Provus, 30, who was working Chicago Cubs duties for WGN Radio, was hired recently to replace Jim Powell, who took a job with the Atlanta Braves.

Provus and Bob Uecker will work their first Brewers game together this afternoon when the Brewers face the Oakland A's.

Sham, 59, has been the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys for 30 seasons.

"From time to time he has sought me out for advice," Sham said Tuesday during a telephone interview from his home in Texas. "I listened to some tapes whenever he asked and I would offer some constructive criticism."

Sham said a tape he received from his cousin about four years ago was different in kind than what he had heard prior to that.

"It was different," Sham said. "He had turned a corner. A light bulb had gone on. I've listened to lots of tapes through the years."

Sham thought the tape Provus sent him arrived shortly before Provus took a broadcasting job with the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

"This (tape) was a real professional, and I told him that very thing. I said, 'OK, something has happened. You have gotten this. You are going to be a big success in this business. All you have to do now is keep working hard, have the attitude that no one can outwork you and don't worry about the things you can't control.' "

During his career, Sham was the voice of the Texas Rangers for three seasons in the mid-'90s.

"I think I know what I'm hearing when I'm listening to a baseball announcer," Sham said.

And Sham liked what he heard when he tuned into Cubs broadcasts on satellite radio the last two seasons, when Provus handled pre- and post-game shows and spelled Pat Hughes for an inning.

"He has a real love for the game of baseball as a sport," Sham said of Provus. "And he is absolutely ready for this job."