Matt Vasgersian
Encyclopedia
Matt Vasgersian is an American
sportscaster
and television host. Vasgersian is a host for the MLB Network
and has served as an announcer for NBC Sports
' coverage of the Olympics, and on Fox Sports
' MLB coverage. He formerly called play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewers
and the San Diego Padres
.
career as a child actor
. A member of the Screen Actors Guild
at age seven, he appeared in an episode of The Streets of San Francisco
and the movie The Candidate
. A native California
n of Armenian
descent, Vasgersian graduated from the University of Southern California
where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. While a student at USC, he appeared on The New Dating Game, winning a trip to Telluride, CO.
Rookie league affiliate in Huntington, West Virginia
on radio station WKEE-AM 800 and was the voice of the High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners affiliate) on radio station KAPL. He moved up the minor league baseball ranks over the next several years, working for various clubs in a number of different organizations, ending with the AAA Tucson Toros
in 1996.
Vasgersian was 29-years old when he became the play-by-play voice for the Milwaukee Brewers, where he stayed for five years before filling the same role for the San Diego Padres. Vasgersian was with the Padres for seven seasons when it was announced he would be joining MLB Network.
On November 1, 2008, during a broadcast of the San Diego CIF High School Football Game of the Week, Channel 4 announced that Vasgersian would not be returning as a Padres announcer for the 2009 season, having chosen to pursue other opportunities. Later that week, it was reported that Vasgersian had signed a deal with MLB Network to become that channel's first studio host.
football league in 2001. From 2006-2008, Vasgersian had been a regular on Fox NFL telecasts, teaming with J.C. Pearson. In previous years, he had done select games for the network. Vasgersian's football seasons have culminated with calling the 2007 Orange Bowl and the 2008 and 2009 Fiesta Bowl for the BCS on Fox]. He has done regional MLB telecasts for the Fox Game of the Week
, teaming with a variety of analysts, and also lent his voice for NBC
's broadcast of the 2006 Winter Olympics
by being the play-by-play announcer for the ski jumping
event.
He has hosted several TV shows, including the game show Sports Geniuses
(2000), Game Show Network
's World Series of Blackjack
(2004), and Celebrity Blackjack
(2004), the National Heads-Up Poker Championship
on NBC and the first season grand final of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
. He has also emceed various sports specials and other programs, such as the International World Championships of Rock Paper Scissors
(2004).
Vasgersian has also worked on an Ultimate Fighting Championship
broadcast, filling in for Mike Goldberg
, the usual announcer. Goldberg was working on Fox Sports Net
's college football telecast on the night of UFC 56
, so Vasgersian provided play-by-play alongside regular color commentator Joe Rogan
.
Vasgersian is the voice of MLB '06: The Show and MLB 07: The Show
for PlayStation 2
and PSP
. In addition to his work on MLB '06, Vasgersian was the "host" for several PS1 Sony sports titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, specifically for 989 Studio sports games. He returned to the broadcast booth in 2008 for MLB 08: The Show
, for the PlayStation 2, PSP, and PlayStation 3, a position he holds to this day.
Vasgersian served as a host for NBC Sports
coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics
and 2010 Winter Olympics
.
Vasgersian is also a regular feature on the Dave & Carole morning show at 96.5 WKLH in Milwaukee http://wklh.com/pages/2779073.php.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and television host. Vasgersian is a host for the MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
and has served as an announcer for NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
' coverage of the Olympics, and on Fox Sports
Fox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
' MLB coverage. He formerly called play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
.
Early life and career
Vasgersian started his mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
career as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
. A member of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
at age seven, he appeared in an episode of The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
and the movie The Candidate
The Candidate (1972 film)
The Candidate is a 1972 American film starring Robert Redford. Its themes include how the political machine corrupts. There are many parallels between the then-recent 1970 California Senate election between John V. Tunney and George Murphy; however, Redford's character Bill McKay is a political...
. A native California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent, Vasgersian graduated from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. While a student at USC, he appeared on The New Dating Game, winning a trip to Telluride, CO.
Major League Baseball
Vasgersian has worked in baseball since 1991, starting with a six-year stint in the Minor Leagues as a play-by-play announcer. He began his career as a sportscaster with the Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Rookie league affiliate in Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
on radio station WKEE-AM 800 and was the voice of the High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners affiliate) on radio station KAPL. He moved up the minor league baseball ranks over the next several years, working for various clubs in a number of different organizations, ending with the AAA Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
in 1996.
