MLB announcers thread

SandraC

On Vacation
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Apr 10, 2008
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NJ
While I can rattle off the top of my tiny brain all the good and bad points of hockey announcers, I'm still getting to know a lot of the baseball announcers around the league. But lucky for you guys, I'll give you my opinion anyway. Here is my list of who fed it and who ate it...

IMHO the best announcers in the league belong to the New York Mets. Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez are outstanding. Rarely biased, they love the game, and are also very funny together.

Not sure who are the worst, but I don't like the Angels announcers. Physioc and Hudler, I think? They just sound so self-important or something. And last night early in the game, Torii Hunter tries to throw someone out at third on a single up the middle, it's a two hopper to Figgins that goes through his legs, because the ball and the player arrive at the same time. Hudler and then Physioc go on and on about how this is Hunter's first error in whatever number of games. They're waxing poetic about what a great run it's been for Hunter, while at the same time I'm telling my boyfriend it has to be an E-5. Sure enough a minute later they say E-5, and both are incredulous. I'm an idiot, and even I knew it was E-5! What they should have been talking about is the fact Jared Weaver didn't back up third, allowing the run to score.

Still love listening to Dave Sims in Seattle. Great voice from New York. His love of the game also shines through, and he has no agenda.

Gary Thorne in Baltimore is a great announcer who can make baseball sound even more exciting than it already is. He's the perfect complement to the cerebral Jim Palmer. Thorne's laugh is very infectious.

The Yankee announcers are good, not great. Michael Kay is very professional, and all of the guys who are in and out of the booth (Singleton, O'Neil, Cone, etc.) are all good too. They do get a little 'Yankee-centric' at times, but this also happens with other announcers in other cities, where the team doesn't have the resume of the Yankees.

The Reds announcers whine a little too much for my taste. I forget the announcers name, but his voice sounds familiar. Sometimes sounds like Jack Edwards announcing the Bruins, complaining about every call.

Vin Scully is the man. At his age, he's still excellent, and he still works alone.

The Red Sox guys are very good, and this may be blasphemy on the Cape, but I like the new analyst more than Jerry Remy.

You know how I feel about Joe Morgan. Seems like he parachutes into his Sunday night games and starts talking like he knows everything about a team. A few weeks ago he's talking about David Wright, saying how consistent he's been, leading the league in hitting while so many of his teammates are injured. Sounds good, right? But for those of us actually paying attention, he's very wrong. Wright has had one of the most bizarre, inconsistent years a player on the league leader board can possibly have. And the problem with Morgan is he doesn't say it once, he beats his points to death until the inning finally ends.

I do like Tampa's announcers, they also sound familiar.

Blue Jays announcers are kind of boring.

Ken Harrelson is brutal. Do Chicago people really enjoy listening to this guy? He makes it painful.

Speaking of which, the following announcing teams are so non-descript I don't even have an opinion on them...Florida, Atlanta, St Louis, Detroit, Colorado, Minnesota, etc.

Teams I don't watch very often because they stink...San Diego, Arizona, Washington, Cleveland, Kansas City, Oakland, Pittsburgh, etc.


Sandra
 
The worst, IMO, are the White Sox announcers, because they are the biggest homers that exists. The Padre announcers are not that far behind.

The Red Sox announcers are the most irksome group around. They can make one of the most dramatic events sound routine. A big bore. Even though NESNs HD PQ is one of the best around, I will often tune to the other teams feed because the Sox announcers can put me to sleep.

I do like the Met announcers and the Cub announcers. But Keith Hernandez is too full of himself, however. I can't help get the Seinfeld episode out of my head every time I hear him, "I am Keith Hernandez".

Of course, my loyalty lies with Vinny. He is by far one of the best announcers of all time. Just to show that I am not coming at you from a biased perspective, the Dodger radio announcer, Charlie Steiner, is one of the worst I have heard. I do not really care for him. Although I do like Rick Monday.

