Voices in our heads
Posted by: Sam Borden - Posted in Misc on Feb 04, 2010 
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For most of us, the connection to baseball comes through the voices of others – specifically TV or radio announcers. Those people who tell and describe and inform are our way into the games and the people and the stories. It’s not surprising that fans are so particular (and critical) about the broadcasters of the teams they follow.
I thought Kevin did a fantastic job this morning talking about Mel Allen – the Gehrig story is absolutely priceless – and it got me thinking about the announcers that resonate for me. Now, admittedly, because of my job I don’t watch and/or listen to a ton of sports when I’m not working (lest my marriage fall apart), but there are two announcers who can pull me into just about anything.
1. Vin Scully: Best pipes in the business, now and forever. Satellite radio has made listening to him in the car on the way home a regular occurrence, but if you want the essence of baseball on the radio than you’ve got to listen to this. I think I’ve posted it on here before, but it’s worth the repeat. It’s just dynamite.
2. Marv Albert: Growing up a Knicks (and Rangers fan), Marv was a staple. I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but to me, Marv meant the game was important. I could listen to him do anything – even if it was “extensive gar-baaaage time.”
What about John Sterling?
Anybody remember Jim Gordon and Phil Esposito doing the Ranger games?
What, you mean Joe Buck isn’t your favorite TV voice ever? SULTRY SMOOTH MAN…
I don’t understand how the premiere baseball club, the Yankees, can have such awful announcers.
Michael Kay is not only annoying, but he’s an idiot (please, Michael, explain to me – how do the Yankees get last licks in the top of the ninth playing on the road???). I find Cone and Leiter to be annoying as well. O’Neill’s ok, and I think Singletary is pretty steady. I absolutely loved Kaat, but he’s no longer with the club.
And it’s not like you can turn off the sound on the TV and tune into the radio, because….well, you know.
Guru Man
February 4th, 2010 at 11:35 am
LOL! I looked at NJ’s stats & it looks like he only batted 2nd in the order last year with the Marlins. Before that he predominately batted 4th over the last four years.
I’ve been looking at my memos. I must be getting old!! I still even after reading McCash speak, believe NJ bats 5th to 7th in the lineup.
I believe Granderson will do better at 2nd in the order because he will be batting in front of Tex & ARod and most likely after Jeter got on base. He will see more fastballs and he can handle a fastball whether RHP or LHP. If offspeed pitches are thrown, Jeter most likely takes an extra base. With CG’s speed, he’d be hard to DP. In Det as a leadoff hitter he was pitched more closely with a lot more breaking balls. I really like the idea of CG batting 2nd. (I believe the #2 hitter’s basic job is to advance the runners. I think CG can do that quite well.)
Wave Your Hat
February 4th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Thanks Wave!! I knew I could count on you.
Goodness Gracious how does Waldman rank amongst the greats?
Ditmars,
No more Coney. I liked him.
This season Tino’s taking his place.
Guru Man
I like reading your posts. I don’t always agree either, but Blogs aren’t about being right! LOL! I think Joe G will do something different this year, so I think the ARod/Tex flip may happen. Also, I think Cano is the best fit for 5th. He ahs the tools & other than last year he was good with RISP.
my top 3:
1) Bob Costas
2) Bob Uecker
3) Vin Scully
NCAA or NFL football:
1) Brent Musburger
2) Brent Musburger
3) Brent Musburger
Jeers,
I’m glad for no more Coney, but if you liked him, then I’m sorry you’re seeing him leave. His content was good, but he has this annoying way of speaking that just grates me. He puts an odd amount of stress on about every fourth word out of his mouth. I don’t get it and it’s distracting.
I think I’ve heard Tino make a cameo appearance or two. Do you think he’s any good?
my all time favorite combo was Phil Rizzuto and Bill White, maybe not the smoothest, but always entertaining.
Marv Albert? I guess he “grew” on you. And that piece!
He’s not bad.
There are some guys that I’d put up there, but their names escape me. Maybe someone else will bring up their names.
I know he’s really disliked, but I do like that John Miller. He’s got a great broadcasting voice, not too high, not too low. Just the right pace. And he’s much better when he’s not trying to shine Joe Morgan’s shoes.
