NO BULL VINNY DEL NEGRO’S DREAM JOB CAME TRUE

PHX

AUG 2008

Game Over. Game On.

GRASS CLOWN
Scottsdale’s Gary McCord
is the funniest man in golf

BREAD WINNER
ASU football coach
Dan Cozzetto’s side
biz — a bakery

HE’S A GLOBAL
SUPERSTAR — AND
11 YEARS OLD!
Meet Gilbert BMX stud
Brock Heffron

D-BACKS FANS
SAY GRACE
MARK GRACE WAS A GREAT BASEBALL PLAYER.
HE MIGHT BE AN EVEN BETTER ANNOUNCER.

DESTINED FOR GREATNESS

The D-Backs’ Micah Owings is the
epitome of well-rounded

PLUS: FORMER NFL STAR KICKER NICK LOWERY

//A VALLEY WOMAN HELPS NEEDY KIDS WORLDWIDE
//SUNS ASSISTANT ALVIN GENTRY CALLS PHOENIX HOME 1
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 Mark Grace
AUGUST 2008
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Say
Grace
By Zack Simon
F
Photos by Tracy Rasinski
ew things in sports,
or in life for that matter,
made more sense than the idea
of Mark Grace trading in his
eye black for pancake makeup
when his days as a great Major
League player ended and the
next phase of his life picked
up. To say Grace’s style,
experience, wit and wisdom
were perfectly suited for life as an analyst is akin
to saying air conditioning might be a comfortable
amenity in the desert. He just belongs there, like he
did in a clubhouse or dugout or patrolling first base
as a Cub and a Diamondback. His presence, either
on the field or in the booth, makes fans feel better.
Things are more fun. Lighter. Looser. Less stressful.
With Gracie calling a game, you know regardless of
what happens between the lines, you will at least be
entertained and more than likely enlightened. Heck,
Diamondbacks fans
are spoiled in one
area. They get to
watch and listen to
one of the best and
most entertaining
announcers in sports
on a nightly basis. But
becoming a big-league
TV talent didn’t come
as easily as Mark
Grace makes it look.
if something he says offends you, may we suggest you
get a life or lighten up. But as easy as he makes things
appear and as comfortable as he is with a mic in his
hand, don’t get the impression that it was some hocus-
pocus magic formula that allowed him to make the
transition so seamless. Yeah, Gracie has the perfect
tools to be a fantastic announcer, but he also had
to work at it from day one. “I knew I had things to
learn,” Grace told POST. “I was very fortunate that
I had Thom Brenneman as a partner. He gave me
tough love when I needed tough love, and cradled me
when I needed to be cradled. He certainly made me
better. When I first got started at this thing, I wasn’t
very good at it, and I’ll be the first to admit that. But
Thom, Scott Snyder, Mark Reeder, Scotty Geyer, and
Todd Walsh, they all gave me a lot of fatherly advice,
brotherly advice, which really helped.”
And the other thing that really helped was being
humble and respectful enough for the job to know
that it is something that takes time. And preparation.
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 Mark Grace
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“It’s not nearly as easy as people think it is, or as easy as I thought it
was. I made the mistake when I first got started of not giving this job
as much respect as it deserves. It took me a very minuscule amount of time to
realize that it is a much tougher job than most people might think.”
Fans have always loved Mark Grace’s honesty. And another one of his
charms is the fact that he has an everyman approach to whatever he’s doing.
He’s so relatable to people of any age, background, economic level, sex or race.
He just is one of those personalities that is a natural at connecting with people
— and it comes through the TV screen when he’s calling a game as well as it
did when he was playing it. And his work ethic won’t allow him to be one of
those ex-jocks that just shows up and wings it for three hours. He preps on a
daily basis, and sometimes frets after a telecast is over. He regularly critiques
himself, just like he did as a player when he would analyze his swing, and
he’s got people close to him who aren’t afraid to let him know what is or isn’t
working. “My buddies, friends or family will tell me, ‘Oh, that didn’t really
sound that good, did it?’ Or ‘What were you talking about? That was stupid!’
Sometimes you catch yourself having a little too much fun and sometimes you
catch yourself not having enough fun. There’s no such thing, I don’t think, as a
perfect broadcast, at least I haven’t felt I’ve had one yet. But, you certainly look
to improve with each and every game.”
It’s funny — when Grace was grinding it out almost 20 years in Chicago
and Phoenix, the last thing you could envision him in would be a buttoned-
up shirt and tie. He was the epitome of “old school” as a player. Now it’s hard
to imagine him not wearing one. But it’s not like he has a lucky tie, or wears
the same pants every Sunday to ensure a tight broadcast. He doesn’t believe in
typical superstitions. Never has. “No, I didn’t really have a game-day ritual as a
player either. I didn’t leave the house at the same time every day. Baseball gets to

