If you are a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks, you would probably think it would be an exciting job to be a part of the television team bringing you the action.
Wauwatosa East graduate Jeff Grayson feels that way as a studio host for Fox Sports Wisconsin covering the Brewers and Bucks. He works with former Tosa East grad Tony Smith on the Bucks' telecasts.
Grayson, 43, and his wife, Amanda, and daughters, Julia, 4, and Lily, 1, live in Minneapolis, Minn. He is back in town today as the featured guest speaker at the Education Foundation of Wauwatosa annual dinner at the Bluemound Country Club.
"To kind of be the middle man between the fans and the team is a real privilege," Grayson said of his job with Fox Sports Wisconsin. "I'm a fan at heart, but at the same time, I have a job to do. It's part of the broadcast. It's a small part to play, but it is a lot of fun."
Grayson is the studio host for the teams' road games and worked with former Brewer Jeff Cirillo during the 2008 baseball season.
"Jeff Cirillo is a lot of fun to work with," Grayson said. "With the team (Brewers) continuing to improve … the rating for the pre- and postgame shows continued to go up. But we never changed our approach, regardless of the ratings."
Prior to last season, the Brewers had not made the playoffs since 1982 when Grayson was a 17-year-old year senior at Tosa East.
"My greatest memory was sitting on the third base side in the lower grandstand on the Sunday night that they clinched the pennant," he said. "It was cold and damp. It was fun to be a part of it."
But Grayson's sports memories go back a lot further than the '82 season. Grayson's late father, Herb, was a McDonald's executive and took Jeff and his brothers to many games when they were young. They often met players, coaches and managers.
Grayson started his career as a sports producer for WITI-TV6 under Tom Pipines from 1986-90. He later worked at WBAY in Green Bay from 1990-93 and then anchored sports for 12 years at KMSP-TV in Minneapolis.
The past three years he has also worked as a host for the Minnesota Wild (NHL), Vikings (NFL) and Timberwolves (NBA) hosting magazine-style shows and doing in-game shows similar to his Brewers and Bucks gigs.
His work has not gone unnoticed.
"I have know Jeff for a long time," said Jim Paschke, the longtime television voice of the Bucks. "He is always upbeat. He sets a nice tone for the excitement of the game. He is very positive and he does his homework. I like the way he presents a different twist. He is very creative and does a nice job with his shows."
Jeff's mom, Mary, still lives in Tosa and enjoys watching her son in action. But his success goes back to his early years with his father.
"My dad never pushed me," Grayson said. "But he exposed me to sports firsthand through his advertising job. It was a natural for me since I loved being at the ballpark and the arena. He's the reason I got into it."
Tom "Sky" Skibosh can be reached at (262) 446-6620. Read Sky's blog at www.WauwatosaNOW.com.
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