Ted Leitner
Theodore Leitner (born July 9, 1947)[1] is an American sportscaster and current radio play-by-play announcer for San Diego Padres baseball and San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball and football. He is also a former sportscaster for KFMB-TV and host on KFMB radio in San Diego. Due to a hectic schedule, he left KFMB just three days shy of his 25th anniversary at that station. He kept his play-by-play job with the San Diego Padres (who left that station around the same time for cross-town rival KOGO radio) and later XX Sports Radio (he also for a short time tried an afternoon show on XX Sports Radio as well). His association with the Padres dates back to 1980.[2]
Ted Leitner | |
|---|---|
 Leitner at 2014 San Diego Padres Fan Fest | |
| Born | Theodore Leitner July 9, 1947 Bronx, New York |
| Occupation | Sports announcer |
Background
Leitner was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx, and at age 8 moved with his family to the adjacent city of Yonkers, New York, in Westchester County. He played football for Roosevelt High School in Yonkers. After high school he attended and graduated from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and then completed a master's degree at Oklahoma University in Norman, Oklahoma.
Before starting his long tenure in San Diego in 1980, Leitner worked as a television sportscaster at WFSB in Hartford, Connecticut,[3] and at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. He has previously been a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Diego Clippers and the San Diego Chargers, and with university sports in Oklahoma, Hartford, and San Diego. He has six sons and one daughter. He has been divorced four times. On May 29, 2018 he announced via Twitter that he had been diagnosed with cancer and would be leaving the Padres broadcasts indefinitely. On June 15 he announced via Twitter that his cancer scare was a benign tumor, and on June 29 he announced that he would return to Padres broadcasting.
Sports commentary
Leitner is currently the commentator for San Diego Padres baseball, San Diego State Aztecs football, and San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball. He is known for his outspoken style, and for referring to the team as "My Padres" when they are winning and/or playing well. When the team is losing or in a bad stretch, he refers to the team as "Your Padres." For years, Leitner did television on the Padres' cable TV network, as well as doing the 5 and 11 pm sportscasts for KFMB-TV. His home run call is "ball going, ball gone!"
Leitner has a history of mocking those who like NHL hockey, and those who complain to the station that he does not show highlights. To "appease" hockey fans, Ted would occasionally show a highlight clip of an NHL game, typically two enforcers squared off in a fight. If only one NHL game was being played on a given night, Leitner would claim that he was about to show every goal scored. The 3 or 4 goals would then be shown in rapidly edited fashion.
In 2015 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
Political commentary
Leitner has also dabbled in news and political commentary during his career and once did a news-oriented talk show for KFMB radio. One of his most notable programs was when the guest was entertainer and outspoken Bush administration critic Harry Belafonte. On the 20-minute segment, Belafonte would condemn the entire Bush administration, especially then Secretary of State Colin Powell as well as Attorney General John Ashcroft.[5]
References
- Loh, Stephanie (May 19, 2014). "Ted Leitner's the voice of S.D. sports". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- MLB biog of Leitner
- Levine, Bettijiane (October 21, 2002). "No retraction here". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2017.