Zolz Entertainment

ZOLZ "IN THE NEWS"

From the Times Herald Record:

Net's P.A. man at home as voice of Renegades - By Ken McMillan

The umpires had yet to call "Play ball" on opening night and Rick Zolzer's perfect world was already crashing to the ground. The sound system at Dutchess Stadium balked. The scoreboard struck out. No matter. Summer baseball had returned to Fishkill, and Zolzer felt at home again. "This is absolutely my first love," said Zolzer, the popular public address announcer for the Hudson Valley Renegades. "Being at the yard and smelling the smells of the hot dogs and the hamburgers grilling two hours before game time. Hearing the crack of the bat during (batting practice). I almost have that 'Field of Dreams' love of baseball." And then his sporting worlds collided when Jason Kidd showed up. Again. And again. And again. Not the actual Nets point guard, mind you, just his name.

Raise the Gilbert Gottfried voice by one octave and say it fast: "Jason Kidd!" Over and over, spectators came up to Zolzer and shouted "Jason Kidd!" Skip the hellos, no how-ya-doings. "Jason Kidd!" Imitation is the best form of flattery, and Zolzer grins every time someone tries to imitate his most popular call as the Nets P.A. guy. Give him a few weeks and Zolzer will surely have the crowds at Dutchess Stadium imitating every one of his favorite pastime phrases. Two weeks ago, Zolzer finished off a most amazing ride as the rookie P.A. voice of the Nets, once a downtrodden team and now an NBA finalist. Aside from having a courtside seat during one of the most exciting basketball runs in metropolitan history, the best benny was this television moment: "Now we go to Nets public address announcer Rick Zolzer."

The VCR in Zolzer's home certainly was rolling on that one. "It was amazing how many people paid attention, and say they heard Bob Costas introduce me," Zolzer said. "It made me feel good that that many people even give a crap what I am doing." That's the mass appeal of Zolzer, also a long-time radio personality in the Hudson Valley. His brash sports reports on the morning show had the commuters laughing. His daily talk show on ESPN Radio moves between thought-provoking and exasperating. And at Dutchess Stadium, his job is all about the fun and making people smile. A blindfolded woman whacked a cow placard to the ground. "Look, our contestant hit the cow once and our fun team guy three times," Zolzer chortled. The audience rolled. He poked fun at a gentleman who snared a line drive and couldn't shake the pain out of his hand. "Sir, you got a five-dollar baseball and a broken hand. Now you can't brush your teeth with your right hand." The audience roared. "

Rick is back where he belongs," Renegades general manager Steve Gliner said. "I think it's great he still wants to be a part of it. He's coming off a seven-month NBA season and he's still here. He's not big-time enough in his own mind to say, 'I'm not doing the Renegades anymore.' " Here's a little secret: Zolzer has no intention of leaving for the big city lights. Dutchess Stadium is where he got his start and a place he calls home.