Courtesy Dallas Morning News

(December 14, 2009) For a man in the final days of one contract and in the final weeks of another, Josh Lewin was in a surprisingly good mood when we chatted early this week. That's because Lewin is a glass-half-full kind of guy. Maybe that's the way you have to be when your primary calling is broadcasting Rangers baseball.

His optimism was rewarded Friday when the Rangers announced a one-year extension on a contract that was supposed to run out at month's end.

Eight seasons Lewin has been the television voice of the Rangers. Eight seasons without a real Rangers sniff of the post-season. Eight seasons of trying to hold on to an audience when the product leaves something to be desired. It's not like digging ditches for minimum wage, but mixing in a pennant race here and there would make a plum job even sweeter.

For a major league operation, dealing with broadcasters is a lot easier than dealing with players. It's a buyer's market. The team has the clout when there are only 30 play-by-play jobs in the world like Lewin's. By allowing Lewin's contract status to linger, the Rangers have shown they have not been completely satisfied with him.

That's because Lewin is also the radio voice of the San Diego Chargers, who will be in town Sunday to play the Cowboys. He is in his fifth season as a football play-by-play broadcaster. That sometimes causes conflict in August and September. In Lewin's world, ties have gone to the team with the running backs. That has caused some hand wringing within the Rangers organization where there are those who would rather Lewin work an old-fashioned full schedule alongside "Mr. Ranger" Tom Grieve, whose contract expires after the 2010 season.

Next season, the Rangers will allow Lewin to miss a maximum of three games for other work.

So Lewin had been left to sweat. Except he's not the kind of guy to let anyone see the perspiration stains. Throughout the process, he was incredibly upbeat.

Of course, the Chargers still have to renew his radio deal, which is set to expire after the season. That could mean late January or early February. The Chargers again apparently will allow Lewin the luxury of post-season work. It would be the fourth consecutive season the team has reached the playoffs.

The biggest negative in Lewin's dealings with the Chargers might appear to be that he is a commuter broadcaster. He lives here and flies there when needed. But in San Diego, it hasn't been an issue.

Lewin is confident that a contract renewal with the Chargers will be worked out. "Everybody loves each other," he said. "We're close to being able to go forward."

Here's the most stunning thing about Lewin's work for the Chargers: He plays the straight-man in the booth. Analyst Hank Bauer, a Bill Bates kamikaze-like special teams standout whose Chargers' playing career lasted from 1977 to 1982, is the entertainer.

In Lewin's NFL work, there are no pop culture references, no Seinfeld shtick, no journeys down tangential base paths. He's not strictly a Joe Friday "just the facts" broadcaster, but Rangers fans might not recognize the more serious style. Fact: He has trouble completing sentences because Bauer is such a chatty fellow.

"I'm 180 degrees opposite in the football booth," Lewin acknowledged. "The movie quoting goofball during Chargers games is the analyst."

Who knows, maybe someday the Rangers will again play meaningful games in September, and we'll get to hear that serious side of Lewin as well. It would be nice.

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