Thirty-one years after the “Why Not?” 1989 season, former Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Keith Moreland can be found calling football games in the broadcast booth.
Moreland has been calling high school and college football games for the past 25 years. He worked as a color analyst for KVET radio broadcasts of Texas Longhorns baseball and football. (Moreland played baseball and football at Texas.) He also worked as the Chicago Cubs radio color analyst for three seasons from 2011-2013. Moreland currently calls college football games for the American Sports Network.
“It’s a passion, I love the sport, I just figured out pretty quickly after going to college that I wasn’t going to play in the NFL but I had a shot of playing baseball, so I cover both of them. I’m passionate about both of them,” Moreland said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct 16.
Moreland called Navy’s 27-23 win against East Carolina Sept. 17, which brought the Mids’ record to 3-2. Nelson Smith had a personal-best rushing effort, recording 157 yards with two touchdowns. Jamale Carothers posted 82 yards and one touchdown on the ground for the Midshipmen.
“They’ve been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but the next level is they’ve got to have a little more balance,” Moreland said. “They’ve got to be able to throw it on a regular basis, even on a first down when they don’t need to.”
The Midshipmen lost their season opener against BYU, 55-3, then slipped past Tulane, 27-24. They lost to Air Force, 40-7, and then bounced back to beat Temple, 31-29, before toppling ECU. Navy’s resilience is a reflection of head coach Ken Niumatalolo, according to Moreland.
“Spending time with [Niumatalolo], just listening to what they go through, what these Midshipmen go through just to get on the field, to go with everything else that their responsibilities are is incredible,” Moreland said. “It’s about commitment, and there’s no question that that’s where it first starts. It starts with the head coach, his commitment.”
Moreland, 66, nicknamed “Zonk,” played for five teams during his MLB career from 1978-1989 as an outfielder, catcher and an infielder. He was drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 1975 draft. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers.
Throughout his career, Moreland posted 1,279 hits, 121 home runs and 674 RBIs. He began his final MLB season with the Tigers in 1989 and finished the season as a designated hitter for the Orioles.
“When I came over, I had spent a little time in the American League, but the Tigers had not come to Memorial Stadium to play that year,” Moreland said. “… The first day I was out walking around the bullpen. It was a treat for me, because you know you’re close to the end of your career and you’re getting to be in different ballparks. I think it was the way it came in at each foul line that made it unique. When you are at the plate you think, ‘Man, you can really get it into one of these corners as a hitter.’”
The 1989 season, otherwise known as the “Why Not?” season for the Orioles, was one of the biggest turnarounds in MLB history. The Orioles finished second in the American League East with an 87-75 record, a major rebound from the 1988 season (54-107).
“Each one of us had our own individual thing. It was an experience just to see different things,” Moreland said. “There was no telling what you were going to see every day. We might win a ball game by scoring a bunch of runs. You might see someone out of nowhere pitch an unbelievable game. It was quite an experience.”
Moreland helped lead the Longhorns to three consecutive College World Series appearances, including a national title in 1975. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1985. His No. 3 jersey was retired in 2010.
Moreland explained that the game has changed quite a bit since his days at Texas and in the big leagues.
“The game has definitely changed. There’s no question. The athletes are bigger and stronger and faster. … It is a little bit different. … I think the guys that play great defense and teams that play great defense, we’ve seen that has been a major part of these playoffs,” Moreland said.
“The other part is the specialization that has come out of the bullpen, the ability to throw hard, the velocity has changed,” Moreland added. “When I played the game and somebody threw 92, 93, they were rushing it up there. And today its 98 to 101, so it’s just a little bit different. Now I think you would adjust to that as a hitter but wow, when you see it, you sort of shake your head.”
For more from Moreland, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles