RUSS LANGER NAMED 2013 NEVADA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR;
HE BECOMES A NINE-TIME RECIPIENT AND WINNER
FOR THE SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
The Las Vegas 51s professional baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, announced today the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA) has named play-by-play broadcaster Russ Langer the 2013 Nevada Sportscaster of the Year. It marks the seventh straight year and the ninth time in the last 11 years that he has received this award in the state of Nevada (2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013). Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal was named the 2013 Nevada Sportswriter of the Year, for the first time. Dewey is also the “51s Beat Writer” for the RJ.
It also marks the fourth Las Vegas Stars/51s broadcaster to win the award. Langer joins the late Bob Blum, Ken Korach (Oakland A’s) and Tim Neverett (Pittsburgh Pirates) as past recipients.
The award also marks the 10th time overall in his career that he has been honored. He won the same honor in 1999 in the state of New Mexico, as the play-by-play voice of the PCL’s Albuquerque Dukes. The awards are determined by a poll of state sportswriters and sportscasters.
“I’m so very grateful from the support of the NSSA members for granting me this amazing honor,” Russ Langer said.
The 55th Annual NSSA Awards Banquet will be held on June 9 in Salisbury, North Carolina, where the organization’s Hall of Fame is located. This year’s national winners include NBC’s Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (Sportscaster) and NFL writer Peter King who has won his third National Sportswriter of the Year Award in the last four years. Emrick and King join 98 State Sportscaster and Sportswriter of the Year Awards from throughout the United States.
Marv Albert of CBS & Turner Sports and Rick Reilly of ESPN.com & Monday Night Countdown have been elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association’s Hall of Fame, according to NSSA Executive Director Dave Goren.
Langer enters his 27th year in the business and the 2014 season will mark his 15th season calling the play-by-play for the 51s. The 144-game season will once again be broadcast on Sports 920 (AM) The Game and live audio available on the 51s website (www.LV51.com).
In 2013, Langer also completed his second season as the radio “play-by-play voice” for the UNLV Football team on the UNLV/IMG Sports Network.
Langer’s Major League Baseball broadcasting experience includes 30 games for the Montreal Expos during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, and nine Baltimore Orioles games in 2006. He has also broadcast selected Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training games from Florida. In 2009 & 2010, Langer broadcast selected Spring Training games for the Toronto Blue Jays from Dunedin, Fla. and the Chicago White Sox in 2012 & 2013.
The veteran broadcaster reached the PCL in 1992 with the Phoenix Firebirds. He enjoyed a four-year stint with Albuquerque before moving to Las Vegas. Over his career, he has received numerous awards including: Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues in 1993; broadcast the 1995 Triple-A All-Star Game; Minor League Broadcaster of the Year by Minor League News.com in 2002.
The 51s, under manager Wally Backman, will open their 32nd season in the Silver State on Thursday, April 3 against the Fresno Grizzlies, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, at 7:05 p.m. at Cashman Field.
2014 season tickets and mini-plan packages (10 & 10-Games You Pick’em, 20, 33-game plans) are available by calling the 51s office at (702) 798-7825. Individual game tickets for the 72-game home schedule will go on sale in March.
Official licensed 51s team merchandise is available on the “Team Shop” section of the website at www.LV51.com.
– Visit the Las Vegas 51s on the Internet at www.lv51.com –
– Visit www.MiLB.com – the official site of Minor League Baseball –
