SUSAN SLUSSER ON THE AIR -- Papa Out, Fitzgerald In on Warriors TV

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In an astonishing move, the Warriors have replaced Greg Papa, one of the nation's most accomplished broadcasters, with untried Bob Fitzgerald on the team's telecasts.

The news stunned Papa as much as anyone, and he's upset with both his longtime employer and with his former friend Fitzgerald.

"I'm just incredibly miffed," said Papa, who spent eight seasons as the Warriors' radio play- by-play man and two as their TV announcer. "Any previous relationship I had with Bob was discarded and any previous work I did for the Warriors was discarded.

"Bob told me if it wasn't him, the Warriors said it was going to be someone else -- and the Warriors told me that if it wasn't for Bob, they would have re-signed me. One of them is lying, and I think Bob was used. And it was his willingness to be used that pushed me over the cliff."

Papa, 34, also does TV work for the A's and is just entering his first season as the Raiders' radio voice. That new job led to his ouster by the Warriors.

"The sense I got was that the Raiders' deal was the proverbial final straw," said Fitzgerald's agent, Martin Mandel. "They felt that was stretching things a little bit, and it took away some of the cachet of Greg being their guy."

But Papa was careful to consult with both the Warriors and the A's before accepting the Raiders' job.

"I've got to believe that (Warriors owner) Chris Cohan got into the car and heard highlights of me calling the Raiders on 'The Ticket' and then went home and saw me on the TV doing the A's, and he believes his message is being diluted," said Papa, who was coming off a one-year deal with the Warriors. "But I did not pursue the Raiders' job without informing the Warriors at every step.

"It was actually written into my previous contract that I was free to pursue NFL work, and I really felt it was do-able in light of what everyone had told me. I called the Warriors specifically to clear it, and (Warriors legal counsel) Robin Baggett told me it was not a deal- breaker. Either they were lying to me, or they didn't think through what it meant."

Baggett confirmed his comments to Papa, but added, "We always told Greg we didn't like all his work with other teams. We agreed to it, but reluctantly. I told him the Raiders' job wouldn't preclude a deal in and of itself, but our position has been real clear that we didn't like it."

Papa is furious with KNBR afternoon host Fitzgerald; Papa has tried to help Fitzgerald break into play-by-play for some time, and even endorsed Fitzgerald for the Warriors' radio job two years ago.

"Bob considered me a friend and I find it shocking that he was the one who was hired and in the way it went down," Papa said. "I didn't expect this, and he's been talking to them for three weeks -- I think he owed me a phone call. I would have liked a warning.

"I was supportive in trying to find Fitz work, and I advised him to go to lunch with Chris Cohan and Robin Baggett," Papa continued. "Obviously, they found they had someone who was willing to work for their organization at any cost."

Fitzgerald declined comment, but Mandel said that the Warriors approached Fitzgerald -- and that his client, who had only expressed interest in a backup job, refused to have any conversations with the team unless the Warriors already had decided that Papa was not in their plans.

"When it comes to basketball play-by-play, I'm as much a fan of Greg Papa as anyone," Mandel said. "Bob and I were both taken aback, because of Greg's stature and competence."

The Warriors, according to Mandel, already had determined that, and asked Fitzgerald for complete confidentiality during their talks. Baggett confirmed that.

"We approached Bob because we wanted to make a change," Baggett said. "Exclusivity was what interested us. We wanted to find someone who was ours."

Papa said he called Fitzgerald after the announcement to find out what happened.

"Bob started out trying to protect himself legally," Papa said. "He said he didn't want to say a lot because he thought I'd sue him -- which is absurd."

Money might have been a factor for the Warriors: Fitzgerald's relative inexperience will mean a far lower salary than Papa's. But Mandel and Papa agreed that it was a secondary consideration.

"They are saving money, but I don't think that falls high on their list of reasons," Papa said.

Fitzgerald, 31, did some fill-in work on Warriors' radio broadcasts last season and hosted the team's TV and radio "Roundtable" programs. He has done play-by- play for the San Jose SaberCats Arena Football League team, along with Cal basketball and work for Westwood One radio.

Mandel said that Fitzgerald has agreed to give up all other play-by- play work to concentrate on the Warriors but hopes to retain his KNBR gig. Mandel met with KNBR officials yesterday to discuss Fitzgerald's status.

"Suffice it to say, we were caught off guard by the whole thing," said KNBR program director Bob Agnew, who anticipates several upcoming on-air changes. 'We're still evaluating the situation."