The most entertaining crew is Krukow and Kuiper of the Giants. And John Miller is also one of the best guys currently calling a game as well. This will be the only praise from me towards the Giants.
 
Vin Scully is the man. At his age, he's still excellent, and he still works alone.

The Red Sox guys are very good, and this may be blasphemy on the Cape, but I like the new analyst more than Jerry Remy.


Ken Harrelson is brutal. Do Chicago people really enjoy listening to this guy? He makes it painful.



Sandra

Good post, Sandra:up

I do not like Vin Scully, I do not like the one man booth, and I can never forgive him for his out right rooting for the Mets in the '86 series. On the east coast he is a good cure for insomnia.

Remy is missed, but I really like Eck, he does a great job and he is not biased for the Red Sox at all, matter of fact he just biased towards both pitchers. Dave Roberts is just learning and not the great of a listen right now. Sean Casey was OK, but would not say anything critical about anyone, probably because he just played with those guys last year.

The White Sox guy is a "WE" guy, and that is a joke.
 
Marlin announcers HAD a great team in Boog Sciambi when he was paired with Joe Simpson....up to around 2005-2006...not sure. But the Boog-Man he is doing Atlanta Braves Radio.
 
These opinions are from this year, yes....


Sandra

That's not fair, Rick Manning has been providing griping color-commentary on the Tribe since 1990. Him and Matty Underwood make a great duo in the broadcast booth! (Just ask KCK or Sky).

Of course, it's an even better treat to listen to WTAM 1100's, Tom Hamilton and Mike Heagan on the Radio. I could listen to Hammy and his enthusiastic home run calls all night long:
"A swing and a drive!" or "Swung on and belted, to deep left field, a-WAYYYY back and gone!"
 
I have a very tought time listening to our local guys on the Diamondbacks broadcasts. Darren Sutton came over to us from, I believe, Milwaukee a few seasons back. He has an urge to "entertain" us and can't keep quiet when nothing needs to be said. He'll drone on about trivial things and, like Morgan, hammer away at one point that really doesn't need to be mentioned once. He and Mark Grace get very juvenille during the broadcasts. I watch alot of baseball over the season and must say that the local guys are, at best, amateur. I really wish we had Tom Brennamen back behind the mic.

The only other broadcast team that really annoys me is the Padres.

Of the ones I like..Krup and Kuipe always make me feel like I'm listening to knowledgeable guys calling a game and seem like buddies. The Mets broadcasters have the best baseball voices. I also like listening to the guys from Detroit and Tampa Bay.
 
The Reds announcers whine a little too much for my taste. I forget the announcers name, but his voice sounds familiar. Sometimes sounds like Jack Edwards announcing the Bruins, complaining about every call.

Can you find out which ones? Are you talking about the TV announcers or radio announcers?

The TV announcers are Chris Welsh and George Grande. In my opinion they are the best. They have been together doing Reds games on TV for 17 years now.

The radio announcers are Marty Brenneman. He isn't in the Hall of Fame for his good looks so you can't be talking about him. The other announcers are Thom Brenneman, Marty's son, he is good but not great yet. Then we come to Jeff Brantley, the worst radio announcer I have ever heard. I really wish the Reds would get rid of him.
 
That's not fair, Rick Manning has been providing griping color-commentary on the Tribe since 1990. Him and Matty Underwood make a great duo in the broadcast booth! (Just ask KCK or Sky).

Ok, there's a new one...someone's opinions aren't fair. Um...they're OPINIONS!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

All I said was I don't hear the Cleveland broadcasters because the team stinks. And I said that because I don't hear the Cleveland broadcasters because...wait for it...the team STINKS. I didn't say the announcers were good or bad.

They could put all the best announcers in the world in their booth, but it won't matter. I rarely watch teams at the bottom of the standings. ;)


Sandra
 
Can you find out which ones? Are you talking about the TV announcers or radio announcers?

The TV announcers are Chris Welsh and George Grande. In my opinion they are the best. They have been together doing Reds games on TV for 17 years now.