I grew up south of L.A. and the voice of Vin Scully was the soundtrack to my childhood. No one does it better.
I dislike Kay as well. Sterling is ok with me. I loved Kaat & enjoyed Cone. I also like Jon Miller from a national perspective.
Not sure how many hockey fans are on this blog but how can you NOT mention Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick?? That guy could call a curling match and I’d still be on the edge of my seat.
Someone previously mentioned Bill White. I liked him too. Marv Albert is good, and his son isn’t bad either. If I’m watching college football, I always liked Keith Jackson, even though I don’t like Southern accents. He just conveyed a very good sense of enjoyment, and called what he saw without too much dramatics.
Mel Allen – yes I know I am old!
Chick Hearns. Click to see how many familiar phrases he coined.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_Hearn
Hearn.
Jon Miller just won the Ford Frick Award for broadcasting.
He does a great Vin Scully impression.
Can’t stand Jon Miller.
Kaat was a smart baseball guy but he often spent too much time pining away about the “good old days” I get that he’s a baseball purist but I just felt at times he should move on and accept the game the way it is.
Honestly, the one area where the Mets have the Yankees beat hands down is in the booth.
Cohen, Hernandez and Darling are not only great calling the games but the Mets are smart enough to stick with a group and let them carry the season.
I can’t tell you how much I hate the way YES cycles in the booth between Kay, Singleton, Leiter, Flash, Paulie, and now Tino – just take Kay, Singleton and Leiter and dump the rest – let Flash do some studio work if you want to keep him around but that’s it.
Oh, and Rangers games haven’t been the same since JD left the booth for the St. Louis front office.
How did that get through the filter, Nick? And do you get award tweets?
Darling’s not bad. Just misinformed at times.
Outside of Yankee broadcasters, the best of the midwest growing up was Bob Elson and Milo Hamilton for the White Sox, Herb Carneill and Halsey Hall with the Twins and Ernie Harwell and Geoege Kell with Detroit. Herb Score was good, too.i
Grew up in Delaware so my voice of summer was always Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn those were the days when the same broadcasters did both TV and radio and they didn’t have different broadcast teams.
Have to say I felt very lucky to have them be the voice of baseball for me at such an young age.
“Can’t stand Jon Miller”
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don’t like him either. Strikes me as a college professor and/or washed-up hippie.
his partner Joe Morgan doesn’t bother me. Am one of the few who like Morgan
It’s a long season and if you catch most games on TV then hearing the same guys say the same things to each other year after year can get extremely old. Especially if they’re not at Scully level to begin with. That’s why YES is smart to move their annoncers in and out of the booth.
Never a Jon Miller fan. He was too much in love with the sound of his own voice and got worse on ESPN.
What word should have been filtered?
And I get no tweets of any kind.
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....er_bl.html
I’m a Ravens fan and Yankees fan, ugh.
“Never a Jon Miller fan. He was too much in love with the sound of his own voice and got worse on ESPN”
————————————————–
and making spanish pronounciations.
1. Marv Albert “Yes, and it counts.” Even though I hated the Bulls, I will never forget hearing “A SpecTACular move by Michael Jordan”
2. Vin Scully
It’s a good thing I work from home.
Scully isn’t an announcer, he’s an artist.
“Right now, the mound in Dodger Stadium is the loneliest place in the world.” (!). Or…”Now the people begin to watch each pitch with their hearts.” (!).
Scully’s call of the last out of the 1996 World Series showed in stark contrast to Sterling’s.
Sterling, of course, happily suffocatd the first championship in 18 years with his “WS over, Yankees win, thu-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh… Yankees WIIIIN!!!” which has a certain emotional appeal.
But Scully’s call was silent. For a man so articulate, and so rich in baseball and life metaphors at his beck, Scully let the roar of the crowd tell the story. It went on for a long time in terms of radio time, and then he said “….well, that says it all, doesn’t it?…”
Yes, Vin, that said it all.
‘Twas a joke, Nick. Ford’s last name. nm.
phil rizzuto was the best color-guy ever. always made the game fun. i feel the same way about bobby murcer he always sounded like he was enjoying himself. i have pretty fond memories of watching friday night yankees games on WPIX with scooter in the booth.
