About 100 people came to an open casting call as the Red Sox began their search for their first-ever public address announcer at JetBlue Park. Now, the team is narrowing the field down to 10 finalists to find the voice of the Sox' new spring training stadium.
"We wanted to do something that got the local community involved and excited," Red Sox director of Florida operations Katie Haas told NBC-2 in Fort Myers. "We'll go through all of them and go from there."
Each of the 100 candidates was called in to read a script on-camera in the hopes of getting the job. Some had the experience to back it up, others were trying something new. But if they wanted to make it to the next round of auditions, they all needed to have a couple of distinct qualifications.
"They have to have talent," said Marilyn Bramel, a senior account executive for the station. "They have to love baseball. They have to be excited."
One fan certainly was fired up, considering that he came to his audition carrying a list of over 40 cartoon characters, former Presidents and celebrities who he said he imitated at parties.
The Red Sox are going to take their time to make sure they find the right man (or woman) for the job, but they do have a schedule to keep their eye on. Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 19, with the team playing Northeastern on March 3 in the first game at JetBlue Park.
