Hudler’s Act Takes a Calmer Approach

It’s no surprise that Rex Hudler brings a sense of childlike wonder to Angel telecasts.

The upset is that the rookie analyst is so composed, keeping his comments succinct and on point, if a little unusual.

“Here’s the kingfish going upstream with authority,” he said Tuesday night, describing a a replay of Tim Salmon’s fourth-inning home run in the Angels’ season-opening 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Outside the booth, “The Wonder Dog” is nothing if not long-winded, and his favorite topic, not surprisingly, is baseball. It’s the sport he played with the enthusiasm of a little boy for more than two decades as a professional.

Hudler, 38, describes himself as a “successful failure,” a journeyman utility player who somehow lasted 13 seasons in the major leagues, mostly as the 25th man on the roster, relying almost as much on his infectious energy, hustle and sense of fun as his ability.

He was a redheaded, freckle-faced prankster who loved talking to fans, signing autographs, counseling younger, often more talented teammates and entertaining the media with his stories about eating bugs and writing a letter to George Steinbrenner when he was a struggling minor leaguer in the New York Yankees’ organization, asking to be promoted.

While playing in Japan, he gained lasting fame by making himself the topic of the headline, “Crazy American Eats Worm.”

Later, he developed a national following with his off-the-wall appearances on Jim Rome’s national radio talk show, “The Jungle.”

You’d never know it from his work in Tuesday’s opener.

“I’m not on the Jim Rome show, you know what I’m saying?” Hudler said of his toned-down debut with broadcast partner Steve Physioc. “Romey allows me to be myself on the radio, which is something I just can’t do on the television. . . .

“What I’m there for is not to be off-centered like I was as a player. As a player, I was off-centered on purpose, for my teammates. It was so stressful that I needed to do some off-the-wall things in order to loosen them up and let them relax and have some fun. That was my job, and I loved it.

“But now, as a color commentator, I have to be respectable. I want the people--the audience out there--to think I have credibility. I don’t want to come off as some kind of off-centered goofball.

“So I’ve just mellowed out a little bit and I’m trying to focus on the game and on giving the people the information and the knowledge from a player’s perspective. And not from a Hall of Fame player’s perspective, or an all-star’s perspective, but from a blue-collar bench player’s perspective.”

Physioc was impressed.

“He has a passion for baseball that is second to none,” Physioc said. “At the end of the [opener], he said, ‘Can’t we play a doubleheader? Come on, this is a blast.’ . . .

“For a guy who went from the field directly to the broadcast booth, he was excellent.”

Actually, Hudler is no stranger to television work.

He got into broadcasting two years ago, when he was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, after a crew from the ABC show, “Good Morning America,” did a story about the Phillies, who were some 35 games out of first place.

When an unsuspecting producer asked Hudler what motivated him to go out and play every day, the player fairly bellowed, “What a stupid question. We’re entertainers, man. We only know one way to go. The show goes on, the curtain goes up, we’re going pedal to the metal. We’re motivated because we’re getting paid. We’re professionals.”

The producers asked him to appear live on the next day’s show, which featured an enthusiastic Hudler shagging hot dogs shot out of a gun by the Phillie Phanatic.

The producers were hooked. They hired Hudler to be the show’s baseball correspondent during the playoffs and World Series, providing in-studio analysis and on-site commentary.

Then, after he retired last summer, Hudler was hired by Fox to work last season’s playoffs.

“I was overwhelmed with the opportunities that came calling,” he said. “I was very humbled. I was flattered. I couldn’t believe that a utility player like myself--a blue-collar player--would get all these offers. I was like, ‘Wow!’ ”

Hudler was all set to work for Fox as an in-studio analyst this season before the Angels called in November. He had played three seasons with the Angels, enjoying his best season in 1996, when he posted career highs in batting (.311), home runs (16) and runs (60). Plus, he wanted a job that would get him out to the ballpark every day.

He’ll do 100 games with Physioc, split evenly between Channel 9 and Fox Sports West.

“I feel very, very fortunate,” he said. “I’m a very happy man. When people say to me, ‘Man, how come you’re like you are all the time?’ I say, ‘What? How can I not be?’ ”

BEHIND THE SCENES

How difficult is it to create a film documentary of the Discovery Channel Eco-Challenge, a 315-mile expedition race that was staged in October in Morocco and included camel riding, ocean kayaking, hiking, rappelling and mountain biking, among other disciplines?

According to a press release, the competitors battled exhaustion, hypothermia, dehydration, gastroenteritis and altitude sickness.

And the film crew?

“It’s worse, for a variety of reasons,” says Angus Yates, executive producer of a four-hour documentary of the race that will air in two-hour segments Sunday and Monday at 9 p.m on the Discovery Channel. “For one thing, it’s far more dangerous. Surviving is secondary to the craft, which is to get the intimate moments of what these people are experiencing. . . .

“These people [on the crew] are super athletes in their own right, as well as artisans.”

SHORT WAVES

FX begins its 26-game major league baseball package Saturday, with Josh Lewin and Jeff Torborg calling a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. . . . Pepe Yniguez, a former semipro and minor league baseball player in his native Mexico, has replaced the retired Rene Cardenas on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcasts. “I think he’s going to be an excellent play-by-play announcer,” the Dodgers’ Hall of Fame Spanish-language announcer, Jaime Jarrin, told Kevin Baxter of The Times. “He has a very good voice and a very good delivery.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

What Los Angeles Is Watching

A sampling of L.A. Nielsen ratings for April 3-4, including sports on cable networks:

SATURDAY

*--*

Over the air Channel Rating Share Baseball: Dodgers vs. New York Yankees 5 5.3 10 PGA Golf: BellSouth Classic 4 2.9 9 Tennis: Family Circle Cup 11 2.0 6 Senior Golf: The Tradition 7 1.9 6 Auto racing: Busch Grand National Opryland 320 2 1.9 6 Horse racing: Santa Anita Derby 11 1.8 5 Horse racing: Flamingo Stakes 7 1.6 5 Pro basketball: Clippers vs. San Antonio 9 1.3 3

*--*

****

*--*

Cable Network Rating Share Pro basketball: Lakers vs. Golden State FSW 4.3 8 Tennis: Davis Cup (U.S. vs. Britain) ESPN2 0.8 2 Horse racing: Oaklawn Handicap FSW 0.5 1 College hockey: Maine vs. New Hampshire ESPN 0.4 1 Hockey: Ducks vs. N.Y. Islanders FSW2 0.4 1 College softball: UCLA at Washington FSW2 0.2 1

*--*

****

SUNDAY

*--*

Over the air Channel Rating Share Pro basketball: Houston vs. Seattle 4 4.3 13 Baseball: Dodgers vs. New York Yankees 5 3.8 12 PGA Golf: BellSouth Classic 4 3.4 11 Pro basketball: New York vs. Indiana 4 3.4 10 Senior Golf: The Tradition 7 1.7 5 Tennis: Family Circle Cup 11 1.4 4 Pro basketball: Clippers vs. Denver 9 1.4 3 Hockey: Detroit vs. Dallas 11 0.6 2

*--*

****

*--*

Cable Network Rating Share Baseball: San Diego vs. Colorado ESPN 0.9 2 Tennis: Davis Cup (U.S. vs. Britain) ESPN 0.8 2 Soccer: English Premier League FSW 0.3 1

*--*

WEEKDAY RATINGS: Monday--Dodgers vs. Arizona, Ch. 5, 4.3/12.

Note: Each rating point represents 51,350 L.A. households. Cable ratings reflect the entire market, even though cable is in only 63% of L.A. households.