Ditmars -
I agree 100% with you on Coney. Good content, really bad delivery. That vocal tick of his really drove me nuts. (That growling sound. Ew!)
I love Tino, but I really wonder how he’ll be. I hope he can hold his own against Kay. Flaherty took a whole year until he got assertive. Whether or not you like Flash in general, you have to admit he did improve.
Chip -
I only agree with you 2/3 regarding the Mets broadcasters. Up until last season, I would have agree 100%. However, Hernandez just gets fuller and fuller of himself. And he’s another one who talks about how he (and his comrades) would have done things. Thankfully, he seems to not cover as many games. Which goes to one other point – the Mets have gone to more 2-man coverage of the games, rather than always having the 3, and will rotate. Although I don’t think Darling & Hernandez are ever left alone.
(You know, I didn’t realize I was watching the Mets enough to know all this – hmmmm….)
My brother is a sports fanatic to the nth degree. These days, hockey, I think is his absolute favorite. But growing up, I can still hear Marv Albert’s voice broadcasting Knicks games over his radio. Basketball and hockey sound great over the radio (I never took to either one all that much.)
I loved listening to Scully on the game of the week, years ago. But for pure entertainment, Rizzuto and White and Murcer.
Tino’s going to be in the booth? I hope he takes the cotton out of his mouth first!
Marv Albert’s finest performance:
Marv: John Belushi is on his way to a gold medal in the Decathlon! They’re setting the bar at seven feet – here’s his approach.
[ John Belushi runs toward the bar. Quick cut to John jumping over the top of the bar. Quick cut to John landing on the grass. ]
Marv: He got it! Belushi’s won the gold, now he’s going for the world’s record!
[ cut to John Belushi running a long-distance sprint against other runners; he wins the race, and his fans crowd around him ]
[ cut to John seated like Bruce Jenner at his breakfast nook ]
John Belushi: [ as he holds a lit cigarette ] I logged a lot of miles training for that day. And I downed a lot of doughnuts. Little Chocolate Donuts. They taste good, and they’ve got the sugar I need to get me going in the morning. That’s why Little Chocolate Donuts have been on my training table since I was a kid.
[ cut to John Belushi going for the gold in the pole vault ]
Marv: Little Chocolate Donuts. The donuts of champions.
White was to most soothing voice for baseball ever. He and Scooter were just the perfect yin and yang. Scooter was just nuts and White was a real presence. Neither was full of himself.
gayle -
Growing up I watched/listened mostly to the Mets and they did the same thing – 3 guys alternating doing both television and radio. Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy I enjoyed immensely. Ralph Kiner? Always talked about himself and how much better his generation was than the current one. And not a good broadcasting voice, really.
BUT, he did a post-game show on television, Kiner’s Korner, that was great. A 20-minute show that featured interviewing the star (or two stars) of the game, with video, and then a recap of the scores around the league. Tom Seaver as a guest used to crack me up. When he and Bud Harrelson were on together it was hysterical. When Cleon Jones was on, we used to count the “um, ya knows” during his interview. I miss those. It would have been a treasure if they’d have taped those and saved them. Could have made a fortune in DVD sales. Oh, well.
Johnson in the 2 hole sounds great in theory because of his OBP and bat control. However pitchers are going to challenge him and avoid walking him at all costs with tex and arod coming up behind him. He would have to swing the bat to be successful in that role and he may very well do that but I don’t think you can count on the high walk totals. I like Granderson there against righties.
———————————-
Nick Johnson had a .477 OBP hitting in front of Hanley Ramirez in his final 35 games of the season.
Definitely a small sample, but I think a lot of people are underselling NJ’s hitting ability.
The 3 years of his career in which he played the most games (131 games in 05, 147 in 06, 133 in 09) his average was .289, .290, .291.
Chick Hearn + Vin Scully
vs.
Marv Albert + Rizzutto (or Mel)
It’s not really close – LA had the greatest tandem of all time. Vin Scully is a living legend, and Chick Hearn was such a pioneer.
Remember Marv from the 69-70 Knicks – am dating myself – then there was no cable in Queens so you had to listen he would say Jumps from 20 Yes!!!!