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 “I made the mistake when I first got started of not giving this job as much respect as it deserves. It took me a very
minuscule amount of time to realize that it is a much tougher job than most people might think.” -Mark Grace
be superstitious if you let it. If you let superstition run your life, you have to eat at
this restaurant at this time, you have to have bacon and eggs, or if you go 0 for 4,
you say things like, ‘Well, I better not have another Diet Coke today.’ Pretty soon
it starts to run your life, and baseball has a lot of superstitious people.”
No superstitions needed. What works for Grace is substance over style, in a
very stylish and unique way. His candid and honest approach to the broadcast
has probably made his popularity even higher than it was as a player. Because
he still looks like he could play. “In Chicago, fans want to talk about my playing
days, and they want to thank me for the thirteen years of service I had with the
Cubs. Here in Arizona, it’s mostly, ‘Man, we love you and Daron [Sutton]’ or
‘We love you and Thom,’ or ‘We miss Thom,’ or ‘We love Daron.’ The reaction
I get here in Phoenix is more about broadcasting because I’m known more as
a broadcaster here.”
Plus, he’ll always have a natural bond with fans in the Valley because he
was part of the one and only World Championship Phoenix has won. It’s ironic
how careers can go sometimes. For well over a decade, the one word that would
describe the overall vibe of the team success he had with the Cubs would be
frustration. But it all changed overnight. Grace joined the D-Backs in 2001,
and they immediately won the World Series. And yeah, he still has to pinch
himself now and then when he looks down and sees that big shiny ring he
thought he’d never have a chance to attain. “I began to think for a while I was
never going to be in a World Series, let alone win one. Once Chicago let me
go, it was easy to choose to come here. I chose Arizona because there was a big
chance that this team was going to win, and go all the way. I tell everybody —
and I’ll be honest — I wasn’t really excited about facing Randy Johnson and
[Curt] Schilling anymore, so that was a good reason to sign here too.”
There you go — it’s that kind of open-book honesty that reaches out and
sucks people in. It’s been that way since day one of his career when he broke in at
the Friendly Confines in Chicago, and continues now wherever he goes. “I don’t
travel with a posse, I don’t have bodyguards. I was brought up better than that.
I was brought up treating people with respect. Not just respect for elders, but
respect for everybody. My mother and father are still alive, and if I disrespected
people my father would still kick my ass. So no, I’m not going to do it. The other
thing is, when it comes to popularity, I can’t put myself in Michael Jordan’s shoes,
or Charles Barkley’s shoes, or Derek Jeter’s and Barry Bonds’. I’m not in the
category of those guys. That’s why I do go out, and I like to be around fans and
have fun. Hey, my attitude about the people that don’t like to be bothered when
they are out in public is simple. If it bothers you so much, then don’t go out.”
We all need to enjoy him while we can, Phoenix. Although this will always
be home, there are no guarantees we’ll always get to enjoy him on a nightly basis.
“I love Phoenix. It is where my children are, it is my home and I will always be
here and have a home. But doing games on a nightly basis is a grind, I’m not
going to lie.”
If you watched the Major League All-Star game this summer, you saw that
the Fox Network put him front and center in their pre-game show, and he
already is one of their network analysts on Saturdays throughout the summer.
There is no doubt he’ll have his pick of full-time network gigs pretty darn soon,
if he doesn’t already. So until then, soak up the wit and wisdom on a daily basis,
and if you run into him out and about, don’t be afraid to say “hi” to one of the
most approachable athletes the sports world has ever seen. More than likely,
he’ll probably buy you a beer and give you a laugh and a memory you’ll have for
a lifetime.
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