When CSUF alumnus José Mota ’94 (B.A. communications-radio/TV/film) was 9 or 10, he would go out to his backyard in his native Dominican Republic — microphone in one hand, tape recorder in the other — to “announce” baseball games. He was inspired by the work of broadcasting legend Billy Berroa, who also hailed from the Caribbean island.
Mota, a commentator for the Angels for 16 years, recently made history by becoming the first announcer in major league history to do a play-by-play on a team’s English and Spanish radio broadcasts, as well as color analysis for TV broadcasts in both languages.
A few days later, he received a call from Jeff Idelson, president of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Continue reading in Spanish (La Raza) or English (Los Angeles Times).