Most announcers don’t really understand their job.
They come off like AM disc jockeys most of the time.
The radio guys are there to be your eyes, to make what’s happening come to life, to explain what needs explication, and to convey, if they can, some of the frisson of the moment.
Like anything else, there are the gifted and the prosaic. I think a guy like Scully just has a knack for finding the RIGHT word all the time…also, he knows what NOT to say. I think that’s just inborn.
When talking about White and Rizzuto, you’d be remiss in not adding Frank Messer to that grou[/ Tony Kubek was also one of the best TV when working with Curt Gowdy.
My all-time favorite Yankee broadcast team was Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto, and Bill White. Their strengths and personalities complemented each other so well.
m, Chick Hearn….Magic yo-yoing the ball up court…..Bird in the Popcorn machine….Big Game James Worthy, SLAM DUNK…..Kareem turns away from Robert Parish, Sky Hook for two……..Granderson will hit 2nd, Johnson will hit somewhere down in the order…..Granderson is a 30-30 guy folks, you don’t hit a player like that 7th…..Besides you’ll lose Johnson late in the game when he’s lifted for a pinch-runner….. Vince Scully is in another catergory all by himself…..For those who don’t know, he does the game alone…He’s the best ever
Anyone remember how good Al Trautwig was?
And I know he doesn’t do baseball, but I’ll listen to any game Mike Patrick does…..
Whatever happened to Tony Kubek?
One of the treats of the MLB network is the rebroadcasts of old games and getting to hear some of these announcers.
it look like Orlando Hudson may go to the Twins.
would be a nice signing for Minn
Al Michaels voice borders on being too nasally. But I rate him high for the other stuff. Smart, pauses in the right places, and good booth-mate (whatever that is!).
EricNS
February 4th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Remember Marv from the 69-70 Knicks – am dating myself – then there was no cable in Queens so you had to listen he would say Jumps from 20 Yes!!!!
====
I grew, over the years, to really dislike Marv, because he became cultish and a parody of himself.
But that “Debusschere….YES” is a key piece of the music of my childhood.
GB7
Thanks, I knew there was a 3rd broadcaster w/ Rizzuto and White, couldn’t remember who it was. Thanks to Meatloaf and “paradise by the dashboard light” I was able to introduce my son to Rizzuto.
Doreen
I was a Mets fan until we moved upstate (in ’69 after they won the WS). I had pix of Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee on my wall instead of rock stars.
And then there’s Howard Cosell…
As a kid I remember “Shoot the puck Barry!!” from Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Beck
Pat M,
His passing was very sad. Before sports even entered my consciousness, he was the first name and voice I remember. (don’t forget, I’m a few years younger
)
Not big on YES team myself. Singleton is decent I suppose.
I quite enjoy John Sterling myself. Suzyan Waldman is bearable.
“It’s a Grander-slam!”
“Its a Winner for Winn”
I’ll never forget when Scooter bent down to show something on his shoe and needed help getting back up. I saw it when I was young and can’t remember what the context was, but Scooter naturally made some funny comment about it. He was the man.
A good way to kill 6 minutes thanks to Bryan Hoch. Don’t cheat! I got 39.
http://www.sporcle.com/games/y.....09_yankees
I have a great record about the Knicks’ first championship season, lots of clips of Marv announcing and narration my Marv and Marty Glickman. Good stuff.
Doreen-
Kubek lives in Wisconsin and runs some sort of charitable farming kind of thing I think. Doesnt even watch the game anymore. Lots of write ups about this and why last year when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame
Doreen, Kubek left MSG-TV after being criticised for his critical remarks (he was never a Steinbrenner fan). He was extremelt critical of the players during the 1994 strike and that lead to other remarks, so, he quit. He retired in 1995. Now in the broadcaster’s wing of the HOF.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Kubek
Best announcer in baseball is easily Vin Scully. He’s fantastic.
Bob Uecker is hilarious.
Cone, Leiter and O’neill are good on YES. Kay is awful, Singleton is okay, Flaherty is bland. Waldman is ok but her voice is insanely annoying. Sterling is fun but not really a good announcer.
