Having already acquired a proven manager earlier this month for an apparent cosmic all-star crew, the Coach Upstairs then added both an ace pitcher and a slugging outfielder just this past week, pausing in between to also summon a lesser-known yet enthusiastic broadcaster to potentially call some forthcoming action in the clouds.

Reputedly hip to world history – and definitely the annals of sport – Chris Olivarez would surely joke about his final resting place in it, having died Jan. 20 one day after his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers paid final respects at Dodger Stadium to iconic Hall of Fame skipper Tommy Lasorda.

And with hurler Don Sutton, still the Dodgers’ career leader in both wins and strikeouts, having died Jan. 18 (the day before Lasorda’s celebration-of-life ceremony), then fellow Hall of Famer Hank Aaron passing on the 22nd, one would certainly hear one final, coincidence-appreciating chuckle emanate from Pagosa Springs’ version of Vin Scully.

“His laugh was infectious; you couldn’t have a bad day with Chris around,” said Rion Eagan, a fellow Class 3A Intermountain League broadcaster in the San Luis Valley covering first Centauri (KZBR-FM) and now Alamosa (KSLV-FM). “And his absolute loyalty to the Pagosa Springs Pirates, there was no way you could make fun of either.”

Above all else, the 69-year-old broadcaster was known for putting a smile on people’s faces.

“Of all the things that made Chris special, I will miss his deep, hearty laugh the most,” said Sean O’Donnell, Pagosa Springs High School principal and former head football coach. “There were times he’d get so excited, those listening at home had a hard time figuring out what had happened, but that is one of the many reasons we loved him.”

Recruited to Colorado in 1994 from Brawley, California’s KROP-AM 1300, the Phoenix-reared Olivarez, who would have turned 70 on July 24, became much more than a Pagosa Springs-area fixture during more than a quarter-century on the air with KWUF-AM 1400 “The Wolf.”

Unsurprisingly, his grayed goatee and like-hued, lengthening hair resulted in an unofficial “Wolfman” nickname, adding another humorous element to a man for whom good calls – such as announcing PSHS’ run to the 2013 CHSAA Class 3A Boys’ Basketball State Championship, then doing likewise as the Lady Pirates brought the 2015 equivalent home to Archuleta County – weren’t to be taken lightly.

“Dedicated his life to Pagosa radio,” read an excerpt from a statement offered by Will Spears, owner of KWUF parent company Wolf Creek Broadcasting, LLC. “He was very well-respected in the radio industry and loved by all his radio co-workers, too. Chris died peacefully but will be terribly missed.”

And just as difficult of a personality to, at the very least and if nothing else, succeed.

“Filling in for Chris was a daunting task,” said Erik Beatty, observed handling play-by-play duties during last season’s TBK Bank High School Showdown pitting the Pirates boys and girls against league rival Bayfield. “I knew of the man’s credibility and pedigree not only in the radio world but in the community of Pagosa Springs itself.

“The man was encyclopedic; I could pick his brain all day, and I miss those conversations with him. The best advice I’d ever received in the broadcasting game came from Chris. He said, ‘Erik, call what you see.’ This counsel, although simple, made total sense; it helped me immensely.”

Olivarez was renowned as a jack of all trades when it came to radio. While he could do any job at the station, it was also his ability to coordinate with surrounding stations that allowed him to make high school sports even more special.

“In this day and age, he’s kind of a throwback to the glory days of play-by-play and radio,” said Kelly Turner of Montezuma County beacons KVFC-AM and KRTZ-FM. He was familiar with the broadcast end of it, he was familiar with the sports end of it, he was familiar with the technical end. To find someone with as much knowledge and proficiency in all those fields...I really feel for them, to try filling those shoes.”

Starting anew may instead be a more attainable objective.

“The Voice of the Pirates, it is not the same without him,” PSHS athletic director Marcie Ham said. “He traveled as much as he could to make sure those still in Pagosa could ‘see’ games through his broadcasts when the Pirates were on the road. He was a plethora of knowledge when it came to Southwestern Colorado high school history, and he genuinely loved watching and talking with athletes and coaches.

Olivarez was always there to lend a helping hand or simply to support his fellow sports broadcasters from different stations across southern Colorado, too.

“He always had a different word, or way, to help you out, make you feel like you’re doing well,” said Eric Flores, the sports information director at Adams State University and a former Valley Courier sports editor and radioman who frequently worked alongside Olivarez. “During the time after I left, he kind of filled in and covered some Alamosa games for KGIW – they’re sister stations with KWUF – so I know he’s reached people out here, as well. It’s going to be a huge impact all across southern Colorado.”

Olivarez was named the Citizen of the Year by the Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce in January, 2016.

“He was more than sports; I think he was actually the voice of Pagosa when it came to almost anything,” Eagen said. “You thought ‘Pagosa,’ you thought of Chris.”

“I’m even more fortunate to have been able to call him my friend and a mentor,” said Beatty. “Chris’ willingness to help and give me advice had a major impact in the way I communicate and carry myself to this day. The man was pure class. Caring, compassionate, generous, hardworking and willing to give the shirt off of his back to you. The radio world, the community of Pagosa Springs and the world lost a great man. A legend.”

And as actor Art LaFleur’s Babe Ruth said in “The Sandlot”: Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

DID YOU KNOW: Spears’ statement noted Olivarez’s love of and expertise in both blues and jazz music styles, fitting for a fellow whose radio career began nearly 50 years ago at KJZZ-FM (known in 1972 by original call letters KFCA, then KMCR the last four months of the year); the call letters KJZZ were adopted in ’85) in Phoenix.

PERSONAL MEMORY: Having once spotted Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio in Olivarez’s car while aiding him in loading up equipment following a game, this writer can recall not only his own surprise in seeing the 2017 CD, but Olivarez’s when he learned of my familiarity with the guitarist and the fact that I was at the time spinning 1965’s The Paul Butterfield Blues Band in my own vehicle, with Bishop a cornerstone artist.

Had he known this tale’s title plays on that of a Metallica heavy-metal song, he’d definitely direct a trademark laugh my way. But then maybe award an ‘atta-boy’ for the musical allusion.