The double edged talk of baseball commentators

[realmofotalk]

I was tuning in to the ESPN Sunday Night game between the Yankees and the Red Sox as Daniel Bard had trouble getting the third out of the bottom 8th inning and the radio color commentator even if you have a 99 mph fastball and a sharp breaking ball, if you leave the ball at the middle of the plate, big league hitters are going to catch up to it, blah blah. As if he has the young pitchers' problem all figured out, but of course he doesn't mention the only real alternative for Bard, and that is to nibble at the strike zone. Therein lies the problem. You have the other group of experts who will suggest that a pitcher who keeps getting behind the count needs to stop getting cute with finer pitches and just go with hard stuff down the middle. It would be nice to get these guys with differing philosophies in the same booth to actually analyze them instead of arguing that so-and-so shouldn't be doing this or that and then concluding with "That won't get it done."

[Providence A's]

At least it wasn't Tim McCarver or Rex Hudler. It wasn't Joe Morgan, was it? If it wasn't any of those three, then you've won half the battle. I generally prefer to watch it with minimal sound...especially if it's a local station type thing because those guys are almost always the biggest homers and completely biased in just about everything they say to go along with the lack of knowledge.

[ljshorty89]

At least it wasn't Tim McCarver or Rex Hudler. It wasn't Joe Morgan, was it? If it wasn't any of those three, then you've won half the battle. I generally prefer to watch it with minimal sound...especially if it's a local station type thing because those guys are almost always the biggest homers and completely biased in just about everything they say to go along with the lack of knowledge.

There may not be a crew that bothers me as much as Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, and Steve Phillips. Morgan....is just terrible. It is very rare that he says anything that is relatively interesting/informative/not stupid. Miller...is a semi-decent play by play man, but his analysis and additional information seems forced, almost as though he's trying to make up for Morgan by being both play by play AND color commentator(which he's not good at).

I don't think I need to explain why I think Steve Phillips is one of the worst human beings alive...

[HollywoodLeo]

This is why I always liked Matt Vasgersian. He never pretended to be an expert in the game, he just commented on what was going on. Every so often he'd state that he thought a pitch was a ball or strike, or that a pitcher might have done something wrong, but he'd always add "But that's why I'm only a commentator" (or something along those lines), and not in a sarcastic tone. Matt would display a hint of homerism in the broadcast, but nothing over the top like what Mark Grant does.

It's also what makes Vin Scully one of the all time greats. He doesn't pretend to be an expert, he just comments on the game and tells stories about the players on the field. Scully is great to listen to.

[ljshorty89]

This is why I always liked Matt Vasgersian. He never pretended to be an expert in the game, he just commented on what was going on. Every so often he'd state that he thought a pitch was a ball or strike, or that a pitcher might have done something wrong, but he'd always add "But that's why I'm only a commentator" (or something along those lines), and not in a sarcastic tone. Matt would display a hint of homerism in the broadcast, but nothing over the top like what Mark Grant does.

It's also what makes Vin Scully one of the all time greats. He doesn't pretend to be an expert, he just comments on the game and tells stories about the players on the field. Love or hate the Dodgers, Scully is great to listen to.

Agreed completely. I mean, I don't get to listen to Vasgersian or Scully frequently, but from what I do get to hear, that's exactly what makes them so good at what they do.

I don't know how many people on this site have listened to the Mets tv crew (Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling), but I have to say, they are a pretty good team as well. Cohen, who actually grew up a Mets fan and was the radio announcer for years, spends most of the game being a play-by-play man, and feeding into the conversation by asking analytical questions of the two former players. Darling and Hernandez offer their insight (as well as some unrelated humor and entertainment). Obviously, I'm not comparing this team to Vin Scully, but as a team, I think GKR(Gary, Keith, and Ron) are among the better announcing teams I've listened to.

PS: Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling are awful too.

[HollywoodLeo]

Keith Hernandez?!

I hate Keith Hernandez! HATE HIM!

I DESPISE him!

[Providence A's]

Keith Hernandez?!

I DESPISE Kieth Hernandez!

it always made me laugh that they were blatantly referencing the Kennedy assassination with that whole sequence.

I'm leaving. Jerry's a nut!

[ljshorty89]

Keith Hernandez?!

I hate Keith Hernandez! HATE HIM!

I DESPISE him!

it always made me laugh that they were blatantly referencing the Kennedy assassination with that whole sequence.

I'm leaving. Jerry's a nut!

Haha. Keith gets points just for having a part in Seinfeld.

But listen, I'll be the first to tell you that Keith's.....shall we say...eccentricity is a bit too frequent during broadcasts. However, I think he infuses a nice bit of humor, as well as more insight than people realize. Obviously he had his faux pas with the Padres massage therapist a few years back, but there really haven't been any issues since then.

[Providence A's]

I don't know how many people on this site have listened to the Mets tv crew (Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling), but I have to say, they are a pretty good team as well.

Ron Darling pitched a CG SHO for the A's against the Red Sox at my first MLB game ever.

Retrosheet Boxscore: Oakland Athletics 4, Boston Red Sox 0

[GiantsFanatic]

I don't know how many people on this site have listened to the Mets tv crew (Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling), but I have to say, they are a pretty good team as well. Cohen, who actually grew up a Mets fan and was the radio announcer for years, spends most of the game being a play-by-play man, and feeding into the conversation by asking analytical questions of the two former players. Darling and Hernandez offer their insight (as well as some unrelated humor and entertainment). Obviously, I'm not comparing this team to Vin Scully, but as a team, I think GKR(Gary, Keith, and Ron) are among the better announcing teams I've listened to.

I haven't because living in the west coast we don't get Mets games(obviously) but if I ever do I will try.

Also the Giants commentators are pretty funny, they don't go over board, and they are unbiased.

[HollywoodLeo]

I wouldn't call Giants commentators unbiased, but they don't really go overboard with it.

[Porter]

I get the joys of Dave Niehaus for 3 innings.

Then watch the broadcast fall apart with D.S. (Dumb S*it) Dave Sims and Rick Rizzs. *SIGH*

[realmofotalk]

Love or hate the Dodgers, Scully is great to listen to.

Seriously, what the ****? You can't even sing Vinny's praises without sounding like a jealous prick.

[HollywoodLeo]

How was that acting like a jealous prick?

There was no malicious intent behind the remark, i was simply highlighting the fact that he's a great commentator.

[realmofotalk]

Love or hate the Dodgers, Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier had a positive impact on major league baseball.

Love or hate the Dodgers, Roy Campanella's career shouldn't have ended the way it did.