For football I actually like Buck/Aikman. Al Michaels is pretty good, Moose is good
“Thanks, I knew there was a 3rd broadcaster w/ Rizzuto and White, couldn’t remember who it was.”
Does not surprise me that many may not remember Frank Messer’s name. The game was never about him. He was just very eloquent and a real professional announcer. A wonderful MC at Old-Timer’s day also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....&NR=1
Vinny calling Sandy’s perfect game. Its the last inning. Great call.
Thanks, gayle & GB7.
Bill White, Scooter and Frank Messer were the best. They are who I grew up with and I still love them. Scooter and White were like a comedy team, they were so funny.
What could have been:
“Vin Scully, Voice Of The Yankees”
When the Yankees let Mel Allen go in 1964, I got a phone call from the man who they had brought in to run their broadcasting operation, Craig Smith,” Vin began. “He had been in charge of the World Series broadcasts forever, so I’d known him about ten years by then. And he asked me if I’d like to come home to New York and become the lead announcer. He offered a very handsome salary, and a long contract.
http://keitholbermann.mlblogs......ankee.html
Jeers,
I’m glad for no more Coney, but if you liked him, then I’m sorry you’re seeing him leave. His content was good, but he has this annoying way of speaking that just grates me. He puts an odd amount of stress on about every fourth word out of his mouth. I don’t get it and it’s distracting.
I think I’ve heard Tino make a cameo appearance or two. Do you think he’s any good?
————————————————–
I know what you’re talking about with Cone and the way he grinded certain words for emphasis.
I just always want a pitcher in the booth.
Tino’s probably won’t be that good but he’s Tino so no one will care that much. He’s kind of a quick talking mumbler isn’t he.
Like Hunter Thompson without all the drugs.
It’s just TV so it’s not like these guys have to be that good.
“And then there’s Howard Cosell”
————————————————
He and Brent Musburger are the only 2 announcers i know, capable of making a sporting event bigger then it is. However, Howard Cosell is on a level by himself.
Howard Cosell could transform a game of shuffleboard into a Pay Per View event. Or a game of marbles at the Rockland county senior center
My Scully story…..
In 2000, he was doing the WS for national radio.
We were riding back in the same car from Yankee Stadium back to the city.
Our driver cuts off a car getting out of the parking garage.
The car is filled with nuns.
Scully looks at the car and one of the nuns flips our driver the bird! lol
Scully, in his perfect pitch voice, says to our driver, “Now I’ve seen everything. Sixty years coming to NY and a nun flips us the bird. Thank You for that”! lol
A real gentlemen’s gentlemen. A great man.
My pleasure, Doreen. Enjoy.
The Twins are just signing everyone… ugh.
btw: RIP Howard Cosell. You are greatly missed.
i have to laugh with michael kay and paul o’neill are in the booth. they spend 3 hours making fun of each other and often forget there is a baseball game in progress.
with kay i loved in the last double header where flaherty didnt invite him to nyy steaks between games and kay whined about it through they entire second game. classic.
SJ44
February 4th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
My Scully story…..
In 2000, he was doing the WS for national radio.
We were riding back in the same car from Yankee Stadium back to the city.
Our driver cuts off a car getting out of the parking garage.
The car is filled with nuns.
Scully looks at the car and one of the nuns flips our driver the bird! lol
Scully, in his perfect pitch voice, says to our driver, “Now I’ve seen everything. Sixty years coming to NY and a nun flips us the bird. Thank You for that”! lol
A real gentlemen’s gentlemen. A great man.
————————————————————
LMAO. Perhaps the nun was just reminding you guys that they were number one.
“Scully, in his perfect pitch voice, says to our driver, “Now I’ve seen everything. Sixty years coming to NY and a nun flips us the bird. Thank You for that”
———————————————————
and thank you, for that. Wondeful story
The industry has changed since Mel Allen, Scully in his heyday, etc.
Teams just want unabashed homers now. Vin Scully probably couldn’t get hired today if he was just a guy with an audition tape looking for a job because he has no schtick and he isn’t an unabashed homer.
The homerism is so rampant in so many markets, guys lose perspective. Or, in Sterling’s case, lose sight of the ball and mistakenly call a double a HR because he’s anxious to break into his schtick.
