5 Ways FOX Saturday Baseball Could Get Worse and How Nationally Televised Baseball Can Get Better
I love listening to the Giants on the radio, or catching a game on TV. Jon Miller and Dave Fleming are a couple of throwbacks - classic announcers who paint a picture of what is going on. When it's Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, it's like watching a game with a couple of old friends while drinking some beers - and that is great too. But when forced to watch the Giants on a nationally televised broadcast, I prefer to tune out whatever dimwits (Miller excluded) are calling it, and turn up a little KNBR.
I have always had a particular dislike for FOX Saturday Baseball whose announcers usually sound as if they've never heard of the radio. The best television announcers coincidentally grew up on and came up through radio, thus making their television commentary vivid and insightful. The FOX team - not so much. While FOX's coverage is pretty bad, I am fairly certain, it could actually get significantly worse. If the FOX team is looking to lower the bar just a little bit more, might I offer these suggestions:
1). "Babe Cam" - No, not The Babe, babes as in girls. I'm certain they've already thought of this one already, and I think we're just about a year or two away from its implementation. What better way to make the token female commentator feel even more uncomfortable.
2). Lure Joe Morgan away from ESPN - come on, FOX, that was too easy.
3). The Bud Selig Postgame Show - no one has charisma quite like comissioner Bud Selig. Selig's postgame interviews with the day's MVP could provide insight. "Derek," Selig might say, "don't you think it's funny people blame me for the steroid era. I mean, how am I supposed to know - you were best friends with A-Rod, and you didn't know."
4). No pre-game press sheets allowed - I want as many names screwed up and stats misquoted as possible.
5). Mic a bullpen guy who will only be pitching in case of a blowout - oh the insights that could be provided by someone who is just hanging out in the bullpen. Sample interaction: "Sunflower seeds?" "Sure bro, thanks."
Thankfully, while things can get worse, they can also get better, and as a lifelong watcher of nationally televised baseball, here's what I would like to see:
-One throwback Jon Miller type calling the game, someone who has been versed in radio and preferably has another announcing gig. ie someone with a lot of practice.
-Rather than a Joe Morgan, who quantifies a player's "heart" and mangles statistics, how about a pair of in-game analysts who actually have some knowledge to spread. Baseball fans don't care about a player's heart and the game is far more interactive in 2009. Fans want to know stats that relate back to their fantasy team, and what the analysts have heard about potential transactions. Anyone watching a nationally televised game has an interest in at least one of these. Why not have a Buster Olney or Peter Gammons in the game for a start, and then add some versed in Baseball Prospectus who can speak eloquently on the stats that actually matter, like OPS.
I have always had a particular dislike for FOX Saturday Baseball whose announcers usually sound as if they've never heard of the radio. The best television announcers coincidentally grew up on and came up through radio, thus making their television commentary vivid and insightful. The FOX team - not so much. While FOX's coverage is pretty bad, I am fairly certain, it could actually get significantly worse. If the FOX team is looking to lower the bar just a little bit more, might I offer these suggestions:
1). "Babe Cam" - No, not The Babe, babes as in girls. I'm certain they've already thought of this one already, and I think we're just about a year or two away from its implementation. What better way to make the token female commentator feel even more uncomfortable.
2). Lure Joe Morgan away from ESPN - come on, FOX, that was too easy.
3). The Bud Selig Postgame Show - no one has charisma quite like comissioner Bud Selig. Selig's postgame interviews with the day's MVP could provide insight. "Derek," Selig might say, "don't you think it's funny people blame me for the steroid era. I mean, how am I supposed to know - you were best friends with A-Rod, and you didn't know."
4). No pre-game press sheets allowed - I want as many names screwed up and stats misquoted as possible.
5). Mic a bullpen guy who will only be pitching in case of a blowout - oh the insights that could be provided by someone who is just hanging out in the bullpen. Sample interaction: "Sunflower seeds?" "Sure bro, thanks."
Thankfully, while things can get worse, they can also get better, and as a lifelong watcher of nationally televised baseball, here's what I would like to see:
-One throwback Jon Miller type calling the game, someone who has been versed in radio and preferably has another announcing gig. ie someone with a lot of practice.
-Rather than a Joe Morgan, who quantifies a player's "heart" and mangles statistics, how about a pair of in-game analysts who actually have some knowledge to spread. Baseball fans don't care about a player's heart and the game is far more interactive in 2009. Fans want to know stats that relate back to their fantasy team, and what the analysts have heard about potential transactions. Anyone watching a nationally televised game has an interest in at least one of these. Why not have a Buster Olney or Peter Gammons in the game for a start, and then add some versed in Baseball Prospectus who can speak eloquently on the stats that actually matter, like OPS.
posted by Will at
4:29 PM
1 Comments:
Is there anything worse than the announcing team of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver? I think not. And FOX has the World Series locked up until 2030. We are going to be listening to these two ignorami for the next 20 years! I wash my hands of you, FOX.
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