New Phillies Broadcaster Ben Davis: 'It's A Dream Come True'
The void in the Phillies television broadcast booth on Comcast SportsNet, that opened when Jamie Moyer left, has been filled. On Thursday it was announced that former big league catcher and Malvern Prep star Ben Davis would join the team of Tom McCarthy, Matt Stairs, Mike Schmidt and Gregg Murphy.
"It means a whole lot," Davis tells KYW Newsradio. "It's a dream come true. It's just such a wonderful opportunity. It's something I really, really was hoping I was going to get. It came down to a few last contestants, I guess you could say, and I was just very fortunate to getting that call."
LISTEN: KYW's Matt Leon Talks With Ben Davis About His New Role With The Phillies
Davis was drafted #2 overall back in 1995 by the Padres out of Malvern Prep. He played seven years in the big leagues with San Diego, Seattle and the White Sox.
"Despite never playing for the Phillies, they're my team," Davis says. "Growing up in Aston, we were 20-25 minutes from the Vet and going down there and watching them, always being a fan and always wanting them to do well."
Davis is already a familiar sports media presence in the area. He has spent time the last couple of seasons as a pre- and post-game analyst for Phillies games on Comcast SportsNet while also doing work with our sister station Sportsradio 94 WIP. He says his interest in broadcasting goes back even further.
"Believe it or not I actually used to do the news when I was at Malvern Prep," Davis says. "We had a news program that would run every morning, I did the morning news, we discussed whatever was going on with the school, we talked about sporting events from the day before. So I kind of got my feet wet a long time ago in high school, just doing that."
Davis is looking forward to getting started.
"There's going to be a learning curve," Davis says. "I think just getting familiar with Tom and his nuances and things like that and even Matt, if we have a three man booth. It definitely does help out knowing the players, knowing the pitching staff and working with these guys over the last couple of years. I have a good idea of what to look for and how they will react in certain situations on the field."
Opening Day for the Phillies will be Monday afternoon April 6th against Boston at Citizens Bank Park.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