The radio announcers are Marty Brenneman. He isn't in the Hall of Fame for his good looks so you can't be talking about him. The other announcers are Thom Brenneman, Marty's son, he is good but not great yet. Then we come to Jeff Brantley, the worst radio announcer I have ever heard. I really wish the Reds would get rid of him.

Well I'm talking TV of course, I watch the MLB Extra Innings package on DirecTV. I don't listen to out of town radio announcers. But don't worry, HD, I'm sure if I did Cleveland's announcers would be the best...:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Now that you mention the names, I think it's Thom Brenneman who I'm thinking about, the one who whines way too much for my liking. He questions balls and strikes, check swings, etc., more than any announcer I've heard. And he's pretty much only questions them when the call goes against the Reds. Otherwise he's OK with it. ;)

I'm pretty sure Brantley is also on TV, I have no criticism of him.


Sandra
 
Good post, Sandra:up

I do not like Vin Scully, I do not like the one man booth, and I can never forgive him for his out right rooting for the Mets in the '86 series. On the east coast he is a good cure for insomnia.

Remy is missed, but I really like Eck, he does a great job and he is not biased for the Red Sox at all, matter of fact he just biased towards both pitchers. Dave Roberts is just learning and not the great of a listen right now. Sean Casey was OK, but would not say anything critical about anyone, probably because he just played with those guys last year.

The White Sox guy is a "WE" guy, and that is a joke.
Rooting for the Mets? The guy calls the game with a tone appropriate for the play and atmosphere at the moment, and does so better than any announcer I have ever heard. Just because your Sox blew a sure win in game six and Vinny set the appropriate tone with the call exactly as it should have been, don't hate on him because of it.
 
That's not fair, Rick Manning has been providing griping color-commentary on the Tribe since 1990.

Wow, griping commentary, HD...no wonder you like Manning so much. Does he gripe about Lebron too? ;) :D


Sandra
 
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Well I'm talking TV of course, I watch the MLB Extra Innings package on DirecTV. I don't listen to out of town radio announcers. But don't worry, HD, I'm sure if I did Cleveland's announcers would be the best...:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Now that you mention the names, I think it's Thom Brenneman who I'm thinking about, the one who whines way too much for my liking. He questions balls and strikes, check swings, etc., more than any announcer I've heard. And he's pretty much only questions them when the call goes against the Reds. Otherwise he's OK with it. ;)

I'm pretty sure Brantley is also on TV, I have no criticism of him.


Sandra

Yes Thom does do some TV and Brantley does too.
 
Speaking for Detroit TV - Mario Impemba is very good, Rod Allen is an idiot. The guy talks like he played forever in Detroit (35+ games). He says some of the dumbest things I have ever heard at times, He's Capt. Obvious other times. I could go on for days about this guy. Listening to the national broadcast on Fox the other day with Grace doing the "color" did make me yearn for Allen, though. Never thought I would hear somebody worse than Allen, but Grace is it.
 
I realize many people dislike Hawk Harrelson, but there are a lot of us in Chicago who do like him. He's now partnered with Steve Stone and they have a lot of baseball history that they talk about during the games. Not afraid to question bad calls and bad play, by either team. Yes, Hawk is a homer, I don't mind that. I'm a homer too.
 
I realize many people dislike Hawk Harrelson, but there are a lot of us in Chicago who do like him. He's now partnered with Steve Stone and they have a lot of baseball history that they talk about during the games. Not afraid to question bad calls and bad play, by either team. Yes, Hawk is a homer, I don't mind that. I'm a homer too.

Most of the announcers in Chicago are "homers." Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, Cubs, Sox... radio and tv. However, Harrelson (White Sox tv) and Santo (Cubs radio) are arguably two of the biggest "homers" you'll find.

Watching sports in Chicago, I guess you kind of tune it out because you are so used to it.
 
The idea of these type of announcers is something I am familiar with.

I grew up in Buffalo, and I was familiar with Rick Jeanneret, a guy who a lot of hockey fans accuse of being a homer.
 

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