Its a shame because the fan gets cheated out of the enjoyment of listening to a real professional presentation of a game.
When Vin retires, he’s the last of a dying breed of broadcasters, who put the game over any schtick or homerism they bring into the booth.
Wikipedia seems to be the baseline for the previous post. Nice sentiment, but originality would have helped. I got in trouble for that back in 5th grade when I did a book report by retyping what was in the jacket of the book.
Anyway, as far as my Yankee memories of announcers is concerned, I’m a fan of the Rizzutto/White combination. Then Bobby Murcer. I can’t stand Sterling & Waldman or Kay. O’Neil and Cone were ok. Will miss Coney.
Great story SJ….I met him once at a Charity Golf Tournament being held at The Palos Verde CC where Vinny lives…..He did the first Tee introductions….Before you tee’d off you handed him a card with your name etc. and he’d announce you …Now Vinny would watch you swinging your club as you awaited your tee-time….The Vinny in that smooth captivating voice would add a poetic line to your intro with some golf antdotes….He covered golf for CBS……He mentioned my inside out swing and of course a nail a drive about 290 off to the right rough……
That’s the beauty of Scully. He just calls the game. SJ, that’s a really cool story and even cooler that you’ve had a chance to be around a Guys like that.
SJ, Milo Hamilton’s still doing Astro games. He still sounds as great as ever after 50 years. But, still, it’s Harwell that I miss.
“Or, in Sterling’s case, lose sight of the ball and mistakenly call a double a HR because he’s anxious to break into his schtick.”
Double? My Kingdom for a double!
Usually it’s just a long foul or a fly out.
I’ve never really had the opportunity to listen to Scully but now with the MLB app I had the chance to listen in a few times last season.
Obviously he’s the best but what I never realized is that he’s got a great sense of humor as well.
He had me laughing.
It’s worth the price of the app just to hear him.
Growing up in the late 70′s early 80′s in NY Scooter, with White was Yankee baseball…I didn’t have the pleasure of listening to Mel Allen, but those audio clips were great, thanks for posting.
In terms of today, Kay is just awful, you can predict what he will say next about 75% of the time, Paulie is pretty good but since he’s in the booth so infrequently it’s hard to tell how good he really is. Sterling is a total buffoon making it all about him more than anything else and Waldman’s simply brutal. I did like Steiner, I thought he was enjoyable to listen to, much more so than Sterling/Waldman.
Reasons why NJ and not CG will bat second:
NJ has a career OBP of .402. Over the last three years his OBP was .428, .415 and .426. Last year it was .420 vs RHP, .440 (!) vs LHP.
NJ is just as good against lefties as righties. Career OBP vs RHP: .394; vs LHP: .434. Career SLG vs RHP: .450; vs LHP: .438.
NJ is not an “all-walk” kind of high OBP guy, he gets his bat on the ball and he doesn’t strike out that much. Granderson strikes out much more often than NJ.
Granderson’s OBP isn’t good enough. Career .344, last year .327. If he gets back to to his best 2 years of OBP, which were 2007 and 2008, it’s only in the low .360s. He’s giving away 40 to 60 points of OBP to NJ, which is too much to ignore.
Granderson batting 2nd would waste his SLG, which is his strong suit. Granderson is a classic #5 hitter, but you think of him as a #1 or #2 because of his speed. But #5 maximizes his true strength which is power.
Granderson batting 2nd would force the lineup to flip-flop depending on whether a RHP or LHP is on the mound. He may have to be pinch hit for in games, which would leave a weak hitter in front of ARod and Tex in the late innings.
Speed is good, but is not near as important in runs scored as OBP. NJ getting ABs in front of Tex and ARod will score more runs than CG will.
Cash said he got NJ to be the #2 hitter.
I miss the days when Scully was the kind of announcer all radio announcers wanted to be. Now listening to a game on the radio is about like listening to some sports talk show.
Living on the west coast, I listen to Giants games frequently. Jon Miller is sooo much better without Joe Morgan!
Wave Your Hat:
very well done.
I like the case SJ44 makes, as well.
this is the finest baseball discussion we’ve had in 2 weeks.
