It was a slow time of the year for minor-league baseball coaches, so, on the morning of Jan. 11, John Wehner was just sitting around reading the newspaper.

The news he saw was distressing. The Pirates not only were looking for a new man to join their broadcasting crew, but they also already were holding auditions.

"I wish I had known about that," Wehner recalled yesterday. "I would liked to have thrown my hat in the ring. That's something I was definitely interested in."

Although it appeared to be too late, Wehner placed a call to the Pirates. The result ultimately was good: Yesterday, the Pirates added Wehner to their broadcasting crew. He will replace Steve Blass, who opted for only home games this season, as color commentator on road games.

At first, however, the news was not encouraging. Patty Paytas, the Pirates' vice president of communications, told him that January day that the process was pretty far along. Several people had auditioned, and she didn't think they'd be including any more candidates.

It looked like the end of the dream for Wehner and meant going back to Class AA, which, in turn, meant too much time away from his family and too many commutes from Altoona to Cranberry. But the more Paytas thought about it, the more inclined she was to listen to Wehner.

"It didn't seem fair not to give him the opportunity."

Wehner got his chance earlier this month. He did a pregame show and one inning of a Pirates game with San Francisco.

"We liked his freshness, his knowledge of our organization -- from him being a player to being on the management side," said Paytas. "He knows a lot about our minor-league players. He's worked with some who are now in the majors.

"We like the fact he's played just about every position."

The announcement yesterday ended a maddening week for Wehner, 37, who will share color duties with Bob Walk and work with play-by-play announcers Lanny Frattare and Greg Brown.

"I was never this nervous when I played," he said. "I guess it shows how much I wanted the job."

Wehner was heading to spring training next week under any circumstance, but he'll be going as a broadcaster and not a minor-league coach.

"Everyone's excited," he said. "I'm excited, my wife's excited, my kids are excited."

Wehner, who grew up in Carrick, has recollections of Bob Prince and Nellie King as the Pirates' broadcasters, but his first vivid memories are of new colleague Frattare and Milo Hamilton in 1979.

But he'll pattern himself after none of them nor anyone else.

"I talk the way I talk," he said.

Wehner joined the Pirates in 1991 and was an immediate sensation, batting .340 in 37 games. But he hurt his back, missed the playoffs and never was able to capitalize on that first season.

He set what might be a record by playing in the majors for at least part of 10 consecutive seasons without getting more than 140 at-bats. He finished as a lifetime .249 hitter with four homers and 54 RBIs in 804 at-bats. His final homer was memorable -- the last one hit at Three Rivers Stadium.

He comes to broadcasting with no on-air experience, but plenty of on-field experience. He knows the lows -- he almost always was the 25th man on the roster -- and he knows the highs -- he was a member of the Florida Marlins' 1997 World Series champions.

He has to take that knowledge and deliver it to his listeners.