals chose West to call the team's games on WDCA-TV. [2] From 1983 to 1990, West co-hosted the Jones and West Morning Show with Bob Jones. [8] From 1984 to 1986, West was the play-by-play announcer for Maryland Terrapins football games. [9] His final full-time job in broadcasting was the sports anchor role for WBAL Radio's morning show. He retired in 1995 and was replaced by Pam Ward. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ Klein, Alyson (July 11, 2003). "Seniors slug it out in home run derby contest". The Baltimore Sun.
  2. 1 2 "Capitals Pick West for TV". The Washington Post. August 21, 1978. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Hockey Clippers get air coverage". Baltimore Afro-American. September 17, 1963. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Rheinheimer, Kurt (2007). Deaver, Philip (ed.). "The Bad Case". Scoring from Second: Writers on Baseball. Bison Original: 84. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "James H. Ellery Memorial Award". American Hockey League Hall of Fame. AHL Hall of Fame. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Jim West". The Hockey News. October 9, 1970.
  7. ↑ "Cubs Broadcasters". Cubs.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Robert 'Bob' Jones of WBAL's 'Jones and West' has passed away". WBAL. October 1, 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  9. ↑ The 46th Annual Scholar Athlete Awards Dinner (PDF). The Greater Baltimore Chapter National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. March 11, 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Kent, Milton (March 14, 1995). "WBAL's West will settle into busy 'semi-retirement'". The Baltimore Sun.
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