Speaking of terrible homer announcers, the worst of the lot is Hawk Harrelson. His entire career in broadcasting is based on gimmicks and on being a White Sox homer.
Compare his call during Buehrle’s perfect game to Scully’s calls in numerous historic games. It’s night and day.
The best thing about XM is hearing Vin Scully. Driving late and hearing him call games is awesome.
His pace and vocab set him apart. He calls a game like telling a story. IDK if anyone can do it better? Is it possible?
Wave, Giradi will give Granderson every opportunity to land the # 2 hole….As for Johnson’s K’s, you better look again, besides he’s slow, very slow…..We’ve had this discussion ever since Nick was signed, he’ll clog the arteries….His lack of speed will be a topic here by May….
“Speaking of terrible homer announcers, the worst of the lot is Hawk Harrelson. His entire career in broadcasting is based on gimmicks and on being a White Sox homer.”
Hear, hear!!
I forgot about Frank Messer. He was great with Rizutto & White.
Paul O’Neill is good when he decides he wants to focus on the game. Unfortunately, that’s not even 50% of the time. While it’s amusing, the banter between him and Kay, it really doesn’t add anything to the game itself. And “banter” isn’t really the right word.
Frankly, between the fact the he doesn’t cover a lot of games, the games he does cover, he’s eating food or getting food, and/or his lack of interest in the game itself, I’m surprised he still has a job with YES.
“The best thing about XM is hearing Vin Scully. Driving late and hearing him call games is awesome”
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in High School, living in Mesa Arizona, the local affiliate had Dodgers games. Had NO interest/love for the dodgers. However, after listening to Scully for 1 game it compelled me to tune in the next night. And the remainder of the year. By the end of the year, the Dodgers were one of ‘my’ teams. Exclusively due to Vin Scully’s annoucing
Nick Johnson will hit in the 2 hole more than Curtis Granderson in 2010. Book it.
“His lack of speed will be a topic here by May…”
——————————————————-
no it won’t. You don’t like Nick Johnson. We get it. Next
Hawk is the worst, he is the grand slam of homers. I watch the Yanks on my computer when they play the chi sox just to avoid having to hear his cheerleading.
Its nice to have a problem such as which good hitter should hit where.
Hawk Harrelson was once GM of the Sox. His career highlights include:
-people questioned his work ethic as a GM because he was often found on the golf course instead of in the office.
-During that one season, Harrelson fired field manager Tony LaRussa (who was soon hired by the Oakland Athletics, whom he led to three consecutive AL pennants) and assistant general manager Dave Dombrowski (who became baseball’s youngest general manager with the Montreal Expos just two years later).
-Harrelson also traded rookie Bobby Bonilla, later a six-time All-Star, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Jose DeLeon.”
Also, During the 1987–1988 season he was the play-by-play man for New York Yankees games on SportsChannel New York.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K.....roadcaster
“Also, During the 1987–1988 season he was the play-by-play man for New York Yankees games on SportsChannel New York”
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Hawk Harrelson in New York City. Fish meet air
vinny-b…..I’ve always loked Nick Johnson, but not hitting in the 2 hole in this lineup……You just don’t put a slow guy in the 2 hole…..Obviously we’ll see who’s right about this come mid-season…..Also, it’s time for Cano to grow into his potential and hit in the 5 hole to cover Alex…..Here is when stats are misused and misunderstood…..
New thread
Something about A-Rod’s eye
Hard to argue with the Scully loyalists.
I grew up listening to Ernie Harwell, so I’m spoiled, and cannot bear to listen to Sterling and Waldmann. It’s simply unbelievable that those two are calling Yankees baseball to millions on the radio.
Back to Harwell, the epitome of talent, grace, and class. Do yourself a favor and read this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4444976
Just remembered this….Harwell also dabbled in song writing for many years, and once quipped “I’ve had more no-hitters than Nolan Ryan.”
Sam,
I enjoyed the info on Mel Allen. I grew up watching the Yankee broadcasts in the middle 50′s. Listen to Mel and Red Barber was priceless. I can still here the HR call by Mel “that ball is going going gone.” He had a way of smacking his lips as if to indicate a taste of the Ballentine Beer.
“Scully isn’t an announcer, he’s an artist.”