Vasgersian was 29-years old when he became the play-by-play voice for the Milwaukee Brewers, where he stayed for five years before filling the same role for the San Diego Padres. Vasgersian was with the Padres for seven seasons when it was announced he would be joining MLB Network.
On November 1, 2008, during a broadcast of the San Diego CIF High School Football Game of the Week, Channel 4 announced that Vasgersian would not be returning as a Padres announcer for the 2009 season, having chosen to pursue other opportunities. Later that week, it was reported that Vasgersian had signed a deal with MLB Network to become that channel's first studio host.
MLB Network
Vasgersian has been a studio host at MLB Network since its debut on January 1, 2009, appearing regularly in-studio and on-site at the All-Star Game and World Series on "MLB Tonight," the network's Emmy Award-winning live nightly studio show, as well as “Quick Pitch,” “The Rundown,” and MLB Network’s Spring Training series “30 Clubs in 30 Days.” Throughout the MLB regular season, Vasgersian calls play-by-play for MLB Network’s Thursday Night Baseball game package.Other ventures
Vasgersian first gained national prominence doing play-by-play for the doomed XFLXFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
football league in 2001. From 2006-2008, Vasgersian had been a regular on Fox NFL telecasts, teaming with J.C. Pearson. In previous years, he had done select games for the network. Vasgersian's football seasons have culminated with calling the 2007 Orange Bowl and the 2008 and 2009 Fiesta Bowl for the BCS on Fox]. He has done regional MLB telecasts for the Fox Game of the Week
Major League Baseball Game of the Week
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...
, teaming with a variety of analysts, and also lent his voice for NBC
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
's broadcast of the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
by being the play-by-play announcer for the ski jumping
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
event.
He has hosted several TV shows, including the game show Sports Geniuses
Sports Geniuses
Sports Geniuses was an American sports-themed game show that aired from May 2000 until June 2000 on cable channel Fox Sports Net. It was the network's second game show ....
(2000), Game Show Network
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
's World Series of Blackjack
World Series of Blackjack
The World Series of Blackjack is a televised blackjack tournament created and produced by the cable network GSN. It is a closed tournament; players are either invited to play or can attempt to win a spot via a satellite tournament. Rounds are edited into 1-hour episodes and broadcast on GSN...
(2004), and Celebrity Blackjack
Celebrity Blackjack
Celebrity Blackjack was a television show on GSN where celebrities played tournament style blackjack for charity. The show was hosted by Matt Vasgersian . Dave Stann was the dealer. Season 1 aired weekly from July 5 through August 9, 2004...
(2004), the National Heads-Up Poker Championship
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...
on NBC and the first season grand final of Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
The Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament is a series of no limit Texas hold 'em poker tournaments. The first season is available on NTSC DVD. It airs on Fox Sports Net in the United States, Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and ftn in the United Kingdom.-Crew:...
. He has also emceed various sports specials and other programs, such as the International World Championships of Rock Paper Scissors
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
(2004).
Vasgersian has also worked on an Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
broadcast, filling in for Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg is an American play-by-play commentator, mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Broadcasting career:...
, the usual announcer. Goldberg was working on Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
's college football telecast on the night of UFC 56
UFC 56
UFC 56: Full Force was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 19, 2005. It was held at the MGM Grand Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and released on DVD.-History:Headlining the card were the...
, so Vasgersian provided play-by-play alongside regular color commentator Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
.
Vasgersian is the voice of MLB '06: The Show and MLB 07: The Show
MLB 07: The Show
MLB 07: The Show, produced by SCE San Diego Studio, is a baseball video game for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP. It is the only first-party MLB-licensed video game for the season, and the only baseball game available for the PlayStation systems aside from Major League Baseball 2K7...
for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. In addition to his work on MLB '06, Vasgersian was the "host" for several PS1 Sony sports titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, specifically for 989 Studio sports games. He returned to the broadcast booth in 2008 for MLB 08: The Show
MLB 08: The Show
MLB 08: The Show is a baseball simulation video game developed by SCE San Diego Studio published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable systems. It the longest-running officially licensed Major League Baseball game series on the PlayStation...
, for the PlayStation 2, PSP, and PlayStation 3, a position he holds to this day.
Vasgersian served as a host for NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
and 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
.
Vasgersian is also a regular feature on the Dave & Carole morning show at 96.5 WKLH in Milwaukee http://wklh.com/pages/2779073.php.