Jorge Jarrin follows dad to the radio -- only in English

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Jaime Jarrin pioneered the radio broadcasting of major league baseball in Spanish with the Dodgers more than 50 years ago -- and he earned a place in the Hall of Fame as a result.

On Thursday his son Jorge will make his radio play-by-play debut -- in English -- when the Dodgers meet the Texas Rangers at Camelback Ranch.

Following a famous dad in the same profession has tripped up many a baseball player -- as well as a few broadcasters. But Jarrin said he’s ready to take his lumps as he learns the ropes.

“I know that, until I get real comfortable I’m going to struggle,” he said. “But it’s an opportunity. What am I’m going to say? No?”

The younger Jarrin is no stranger to radio listeners in Los Angeles in either language, having spent 16 years as an airborne traffic reporter in English and Spanish. And last year he teamed with former big-leaguer Manny Mota to do TV play-by-play of Dodgers games in Spanish for Fox Deportes.

But radio broadcasting of baseball is new for Jarrin, who came to Arizona this week to host nightly “Dodger Talk” segments for the team’s flagship station, KLAC-AM (570). And with Charley Steiner, the Dodgers regular broadcaster, on assignment at the WBC, Jarrin was asked to call games, in English, both on radio and for two webcasts on the Internet. He’ll be joined on the air by regular commentator Rick Monday.

“To me, it’s a lot more involved,” Jarrin said of calling games on the radio. “With television, you’re following the broadcasts. When the producer’s telling you ‘all right, we’re going to lineups now’ and they throw up the lineup graphic, you just follow the lead and everything.

“But here, I’m still familiarizing myself with the format. It’s a little more proactive.”

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