Oh, Bodhi, you nailed it.
SJ’s right, it’s a different business now. NO dead air allowed, gotta fill it with some noise, squeeze in as much “content” between pitches as possible. The broadcasters have bought into the canard that “the game is too slow.”
I still maintain that if fans really understood the game – non-bandwagon fans of course – it’s not slow at all. You need to be thinking along with the managers and the players, not waiting until someone hits a home run. A strike is an event, so is a ball. Whether it’s high and outside and the pitcher missed the target, whether the hitter fouls it straight back or swings late, whether the outfield is shifted… nevermind. If it has to be explained, it’s too late. That’s why Michael Kay (a Fordham alum like Scully), can sometimes be irritating. He’s trying too hard. But in Michael’s defense, they all talk too much now. BTW, Kay is as knowledgeable as anyone in the game, IMO, but he’s got to re-cycle content from his YES Q and A, Centerstage and his radio show and still do nearly every Yankee game live. He better be taking his vitamins.
My favorite Yankee broadcast team was White, Rizzuto and Messer. I missed out on the golden age of Mel Allen. IMO, Jon Miller is very good, if a little in love with the sound of his voice. He has reason to be; carrying Joe Morgan all this time is NOT easy.
Still, Vin Scully is an artist. He knows that silence is an important tool in the broadcaster’s toolbox. If Michael Kay stays in the business long enough, he’ll start to economize eventually.
Gonna miss Coney a lot, as he really found himself as a broadcaster last year. I’m willing to give Flash Flaherty a little more time; he was starting to come into his own late last season. O’Neill is good as a foil to Kay, and as for Tino, well, speaking may not be one of his five tools. But I love him anyway.
I dont care if they were homers but for my sheer joy Phil Rizzuto and Harry Carey were the best. They packed so much excitement into the game. Even if their initial call was wrong, who cares ,it was funny when they screwed up. they didn’t take themselves to seriously either. And nobody but nobody did the seventh inning strecth “take me out to the ballgame sing-along” better than Harry..so much fun.
Then there was Dizzy Dean. Grew up with him. Kind of hard to forget him and his stories
My Yankee announcers:
Mel Allen: listened to him while growing up. He was the best.
Phil Rizzuto: great personality, fun to listen to
Red Barber: had the knack for turning anything into dullness and boredome. In the same mold as the always over-rated Vin Scully who is a guaranteed snooze to listen to.
Skipping to today:
John Sterling’s a goofball, but I’ve gotten used to him.
Suzyn Waldman: has earned her spot and is a good reporter
Michael Kay: he asks good questions and brings out interesting information from the guys with information to share (see below)
Paul O’Neill: a waste of time
Ken Singleton: a bigger waste of time; hard to believe he actually played the game given how much of what he says is the same thing I could say without having had a minute in a baseball uniform
David Cone: I hadn’t heard that he was leaving. Tremendous loss because he actually talked about stuff that no one else talked about: percentage of strikes thrown, percentage of infield popups (for Jeter)
Al Leiter: Another really good one with insight to share that comes from experience.
John Flaherty: He actually had good stuff to post on the LoHud blog in terms of pitching previews, but he never says this kind of stuff on the air.
Marty Glickman was an absolutely awesome radio play-by-play man for the NY Football Giants in the 1960′s and early 1970′s.
He was the best!
Ray Scott – also awesome as NFL play-by-play man for network TV – CBS. Covered first 2 Superbowls.
Hearing those guys broadcast an NFL Football game was a treat.
Joe Buck..awful. Joe Morgan..must get a royalty every time he says Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson. Mc Carver…Don’t get me started.
Back in the early 80′s my father & I were hit by a drunk driver & both badly injured. As we recuperated our daily hi-lite was listening to Syracuse University station WAER do the AAA Syracuse Chiefs games. We both loved the student announcer & pegged him for great things, his name was Sean Mc Donnough.
I grew with Messer, Rizzuto and White.
The funnest time was when Rizzuto introduced himself as Bill White before a game. Bill White was laughing so hard he almost fell over.
Rizzuto: “Welcome to Yankee baseball. I’m Bill White. Holy Cow!”
White: “Haaaaaaaaaaaa!”