Warren Sawkiw
Encyclopedia
Warren Sawkiw is a former Toronto Blue Jays
radio
colour commentator who worked alongside play-by-play announcer Jerry Howarth
in and on The Fan Radio Network
.
Sawkiw was an infielder
in professional baseball for nine years and played for Canada's national baseball team
. He was drafted in by the Detroit Tigers
in the 20th round, 517th overall, out of Wake Forest University
. A career minor leaguer
, Sawkiw was a replacement player
with the Blue Jays in spring training
of while major league players were on strike.
After his retirement from baseball as a player, Sawkiw joined TSN
as a colour commentator on Montreal Expos
games in and then Rogers Sportsnet
as a studio analyst for the network's baseball coverage in . After long-time Blue Jays radio broadcaster Tom Cheek
was unable to serve as the team's lead radio play-by-play announcer in 2005 due to health issues, Sawkiw joined Jerry Howarth
as an analyst on Blue Jays radio broadcasts. Sawkiw continued working in this capacity through the 2006 season, with former Blue Jays catcher
and Houston Astros
broadcaster Alan Ashby
replacing Sawkiw in the broadcast booth in .
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
colour commentator who worked alongside play-by-play announcer Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth is an American Canadian recognized as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays as a play-by-play announcer for the team's radio broadcasts, a position he has held for the Major League Baseball team since 1981.- Early career :...
in and on The Fan Radio Network
CJCL (AM)
CJCL is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Communications, the station broadcasts at 590 kHz on the AM radio dial with a 50,000 watts transmitter and directional antenna concentrating its signal over the Toronto/Hamilton region...
.
Sawkiw was an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
in professional baseball for nine years and played for Canada's national baseball team
Canada national baseball team
Canada has qualified for two Olympic games, in 2004 and 2008. Canadian teams also competed twice when baseball was a demonstration sport, in 1984 and 1988.-1984 Summer Olympics:...
. He was drafted in by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in the 20th round, 517th overall, out of Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
. A career minor leaguer
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, Sawkiw was a replacement player
Replacement player
In professional sports, a replacement player is an athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a strike or lockout.- National Football League – 1987 :...
with the Blue Jays in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
of while major league players were on strike.
After his retirement from baseball as a player, Sawkiw joined TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
as a colour commentator on Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
games in and then Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
as a studio analyst for the network's baseball coverage in . After long-time Blue Jays radio broadcaster Tom Cheek
Tom Cheek
Thomas F. Cheek was an American sportscaster.Best known as the "Voice of the Blue Jays", Tom announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays on radio from the team's establishment in 1977 until his retirement in 2004, in which he had a 27-year consecutive game streak of 4,306...
was unable to serve as the team's lead radio play-by-play announcer in 2005 due to health issues, Sawkiw joined Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth
Jerry Howarth is an American Canadian recognized as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays as a play-by-play announcer for the team's radio broadcasts, a position he has held for the Major League Baseball team since 1981.- Early career :...
as an analyst on Blue Jays radio broadcasts. Sawkiw continued working in this capacity through the 2006 season, with former Blue Jays catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
and Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
broadcaster Alan Ashby
Alan Ashby
Alan Dean Ashby is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros...
replacing Sawkiw in the broadcast booth in .