Is Morgan Ensberg a candidate for Astros announcing gig?
If you read Brian McTaggart’s article at astros.com yesterday you know Morgan Ensberg will be in Houston to run the Marathon on January 13th. While he’s in town, wouldn’t it make sense for the Astros to give him an interview? The former Astro is currently a co-host on Sirius XM radio’s MLB Roundtrip.
Since the firings of Brett Dolan and Dave Raymond and Jim Deshaies‘ exodus to Chicago, the Astros are still looking for talent for both their radio and TV broadcasts. Jim Crane will need to make some wise choices when filling these positions and I think Ensberg is someone who most fans would approve of.
In 1998 Ensberg was the MVP of the the USC Trojans team that won the College World Series. Originally a walk-on at Southern Cal, Ensberg’s tireless work ethic helped turn him into an All-American. The Astros drafted him in the ninth round that summer. Ensberg advanced steadily through the minors and was the ‘Stros starting third-baseman from 2003 until 2007. His best year was 2005. That season Ensberg was an All-Star, won the Silver Slugger Award, and helped lead the Astros to the World Series.
His star power began to fade in 2007 and the Astros sent him to San Diego at the trade deadline. A year later Ensberg was released by the Yankees after appearing in only 28 big league games. He tried to catch on with Tampa Bay the following season but didn’t make the team. Ensberg’s big league career was over at the age of 33.
That’s when Ensberg embarked on another career. He began blogging about the game he loved. His goal was to showcase his expertise and parlay it into a job in TV or radio. Once again Ensberg’s commitment and dedication paid off. Blogging has taken a back seat now that Ensberg is working in radio.
Just to prove that he can do pretty much anything he sets his mind to, Enberg ran the New York City marathon in 2010. The upcoming Houston marathon will be his second 26.2 mile effort. This time around it will be for a good cause. Ensberg and his wife are teaming up with former Astros teammate Adam Everett and his wife to raise money for Living Water International.
Ensberg likes to talk about how much he loves the city of Houston and the people who live there. He talks about how people have made him feel at home here even though he is a native Californian. It’s true, Astros fans have a special place in their heart for Morgan Ensberg. I think bringing him back as an announcer would be an excellent move for a team in serious need of some sort of a boost.